Downfall Series: Part One, My First Taste
by Aelora
Summary: The following is my interpretation of Clark Kent if he were to have been a female. This is not Supergirl it is based on the WB's Smallville and their vision of Clark as a teenager only ‘he’ is a ‘she’. There will likely be three separate sections to t
1. My First Taste: Homecomings

SMALLVILLE:  
  
EPISODE ONE  
It just wasn't fair.  
  
Some people would say that growing up in a town like Smallville, any kid would have it made. There weren't the same fears about being out late at night like in the city, most of the inhabitants were friendly and protective of one another, the schools were good - one couldn't complain. But what if you were different? Really different. And even if no one really knew that you were different, they still knew that you weren't quite the same. Of course, that resulted in a severe lack of popularity at school. In small, Midwestern towns, high school sports were everything. If you were male, and didn't play either football or basketball, there was obviously something wrong with you. Likewise, if you were female and you weren't a cheerleader or volleyball player or soccer player, there was something wrong with you.  
  
Hudson wanted to be a cheerleader. Like Lana 'Miss Perfect' Lang. Everyone adored Lana because she was beautiful and graceful and cheered on her quarterback boyfriend, Whitney Fordman, during every Smallville High Crow's game. Hudson knew she could be a great cheerleader. She could flip higher than any of the others. And she could hold the entire squad on her shoulders if she really wanted to. Not that she would -- it would be too blatant an admission of her abilities. She knew better than to do that; her well-meaning parents had drilled it into her every day of her life. Still, it didn't mean she couldn't do some fairly spectacular things without going overboard.  
  
It just wasn't fair that she was different. That she was an alien.  
  
She'd had two years to come to grips with the truth of her origins and still it was hard to accept. Growing up, she had always known she could do things that no one else could - run faster, lift more, never get sick or injured. She fell out of trees over and over again, never breaking a bone; picked up the tractor when her father needed to work on something underneath; raced the trains that sped along the tracks just outside of town. But Hudson's most trying moment had come at the onset of her period - when she suddenly began shooting heat out of her eyes. Scorching heat so hot it set fire to things instantaneously. She'd been at school, walking past Lana in the cafeteria, when she had suddenly tripped, dropping her lunch on the floor. Lana and her friends had laughed and Hudson had felt anger and hurt shoot through her. The next thing she knew, her milk carton went up in flames. It had all gone down as a freak accident but she knew the truth - she had caused it.  
  
When she got home that day, Hudson had immediately explained to her mom and dad how she'd felt the heat emanate from her eyes. Why? She had demanded of them. Why were all of these strange things happening to her? That was when they had told her the truth. The meteor shower, the spaceship, her abilities. She was an alien; not an over-achieving human. They didn't know where she came from or who her people were or why she was here but they did know how they had found her - or how she had found them, as her mother had put it. It had taken her months to get used to the idea. Sometimes Hudson would go down to the storm cellar where the ship lay, hidden beneath a tarp, and she would just sit there and look at it, wondering how it worked, why it had been built. why her real parents hadn't wanted her. Eventually she had come to accept, if not understand, the truth about who she was. What she was. But that still didn't make life any easier.  
  
Kicking at the railing of the bridge, Hudson stared down into the river water below. Kansas had seen an inordinate amount of rainfall through the spring and summer, and autumn was proving not to be much different, causing the rivers to swell beyond their usual level. During years of drought, Hudson had seen the river beneath her dried up into a dustbowl. Now she figured it was a good twelve feet in depth, maybe more. Somewhere, just outside of Lowell County where the river suddenly forked off to the east, it met up with the Missouri. When she was younger, Hudson used to dream of building a little raft and following the river to wherever it would lead, just like Huck Finn.  
  
Sighing, she glanced over her shoulder as a truck carrying bailing wire rumbled onto the bridge. Her gaze strayed back to the river, where the sun winked off the gently flowing water and the sound of a fish jumping somewhere beneath her caused her mind to wander once more to the idea of going somewhere else, far away where no one knew her, where she could begin again and actually do something.  
  
It was the screeching of tires and simultaneous popping sounds, like a gun going off in succession, that brought Hudson's attention back to her surroundings and she turned in stunned horror to find the flash of a pale blue sports car, and matching blue eyes, careening toward her.  
  
And then she felt it. Actually felt the metal slam into her, trapping her for the briefest milliseconds between hood and railing and then the bridge behind her snapped outward and she was falling, falling down into the swelling river with a car following her descent, as if intent on trapping her there. The water closed around her before she could close her mouth from her scream, and she forced it out with a purse of her lips, blinking against the cold, murky water that surrounded her. For a brief moment, she had no idea what had just happened, then the creaking of metal next to her brought her gaze around to the upended car.  
  
Hudson swam toward the driver's side, not even hesitating to grab a rent in the roof and yank it back, tearing a gaping hole between the door and windshield. Reaching inside, she took hold of the driver, pulling him from the seat belt, holding him carefully around his waist and swimming hurriedly toward the surface. Carrying him with her up the bank, she laid him against the ground and quickly placed her ear near his mouth to see if he was breathing. Panic filled her when she realized that he wasn't and she mentally ticked off the process of CPR, reaching out to pinch his nose closed and pull his jaw open. Pushing her wet hair from her face, she leaned over, blowing a few quick breaths into his mouth, and then placed her hands against his chest and began the compressions. One, two, three. One, two, three.  
  
"Come on! Don't die on me!" She whispered in a near plea, preparing to restart the procedure when the man beneath her began coughing, the river water spewing out of his mouth.  
  
Hudson sat back as relief washed over her, watching quietly as the man before her struggled to regain consciousness and his bearings. She recognized the blue eyes immediately, remembering them well from the view through the windshield. And what if that had been her last view in this life? God. What was she doing here?? That car hit her. She should be dead. They should both be dead!  
  
Lex's chest felt like it had been ripped open, his throat was raw and he was more than certain he was supposed to be dead. Had been dead. Maybe he still was. The angel leaning over him certainly could have been proof of Heaven, at least from his perspective, especially with the way the sun seemed to cause a halo around the dark cloud of her hair. Finding the strength to draw a breath, he gasped, "I could have sworn I hit you."  
  
"If you did, then I'd be." Hudson trailed off for a moment, a little mystified, a little terrified because he had hit her, slammed her into the railing, into the river below and she most certainly should be. she should be. "I'd be dead."  
  
Her eyes met his and he was staring at her curiously, as if he didn't quite believe that he hadn't hit her, and could she blame him? His last vision had probably been her eyes and it would be etched into both of their memories for the rest of their lives. Hudson could only hold on to the possibility that since he had just drowned, his memory might be a bit hazy. He wouldn't -- couldn't remember that he had hit her. Besides, it was too unbelievable to be true. Too impossible.  
  
Pulling her gaze from his, Hudson turned and looked back at the huge hole in the railing on the bridge above. Too impossible.  
  
Like an alien on Earth.  
  
Forty minutes later Hudson sat staring at the water, hugging the red blanket draped over her shoulders. Rescue personnel moved around her, working to pull the Porsche out of the water, occasionally checking on her, checking on the man she rescued. Lex Luthor. That was who he had introduced himself to her as - son of billionaire pesticide king, Lionel Luthor. Major employer in Smallville. Major employer half the world over actually. And the one person her father was most critical of. Hudson felt she probably recognized the name Lionel Luthor faster than any other name as a child. And now his son had just hit her with his Porsche and she had saved his life.  
  
Not as if that was the story she had given to the police. That version had been slightly skewed, where she had jumped out of the way in time, watching helplessly from the bridge as the sports car had plunged into the river below. Acting on impulse, she had jumped in after it, knowing that the driver would need help. The Sheriff had patted her shoulder, told her what a brave girl and strong swimmer she was.  
  
He had no idea.  
  
"H.C.!"  
  
Hudson looked up to see her father hurrying over to her, concern etched over his rugged features. Inwardly, she thought it was a little silly he seemed panicked that she might be hurt - she was hit by a car for Christ's Sake, and didn't harbor a scratch! The irony was so thick it could have been mistaken for sludge.  
  
"Honey, are you all right?" Jonathon touched his daughter's cheek, as if to assure himself that she wasn't injured in some way that he couldn't see.  
  
Hudson nodded, a little exasperated because, at the moment, it was the most ridiculous question she had ever heard. "Yeah. I'm okay."  
  
Reassured that his daughter wasn't hurt, Jonathon allowed the anger he had felt since the phone call to come to the surface. "Who's the maniac that was driving that car?" He demanded, glancing over at the officer to Hudson's left.  
  
"That would be me."  
  
Both Hudson and her father glanced to the right at the voice.  
  
"Lex Luthor." He held his hand out in greeting.  
  
Hudson watched silently as her father ignored the simple courtesy, moving to remove his jacket and set it around her shoulders. "Jonathon Kent. This is my daughter."  
  
"Thanks for saving my life."  
  
Looking up at his words, Hudson couldn't help but think how undeniably gorgeous Lex Luthor was. Sure, the whole bald thing was a little weird but she was getting used to it. His color was returning a little as well, not that there was too big of a difference, he obviously didn't get outside much. Still, he was a far cry from the farm boys that Smallville seemed to grow in abundance. Just the thought of the man before her wearing a baseball cap was near hilarious.  
  
"I'm sure you would have done the same thing," she lied automatically, knowing full well that it would have been impossible. He would have been dead.  
  
Similar lies had become easier over the years, excuses for doing things in front of others that maybe she shouldn't have done. But this lie. It was the biggest yet. It was very possible that Lex Luthor might have jumped in to save her had her car gone careening off the bridge into the river. But had she hit him in the process. He would have been dead and she would have been very alive and very responsible for it.  
  
Standing, her father's hand at her back, Hudson moved past the man she had saved as she heard him say, "You have quite an extraordinary daughter there, Mr. Kent. If there is any way I can repay you. ?"  
  
Jonathon stared at Lex for a moment before replying in a voice simmering with unreleased anger, "Try staying off the roads. Try not endangering the lives of any more young girls. And try very, very hard to stay away from my family."  
  
Wincing a little at her father's tone, Hudson stared a moment longer at Lex, then continued up the incline with her father at her side to head home.  
  
***  
  
"Check this out! Front page, girlfriend!"  
  
Hudson glanced over as her best friend, Chloe, appeared beside her, shoving a copy of the school paper into her face. Grasping it, she pulled it back, grimacing a little at the horrid year book picture of herself next to an enormous headline reading: 'Farm Girl Rescues Metropolis Prince'. Hudson groaned.  
  
"Chloe, the title is bad. Even for you."  
  
"I think it sounds romantic, in a gothic sort of way." Chloe laughed at the displeased expression on her friend's face. "Oh, come on! You know I had to jump on this story. It's not every day your best friend dives into a river to save the life of someone like Lex Luthor."  
  
"You're making it out to be a lot more than it was, Chloe," Hudson told her as she stopped beside her locker, turning the combination on the lock, and opening it to switch out the books in her backpack. "It really wasn't a big deal."  
  
Chloe snorted, "Yeah. Neither was the meteor shower."  
  
Hudson laughed, glancing over at the blonde beside her. "Now you are comparing my pulling a soggy Lex Luthor out of a river to one of the largest meteor showers in recorded history? Chloe, that's silly."  
  
"A soggy billionaire Lex Luthor," Chloe retorted. Leaning against the row of lockers, she fixed Hudson with a steady gaze. "So, tell me all about him. What was he like? How was he dressed? Could you tell he was oozing with money -- ?"  
  
"I could tell he was oozing with river water and mud."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes.  
  
Deciding to play a bit, Hudson leaned over and whispered, "Oh! And the way he smelled. "  
  
Eyes widening in an exciting scoop, Chloe brought her head closer. "Yeah?"  
  
"Like fish." Hudson straightened, closing her locker with a resounding snap.  
  
Chloe frowned. "You are so not fun."  
  
Hudson's salvation came in the form of Chloe Sullivan. From the moment they had become friends when she and her father had moved to Smallville from Metropolis, Hudson had found a like soul, someone with whom she could snub her nose at her Smallville peers and just be herself. Well, herself as far as it didn't concern the whole alien thing. As close as she and Chloe were, she knew her friend could never learn the truth. Not that she believed Chloe would ever hurt her, but she was overly curious, overly determined to follow the path of journalism and Hudson doubted that the last thing any journalist needed was proof that aliens existed. Especially in the form of her best friend.  
  
"Chloe, let it go." Hudson smiled at the ever-persistent reporter-in- training as she closed her locker. Taking a few steps forward, she stopped suddenly when a familiar feeling of nausea swept over her.  
  
"How can I let go the fact that you had such a strange encounter with someone like Lex Luthor? Hey, do you think you could get me an interview with him? That would almost secure an internship with the Planet."  
  
Hudson barely noticed Chloe's chatter as she stared a few lockers down where Lana Lang had appeared with her quarterback boyfriend in tow. For years it had been impossible to explain but ever since she could remember, whenever she got within a few feet of Lana, Hudson would grow weak, become nauseous, trip, make a complete fool of herself. Her entire body seemed to become numb, her muscles wouldn't to obey her commands and her stomach felt like it was shredding into pieces. When she had tried to explain it to her parents, she could only point to the movie 'Alien' and say she figured that she probably knew what it felt like to have something crawling out of your stomach. Only, in this case, it would have been an alien crawling out of an alien.  
  
Through the years, the feeling had occurred many times in various places but it wasn't until Hudson had tried out for the cheerleading squad a few weeks before school began that she and her parents had pieced it all together. She'd been doing fine, made it up to the finals to be on the Crows cheerleading squad, when Lana had shown up and everything had gone to hell. Lana had stood beside her during the last two cheers and suddenly Hudson had become the biggest klutz on the face of the earth. She had gone home totally confused, trying to figure out what had gone wrong, what it was that had made her uncoordinated and ill in Lana's presence (aside from Chloe's explanation that Lana made everyone sick). That was when her thoughts had turned to Lana's necklace, which contained a chunk of the meteor that had killed her parents during the storm.  
  
A meteor that Hudson had been responsible for.  
  
Explaining her theory to her parents, Hudson and her father had gone out into the woods, searching for a piece of meteor rock, something which was prevalent all over town. When they had finally located some, the hypothesis was quickly turned to fact: the meteor rocks which Hudson had brought with her on her descent to Earth also made her sick. Why? They had no idea, couldn't begin to figure it out but at least one of the mysteries had been solved.  
  
Leading to a further growing dislike of Lana Lang. It was bad enough that Lana got to do all of things that Hudson didn't but now she realized that many of her problems - not making the cheerleading squad, making a fool of herself at inopportune times - were all Lana's fault.  
  
Realizing that Hudson had been ignoring her for the past few moments, Chloe followed her gaze and sighed. "Oh, when are you going to get over the whole not making the cheerleading squad thing? I mean, who would want to be a cheerleader? Wearing those little skirts, hanging out with jocks. We'd have to change your name to Buffy or something for Pete's sake!"  
  
"Did someone say my name?"  
  
Chloe looked over to see their friend, Pete Ross, join them. Grinning, she told him, "Your name is regaled through these hallowed halls like the welcoming cries to a returning conqueror."  
  
Pete bowed. Chloe curtsied. Hudson didn't even notice.  
  
Staring at her with a raised brow, Pete commented, "Let me guess. There's a certain popular cheerleader at twelve o'clock?"  
  
"You got it," Chloe responded as she watched Pete reach out and wave his hand in front of Hudson's face for a moment.  
  
Finally snapping out of her fugue, in which she convinced Lana to throw her necklace away and she was able to join the squad and be just as popular as anyone else, Hudson turned to find Pete standing next to her. "Huh?... Oh. Hi Pete."  
  
"'Hi Pete'," he mimicked, shaking his hand. "Girl, you've got it bad."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Hudson slung her backpack over her shoulder and started back down the hall with her chin raised defiantly. She could have pulled the whole look off too but once she neared Lana, she tripped suddenly, as if her own feet got in the way. Luckily, Pete was beside her and reached out to steady her before she could make a complete fool of herself. Hudson didn't bother acknowledging what had just happened, not even when she heard Lana laughing behind her.  
  
***  
  
Waving to her friends in the bus, Hudson watched as it departed down the road then turned and walked down the gravel drive towards the lemon yellow farmhouse that was her home. Pete and Chloe had, as usual, teased her mercilessly during the bus ride regarding her desire to be a cheerleader. She couldn't help it - it was the one thing she knew that if she could accomplish, she could fit in, be normal, be like all of the other girls. Maybe even be as popular as Lana.  
  
It wasn't so much that Hudson wanted to be popular; it was more that she was tired of being unpopular, overlooked, resented. Maybe if she were a cheerleader, most of the guys could forget that they had occasionally seen proof that she was stronger than them, more capable. Like the time she had made the mistake of tossing a football back to the team while she had been watching practice, and she had done so a little too well. Or when she and Chloe had attended a party over the summer and Rick Claven had made a move on Chloe that she hadn't liked. Hudson had pushed him a little too hard across the room. Those insignificant, occasional moments had left her a bit of an outcast in high school, where too many of her peers considered her a freak. Their opinions had only caused her to withdraw, become maybe too quiet, hide her face in a book, and earn the mark of a geek on top of it all.  
  
Lifting her gaze as she reached the edge of the barn, Hudson's eyes widened just a bit at the sight of a shiny new red convertible BWM with a big bow across it, sitting beside the shed. Hurrying closer, she looked over it longingly for a moment, before seeing her mother on the tractor ahead of her. Still mystified, Hudson forced herself forward, asking, "Hey, mom! Whose car?"  
  
Martha turned at the voice and glanced at her daughter. "Yours." She reached into her pocket, ignoring the slack-jawed expression on Hudson's face, and handed her the card that accompanied it. "It's a gift. From Lex Luthor."  
  
A big smile crossing her face, Hudson took the envelope, reaching into it quickly to find the initials 'LL' scrawled in purple over the front of the card. Opening it, she read, "Dear H.C., Drive safely. Always in your debt. Maniac in a Porsche." Looking back up at the car, knowing this smile would be permanently plastered to her face forever and a day, Hudson commented, "I don't believe it." Glancing over her shoulder, she asked her mother, "Where are the keys?"  
  
Climbing down beside her daughter, knowing that the next few minutes wouldn't be pretty, Martha responded, "Your father has them." She felt like adding 'I wish you could keep it' but decided not to get involved unless it got too out of hand. While she knew Jonathon had a point, she could also see it from the point of view of a teenager who would never be able to afford a car like the one just gifted to her, for a very long time, if at all.  
  
Hudson grimaced the moment her mother spoke the words and she probably could have answered herself if she had thought about it for a moment or two. There was no way her father was going to allow her to keep a gift like this - actually any gift - from Lex Luthor. It was unfair. It was beyond unfair. Moving forward like she was suddenly following the path to hell, Hudson made her way inside the barn where her father was working with the wood chipper.  
  
Jonathon looked up as his daughter approached. Turning off the machine beside him, he removed his protective goggles and turned to her. "I know how much you want it, honey," he told her, walking past as he removed his gloves. "But you can't keep it."  
  
It was exactly as she had expected. Still, she felt compelled to ask, "Why not? I saved the guy's life!" Okay, that hadn't come out how she meant it to sound.  
  
Her father jumped on it. "So you think you deserve a prize?"  
  
Hudson ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "That's not what I meant." Watching as her father kept his back to her, she tried to come up with an adequate argument to keep the gift. "Look, how about mom drives this one and I'll drive hers? Everybody wins." It made sense to her.  
  
"It's not about winning, H.C.," he replied, glancing at his daughter for a moment before moving past as if dismissing her.  
  
"It's not like the Luthors can't afford it!" She protested.  
  
"Do you want to know why that is?" Her father asked with a sigh, looking over at her. "Do you remember Mr. Bell? We used to go fishing on his property. How about Mr. Guy? He used to send us pumpkins every Halloween. Well Lionel Luthor promised to cut them in on a deal."  
  
It took every ounce of willpower Hudson had not to roll her eyes at the sound of that name again.  
  
"He sent them flashy gifts," her father continued, swinging the ring of keys on his finger in demonstration. "Only once they'd sold him their property, he went back on his word. He had them evicted, H.C.."  
  
"So you're judging Lex on what his father did?" Hudson couldn't understand that. Her parents had both always told her to judge people based solely on their own merits.  
  
Jonathon grunted in exasperation. "No, H.C., I'm not. I just want you to know where the money came from that bought that car."  
  
Hudson stared at him angrily, thinking it was a pretty pitiful excuse, considering. When had she ever asked for anything? When had she ever expected her life to be like everybody else? But now, she had a chance to have something that might help her fit in. Something that the other girls at school might look at it and think was cool and think she was cool. And it was just sitting there, waiting for her to take it.  
  
And her father said no.  
  
Wanting very much to throw a tantrum then and there, and knowing it wouldn't get her anywhere, Hudson turned and started up the steps to the loft, her fortress of solitude, as her parents referred to it. They knew better than to bother her there and right now she wanted nothing more than for everyone to just leave her alone.  
  
"H.C., I know you're upset," she heard her father say behind her. "Honey, but it's normal."  
  
Normal??! Hudson threw down her backpack and sweater and turned to glare at her father, as only a fifteen year old girl could. "Normal?" She stomped past him over to the wood chipper, determined to prove once and for all exactly how 'normal' she was. Flipping on the power button, she asked, "Is this normal?" Then shoved her arm into the opening.  
  
Instantly she felt the blades inside attempt to chew at her skin, and it tickled and she knew she would be lucky to break a nail, and all the time the blades were becoming dull, possibly bent and torn, destroying yet another expensive piece of farm equipment. She heard her father call out her name and then he was beside her, reaching in to pull her arm free. The damaged machine sputtered one last death rattle before going silent. Hudson remained silent, glaring at her father as he held her arm, looking over the chewed up sleeve of her shirt to the untouched skin beneath it.  
  
"I didn't dive in after Lex's car," she admitted, very near tears. "It hit me at sixty miles an hour! Does that sound normal to you?" Hudson sighed. "I'd give anything to be normal - instead of alien."  
  
Pushing past him, Hudson hurried up the steps to her loft.  
  
Away.  
  
She remembered when her father took her down to the storm cellar to show her the spaceship that had brought her to Earth. She was standing there beside him, listening in disbelief as he was trying to tell her she was an alien, not human. An alien. Hudson just stared at him in shock, waiting for the punch line, the whole 'Just kidding, honey. But I thought I should show you that there are worse things than being unpopular in high school'. Of course, those words never came. He just stood there, watching her, waiting for her reaction, like she was going to be pleased with this news or something.  
  
"This is a joke, right?" Hudson had prompted, silently praying that it was. Silently hoping that thing in front of her was just some piece of scrap metal her father found at the junk yard. But she was met with only silence. A long, drawn out silence like her father was expecting her to come to terms with this or something. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"  
  
It had been a stupid question and Hudson knew it. She could only imagine being told at seven years old and then showing up at school for show 'n' tell, deciding to use herself as her special topic. She could have charged a dollar to each friend who wanted to see her spaceship, telling them 'She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts'. Hysterical laughter had almost threatened to break through. Almost. But she had been a little too angry at the man in front of her to find much humor in it. All of these years she had wondered why she was different, why she couldn't be like the others kids, why she hadn't been allowed around small animals until she was old enough to understand how to be gentle.  
  
"We wanted to protect you," her father had replied earnestly.  
  
"Protect me from what?!" She had demanded.  
  
But she had never received an answer because she had left then, ran across two counties before she had finally stopped, dropped, sat in the middle of a field somewhere and tried to come to terms with what she was.  
  
That moment replayed through her mind now and the question came to her once more. What did she need protecting from? Obviously not Porsche's hitting her at 60 mph. What else did being an alien mean? What else, in the end, would she be forced to accept in exchange for being different?  
  
***  
  
The next day after school, Hudson was instructed to return the BMW to Lex. She was also told by her father, quite specifically, not to speak to him, not to see him, to simply place the keys into the mailbox and return home. Of course, she wasn't going to do that, just leave the car there without explanation, without even a 'thank you'. Whatever Lionel Luthor had done to this town and its people, that didn't mean they had to hold those things against Lex. And that was what Hudson didn't understand. Her father had always taught her to form her opinions of others based solely on their own merits - not on their past, not on what others might say about them but how they treat you, your own experiences. Apparently, those words only rang true for anyone who didn't harbor the last name 'Luthor'.  
  
As she pulled up outside the Luthor Estate, Hudson couldn't help but think that at least she got to drive the BMW once. Parking the car outside the gates to the castle because they weren't open, Hudson grabbed the keys and climbed out of the convertible for both the first and last time. Walking up to the gate, she looked around for a moment before taking hold of two of the bars and pulling them apart, stretching a hole big enough to squeeze through before turning and placing them back in their original shape.  
  
The structure before her wasn't exactly something found in fairy tales but it was gothic enough not to belong anywhere in Kansas. It just sort of rose up out of the middle of nowhere, amidst the cornfields and farms and cows on either side. Hudson could partly understand why there were those in town who resented its presence - it did bring to mind a Lord presiding over his peasants.  
  
After about five minutes of ringing the bell at the main door and no one answering, Hudson cautiously tested the knob, finding that it was unlocked and pushed the door open, stepping inside.  
  
"Hello?" She called out, glancing around the darkened hallway. Only silence greeted her.  
  
Uncertain for a moment of what to do, Hudson finally took a few small steps forward before gathering the courage to continue on down the hall. She glanced around at the dark paneled walls, the various furniture blanketed in white dust covers, the only sound greeting her being that of her boots ringing against the wood floors. Peering into a multitude of rooms during her walk, Hudson finally heard what sounded like the clanking of metal just ahead. Turning into a nearby doorway, she came to an abrupt halt, watching in surprise as two figures fenced through a long room.  
  
They sparred back and forth in a graceful dance that Hudson found herself envying, wanting to be able to do what they could do, wishing that she could be allowed to participate in something other than farm work. It was readily apparent, even to her untrained eyes, that one participant was either more skilled than the other or simply more involved in the current battle. Within moments, they had the other pinned against the far wall before stepping back in silent victory. Whoever had lost apparently wasn't too pleased with the result, and angrily sent their foil sailing across the room, where it implanted itself into the wall inches from Hudson's head. She stared at it in complete shock. Not because she was afraid of it hitting and hurting her, but because she could only imagine the shock of the room's inhabitants if the blade had hit and then harmlessly bounced off of her.  
  
Removing his mask, Lex's brow furrowed as he noticed the dark-haired girl standing by the door. "H.C.? I didn't see you there."  
  
Glancing at the foil embedded in the wall next to her head a little nervously, she replied, "I. uh. buzzed but no one answered."  
  
Moving toward her, he removed the foil from the wall and Lex frowned. "How'd you get through the gate?"  
  
"I kinda squeezed through the bars," she explained quickly, which wasn't really a lie, not when you thought about it. "If this is a bad time - "  
  
"Oh no, no. I think Heike has sufficiently kicked my ass for the day."  
  
Lex moved back toward the statuesque blonde female who had removed her mask and was standing proudly and gracefully on the other side of the room. It took every bit of willpower Hudson had within her not to shift self- consciously beneath the other's gaze. She doubted she could ever be quite so poised.  
  
Shaking the thought from her mind, Hudson commented, "This is a great place."  
  
Tossing his mask and foil to Heike, Lex started back over to his guest. "Yeah?" He almost snorted in reply but allowed a smirk instead. "If you're dead and in the market for something to haunt," he commented sarcastically as he moved past the girl into the hall.  
  
"I meant. uh. it's roomy," Hudson quickly amended, wondering if he was laughing at her. She didn't want to seem too provincial and in awe but then, she didn't want to seem unappreciative either. Truthfully, she just felt a little uncomfortable in this enormous place.  
  
"It's the Luthor ancestral home," Lex explained, glancing to see if his guest was following. "My father had it shipped over from Scotland, stone by stone."  
  
"Yeah, I remember." Hudson gazed around the hallway as she moved toward the staircase. "Trucks rolled through town for weeks but no one ever moved in." She stopped at the bottom of the steps to find Lex looking down at her and for a moment their eyes locked and she wondered what Chloe would think if she knew how hard her heart suddenly began to beat.  
  
"My father had no intention of living here. He's never even stepped through the front door."  
  
Hudson furrowed her brow. "Then why'd he ship it over?"  
  
"Because he could," Lex smirked flippantly.  
  
Hudson glanced away for a moment. Rich, eccentric. She got it now. She'd never really understood the whole having too much money concept before but now she did. Lionel Luthor obviously simply had too much money. Shaking her head a little, she moved up the staircase after Lex, stopping only when he had come to a halt in front of her, glancing back with a raised brow.  
  
Blinking up at him, she asked, "What?"  
  
Lex's eyes narrowed a little as he looked down at her. Fifteen. He still refused to believe the information that he had gathered. The girl-woman standing at the foot of the steps didn't look fifteen - maybe twenty-five - but certainly not fifteen. Stronger than any fifteen year old girl he had heard of as well, with the way she had pulled him from the wreckage of his car and up on to the riverbank. Lex told himself it was because she was raised on a farm that produced the strength she would have needed to dive in after him, pull him out, rescue him. But looking at her now, he just didn't see the bulkiness that one would expect. Instead, the young woman gazing up at him was tall, shapely, built more like a supermodel in appearance than what Lex had ever pictured as a farm girl.  
  
"H.C. What do the initials stand for?"  
  
Hudson felt her cheeks grow warm at the unexpected question. "It's kind of a family tradition on my mother's side. Mother's give their daughter's their maiden names for middle names. So Clark was my mother's maiden name and now it's my middle name."  
  
"And the 'H'?"  
  
"For some reason my mother decided to give me her middle name, my grandmother's maiden name, Hudson."  
  
A slow smile crossed Lex's face. "Hudson."  
  
The way he spoke her name - like he was tasting it, rolling it over his tongue like a fine wine, exploring it - sent a little chill through her. She stared up at him for a moment before he turned and continued up the stairs. Sighing a little, she hurried up after him, following him into a room much like the one before, only this one seemed a little more lived in, at least when it came to the exercise equipment spread throughout. There was a bar to the far side with bowls of fruit and some blue bottles. Hudson watched near the door as Lex removed his fencing jacket, revealing a long-sleeved black shirt.  
  
"How's the new ride?" Lex asked, slipping a white towel over his shoulders as he walked across the room to the bar.  
  
"That's why I'm here," Hudson admitted cautiously.  
  
Lex began removing the cap from a blue bottle of Ty Nant water, his brow furrowing. "What's the matter? You don't like it?"  
  
"No, it's not that," Hudson assured him quickly. Feeling uncomfortable, she admitted, "I can't keep it."  
  
Lex froze, frowning a little. Setting the bottle down, he turned and walked toward Hudson, watching her, surprised that she wasn't accepting of his gift. People didn't just turn him down, certainly didn't turn down a gift of a car. Grabbing the edges of the towel, he stared into her eyes for a moment. "Hudson, you saved my life. I think it's the least I can do."  
  
Hudson glanced away, wondering why she was feeling guilty for not accepting the car.  
  
At her silence, Lex repressed a sigh. Really, if he were her father, would he want her accepting anything from someone like himself? Probably not. "You're father doesn't like me, does he?" Knowing she was about to deny it, try to give some plausible lie, Lex continued as he brushed his hand over his bare scalp, turning to the mirror behind him, "It's okay. I've been bald since I was nine. I'm used to people judging me before they get to know me."  
  
More guilt. Hudson didn't know why but there was something about Lex that made her feel that no matter how much he seemed to have, she was better off. "It's nothing personal," she assured him quietly. "He's just not crazy about your dad."  
  
"Figures the apple doesn't fall far from the tree?" He asked, then nodded. "Understandable." Turning, Lex regarded Hudson for a moment before smiling coyly. "Bet he didn't even want you coming here, did he? Don't worry. If I was your father, I wouldn't want you near me either."  
  
Hudson shifted uncomfortably, wondering what he meant by that. She held out the keys to him, slipping them into his hand. "I better go. Thanks for the car." She gave him a smile then turned to leave.  
  
"Hudson?"  
  
That chill again. She really liked it when he said her name. Stopping, she looked back at him curiously.  
  
"Do you believe a man can fly?"  
  
She kind of smiled. "Sure. In a plane."  
  
Lex shook his head. "No, I'm not talking about that that. I'm talking about soaring through the clouds with nothing but air beneath you."  
  
"People can't fly, Lex," she responded.  
  
"I did." Lex turned away for a moment, thinking about what had happened, skidding toward the railing, seeing that beautiful girl standing there, not wanting to be responsible for her death. He turned back. "After the accident, my heart stopped. It was the most exhilarating two minutes of my life." His gaze drifted off for a moment. "I flew over Smallville, and for the first time, I didn't see a dead end. I saw a new beginning."  
  
Hudson shifted again, feeling as if she were being allowed to see a part of Lex Luthor that not everyone was privileged enough to glimpse. The moment seemed too personal, too intimate.  
  
Lex was looking at her again, smiling just a little. "Thanks to you, I have a second chance."  
  
Embarrassment washed over her and Hudson glanced down at the floor, away from the intense, blue-eyed gaze that watched her so closely.  
  
"I think we have a future, Hudson."  
  
She glanced up quickly, her heart skipping a beat. What did he mean by that? She and Lex Luthor were like a million miles apart.  
  
"And I don't want anything to stand in the way of our. friendship."  
  
Swallowing, Hudson returned her gaze to his for just a moment. "I. See you around, Lex."  
  
Lex smiled and watched quietly as she hurried from the room, the memory of her blush-stained cheeks remaining with him.  
  
***  
  
"See, here she is. Her name is Jennifer Creek. This picture is from twelve years ago." Chloe pointed to a picture in a Smallville High School Yearbook from 1989. The photo showed a young girl, awkward in appearance, with glasses that were a little too large for her face, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. "And this is a picture I took four hours ago." She made a few clicks with the mouse and the photo that opened was an exact match to the picture in the yearbook.  
  
Hudson frowned. When she had made it to school that morning, missing the bus yet again due to lagging around the farm, Pete and Chloe had immediately pulled her into the Torch office, telling her all about the attacks that had occurred that week on three former Smallville High cheerleaders. They had each apparently been electrocuted, but no one knew the full story because they were now each in comas. While it was believed that someone was purposely doing this to them, there was no proof. While there, Pete had noticed a strange-looking girl he had never seen before and Chloe had taken her picture. Now they claimed that the girl in the crowd was the same as in the photo in the yearbook, from twelve years ago.  
  
"That's impossible," Hudson declared, shaking her head. "She'd be like twenty-six now. Must be some girl who just looks like her."  
  
Pete nodded. "My money was on the evil twin theory, until Chloe checked out missing persons."  
  
The blonde walked over to Hudson, handing her a piece of paper. "Jennifer disappeared from the state infirmary a few days ago where she'd been in a coma for the past twelve years. According to this, she suffered from massive electrolyte imbalance."  
  
"That's why she hasn't aged a day," Pete said by way of explanation.  
  
Hudson raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me she just suddenly 'woke up'?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Well, no, there was a huge electrical storm, and the hospital's generator went down. When it came back on, Jennifer was gone."  
  
"The electricity must have charged her up like a Duracell." Pete snapped his fingers.  
  
"And now she's back in Smallville putting former cheerleaders into comas? Why?" Hudson frowned, thinking she could probably think of a few reasons to put a couple cheerleaders into comas but not actually voicing the thought.  
  
"Apparently, the cheerleaders just didn't like her," Chloe replied, pursing her lips and frowning as she handed Hudson a newspaper clipping.  
  
Hudson read aloud, "'Harmless Hazing Goes Array'. Comatose girl found in field twenty yards from meteor strike." The article went on to describe how after being stripped of her clothes and pushed out into the halls of Smallville High, Jennifer Creek had ran off in humiliation, hiding in one of the nearby cornfields when the meteor storm had occurred.  
  
"The exposure to the blast must have done something to her body," Chloe theorized.  
  
Ever since Hudson had been informed by her parents that the meteor strike had happened thanks to her arrival, the subject had been a touchy one. Now, she refused to believe that her appearance could still be causing pain and suffering throughout Smallville. Looking up sharply at Chloe's comment, she replied, "No. This can't be right."  
  
Pete sighed and glanced over Hudson's head to Chloe. "I think you ought to show her."  
  
"Show me what?"  
  
Making a face, Chloe moved off, waving to Pete and Hudson to follow her. Furrowing her brow curiously, Hudson slid off of the desk she had been sitting on and walked through the Torch office to a door which led to a large closet. Pete flipped on a light switch and Hudson looked ahead to a wall covered in newspaper clippings, photos and essays. She frowned, stepping forward as Chloe moved in front of it, spreading her arms wide proudly as she spun around to smile at her friend.  
  
"It started out as a scrapbook and just kind of mutated."  
  
"What is it?" Hudson asked, moving in for a closer look.  
  
"I call it the Wall of Weird. It's every strange, bizarre and unexplained event that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower. That's when it began - when the town went schitzo," Chloe explained with a quirky smile. "So, what do you think?"  
  
Hudson's eyes scanned the clippings as she stopped in front of the wall. The stories ranged from two-headed chickens and oversized vegetables to mutated fingers on a local farmer's hand and glowing fish in the Smoky Hill river. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"  
  
Chloe glanced at Pete, noticing the sudden irritation in Hudson's voice. "I didn't think you'd be interested, H.C. I mean, you normally aren't into these kinds of things. You're more Scully than Mulder, you know. The skeptic. Besides, everyone has secrets. Have you told me everything that happens in your life?"  
  
"All of this. my fault," Hudson whispered, glancing down at the cover of Time magazine, which featured a photo of three-year old Lana Lang in a Princess outfit, crying. The headline read: Heartbreak in the Heartland.  
  
Hudson swallowed. If Lana's parents hadn't died in the storm, she would never have started wearing a necklace of the meteor rock and maybe Hudson never would have been so awkward and unpopular. She might have even been a cheerleader. Everything might have been different, if not for her, if not for the fact that she was an alien.  
  
"H.C.?" Chloe stepped up to her friend, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"  
  
"No. I. " She glanced at Chloe and realized that she was really just another story to her best friend, just another headline that would be splashed on this wall, if she had the proof. "I have to go."  
  
Pete and Chloe stood in confused silence, glancing at one another, as Hudson ran from the room.  
  
Not that she had anywhere to go. There were still four hours left of school and she was forced to head to English class, where her mind wandered from the poetry discussion Mrs. Brambles was giving. Hudson was never going to be normal at this rate, not when reminders of who and what she really was seemed to be spread all over Smallville, making themselves visible just when she was beginning to forget. First meteor rocks, then media coverage and now, apparently, meteor-infected mutants using their inflicted abilities in order to exact revenge on those who had placed them in harm's way. When really, it was Hudson who should be blamed, Hudson who this Jennifer Creek should be after. While what the cheerleaders had done had been cruel and unjustified, they hadn't meant to ruin her life, only her social life.  
  
When class ended, Hudson headed down the hall toward the science rooms, passing the teacher's lounge on her way. Glancing inside, she saw Erin Watson, the cheerleading squad's instructor, reading through a paper. Stopping, Hudson stared at her for a moment before making a quick decision. She couldn't allow the truth about what she was and the consequences of what her arrival had brought about, to ruin her life. She wasn't going to end up like Jennifer Creek, lamenting the way things should have gone, seeking revenge for what might have been. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in.  
  
"Miss Watson?"  
  
The pretty blonde woman looked up from her paper, smiling on recognition. "Miss Kent. Is there something I can do for you?"  
  
Hudson nodded. "Yes. Miss Watson, I would like to have another chance. Let me audition for you again. I know I can do it."  
  
Erin raised an eyebrow at the girl standing before her. She had always believed that Hudson Kent would make an excellent cheerleader, until she had seen her trip over her own feet more than once. Every time she thought about giving the girl a chance, Hudson would completely screw up one of the cheers. Erin was surprised she hadn't severely injured herself yet. All that she could figure was the girl had grown too quickly and wasn't used to her height yet. She was five foot eleven in stocking feet; that would make anyone gangly and uncoordinated.  
  
"I don't know, Kent." Erin stood and walked over to the coffee pot to refill her cup. "You've had two chances so far."  
  
"It's. nerves," Hudson lied quickly. "I get weirded out with the other cheerleaders watching. They just make me nervous. If I could just audition in front of you, then I know I would be fine. I just know I need the confidence of knowing I could make it on the team." It would be the perfect way to make certain Lana wasn't there and therefore, no necklace.  
  
Pursing her lips, Erin turned and regarded the girl for a long moment. Finally, she nodded. "Very well, Kent. Come by my office the morning after the Homecoming Game. I won't be able to get you prepared in time to join us for that anyway."  
  
A smile broke out across Hudson's face. "Thank you, Miss Watson! Thank you! You won't regret this!"  
  
Feeling as if she was being given one last chance to be normal, Hudson hurried out the door, heading to her science class.  
  
Lana stood in the back office of the teacher's lounge where she had been grading algebra papers for Mr. Anders, until she had heard Hudson's voice. Creeping forward, she had listened to the conversation, frowning when Miss Watson agreed to give the awkward girl another chance. So, Hudson thought she was good enough to be a cheerleader, that she could perform next to Lana during each game? That she had the right to be included as part of the 'in-crowd'? Not if she had anything to say about it. It was obviously time that the Kent girl learned her place in this school. But how?  
  
Furrowing her delicate brow, Lana considered for a long moment how to teach Hudson the proper lesson, to humiliate her into submission. She needed to learn once and for all that she simply didn't belong anywhere but the Torch's office with her little reporter friend.  
  
"Hey."  
  
Lana started, glancing up from her musings to frown at Whitney as he walked through the doorway. "You scared me. Don't do that."  
  
"Sorry." Whitney rolled his eyes, sitting on the edge of the desk. "You done? The Homecoming Committee was going to meet up for lunch, right?"  
  
Staring at her boyfriend, Lana's eyes widened as inspiration struck her. A smile spread across her face. "Whitney." She moved over to stand between his legs, placing her hands on his shoulders as she smiled at him. "Wanna have some fun?"  
  
The quarterback raised an eyebrow at the coy tone she was using. "Am I going to like this? You've got that look in your eyes."  
  
"Oh. You're going to like this," Lana promised, her smile broadening. "You're really going to like this."  
  
***  
  
Chloe parked her car just outside the barn on the Kent's property before swinging open the door and jumping out, barely remembering to shut it behind her as she darted toward the loft. She'd headed straight for the Kent farm the moment she had finished putting the paper to bed, dying to know if the rumor she had heard was true.  
  
"H.C.!?" She called out, racing up the steps to find her friend huddled on the couch, looking through a fashion magazine. Making a face, Chloe dropped onto the cushions at the far end. "From what you're reading, I take it the rumor is true?"  
  
Hudson set the magazine down, smiling ecstatically. "Yes!" She declared, pulling her longs legs beneath her and leaning forward. "True! All true!"  
  
Chloe shook her head and laughed. "Well, don't leave me hanging! What happened? Inquiring minds want to know - and we want details!"  
  
Like Hudson had expected to hear any less from Chloe. Not that she didn't have the entire story already played out in her mind to relate to her friend. This was big news - the biggest, as far as she was concerned. Maybe Chloe could even write a story about it, with Hudson's photo on the front page of the Torch!  
  
It had all happened after math class. Hudson had stopped by her locker to drop off her geometry book, not needing it since she had finished her homework in class, and grabbed her history books for her homework that evening. Just as she had closed her locker, she turned to find Whitney Fordman leaning against the row of lockers a few feet from her, watching her with a smile --  
  
"What kind of smile?" Chloe interjected.  
  
"What?" Hudson frowned, not appreciating the interruption.  
  
"What was the smile like? A friendly one? Sly? Was he checking you out?"  
  
"Chloe!"  
  
"I said I wanted details, not Cliff Notes!"  
  
Rolling her eyes, Hudson returned to her tale.  
  
Whitney was leaning there, looking all jock-like in his letterman jacket, his blonde bangs falling over his eyes, and smiling at her in sort of a coy manner. Not really friendly like Pete's smile usually was, but not really checking her out, either. But there was definitely something there, like he knew something that she didn't and he was just dying to share it with her --  
  
"You mean like the cat who ate the canary," Chloe offered.  
  
"Chloe. "  
  
"What?"  
  
"One more interruption and this interview is over."  
  
"Fine, fine, fine. Go on!".  
  
"Hey, H.C.," Whitney had greeted and Hudson found herself trying to recall if he had ever actually said hi to her before.  
  
"Hi, Whitney." Hudson slipped her backpack over her shoulder and smiled at him, a little nervously. Hell, very nervously. It was right about now that she expected Lana Lang to appear around the corner, asking just what Hudson thought she was doing talking to her boyfriend. Trying to think of something else to say so she didn't appear boring as well as dorky, she finally spit out, "What's up?"  
  
It was one of those easy, neutral conversation starters which completely left the other person open to taking the topic any direction they wished to. Or simply end it there.  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Homecoming Dance with me - "  
  
"Wait!" Chloe interrupted again. "Just like that? Just 'go to the Homecoming Dance with me'? No small talk? No life's history? Just a date?"  
  
Hudson nodded. "Just like that. Now, let me finish or go home."  
  
For a long moment, Hudson had just stood there, staring in some mild form of shock, wondering when the crew from Candid Camera was going to suddenly appear -  
  
"I'm thinking meteor rocks," came Chloe's comment. "Definitely meteor rocks."  
  
-- when she finally seemed to find her voice. "W-what? I thought you and Lana - "  
  
Whitney frowned and looked away for a moment. "We had a fight at lunch. I've had it with how great she thinks she is." He returned his gaze to Hudson. "I figure I'm important, too, right? It doesn't always have to be about her. So I thought you might be a little more fun to get to know."  
  
Hudson was in shock and definitely didn't know what to say. "I. I don't know what to say."  
  
Smiling, Whitney replied, "Is this about the time I hurled all over your shoes? I am sorry about that."  
  
"No, that really isn't - "  
  
"Hey, wait!" Chloe broke in. "Those were my shoes he puked all over! I should be the one he's apologizing to!"  
  
Hudson leaned back on the couch and regarded her friend with an irritated expression. "May I finish now?"  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "You can try. But I'm finding the whole story decidedly twisted at the moment."  
  
So Hudson explained that it wasn't necessary for an apology. It had happened over a year ago and wasn't really that important any longer. What she didn't understand was why he was asking her out? There were plenty of other cheerleaders and girls he hung out with that he could have asked instead.  
  
Whitney had shrugged. "Most of them all ready have dates or are too close to Lana and wouldn't do that to her." Pushing away from the lockers, he took a few steps closer to her and smiled as she kind of stepped back. "Besides, there's something about you, H.C. I don't know what it is, but I'd like to find out."  
  
What did one say to that??  
  
"Oh. Okay." She couldn't come up with a better response.  
  
"Great." Whitney watched her a moment longer then added, "I'll swing by around eight fifteen to pick you up. Since I'll have to get ready after the game we'll already be late, so be waiting outside, okay?" And then he had kissed her cheek and walked off down the hall.  
  
"And so I have a date with Whitney Fordman!" Hudson finished.  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Amazing. I can't believe you would lower yourself to dating a jock."  
  
Hudson sighed. "Did you ever think that maybe under that jock exterior he might be a good person?"  
  
"Nope. Never."  
  
"You know, you're going to the dance with a jock, too."  
  
"Pete is not a jock!" Chloe denied vehemently.  
  
"He just made the football team."  
  
"Sitting on the bench does not a jock make. Besides, you know as well as I do why he tried out for the team - so he wouldn't be this year's Scarecrow. It's a perfectly logical choice to make."  
  
Laughing, Hudson stood and walked around the couch to her desk to set the magazine down. Her gaze moved over to the edition of the Ledger from the morning after she had saved Lex Luthor's life. There was a photo of him on the cover and a five paragraph story about how, during his first day in town, he had been rescued by a local farm girl when his car had plunged into the Smoky Hill river. Though her mom had already kept a copy, Hudson had this one specifically for herself. She liked the picture of Lex and found herself staring at it a lot more than she would admit to just about anyone.  
  
"So, have you found a dress yet?" Chloe asked, peering her head over the back of the couch.  
  
"No." Hudson sat down at the desk, still regarding the paper in front of her. "Mom and I are going shopping tomorrow after school."  
  
"Blue."  
  
"Huh?" Hudson glanced over her shoulder at her friend with a frown.  
  
"Dark blue. It's the best color on you. Although a deep green would look good, too. Both bring out your eyes. But a nice dark blue, maybe midnight blue, would be stunning with your features."  
  
"Stunning? Chloe, when did you become a fashion consultant?"  
  
"I'm just saying," Chloe replied with a shrug.  
  
Hudson's gaze returned to the paper and a comfortable silence ensued. Before long, she heard Chloe flipping through the textbook she had discarded on the couch in favor of the fashion magazine. Reaching out, Hudson traced her fingertips along the picture of Lex, wondering not for the first time, if his skin was as soft as it appeared. Now there would be a date for Homecoming worthy of bragging about. Though she couldn't really see Lex Luthor at a Homecoming Dance. Or any dance, for that matter.  
  
"Have you met him yet?"  
  
Chloe peered over the couch once more when she heard her friend's question. "Huh? Who?"  
  
"Lex Luthor."  
  
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Nope. Haven't had the pleasure. Dad seems to like him okay though. Said he wasn't here to lay people off like he had at first feared. Dad doesn't believe that Lex takes the job that seriously, but he does seem to be trying to settle in." Then she frowned. "Why?"  
  
"Oh. No reason."  
  
Chloe knew better. Her journalistic instincts said there was something going on here and besides, Hudson was her best friend and extremely easy to read. Climbing to her feet, Chloe wandered slowly around the couch, glancing around the loft as if she were simply meandering around with nothing to do, until she neared the back of Hudson's chair. Then she quickly leaned over and snatched up whatever it was that her friend's gaze had been so focused on.  
  
"Hey!" Hudson protested.  
  
"What's this?" Chloe held the paper aloft and looked down at her friend knowingly. "While the whole saving a man's life thing is very cool, I've never seen you as the type to marvel at your own accomplishments. Which leads me to believe that this paper is on your desk for an entirely different reason."  
  
"Gimme that!"  
  
Chloe danced away as Hudson reached to take the paper from her hands. "Oh, no, no, no. There's a mystery to be solved here and I'm the one to do it!" Her eyes scanned the article as she moved around the couch, continuing to avert Hudson's grasp as she chased her.  
  
"Chloe, come on! Just put that down."  
  
"Aha!" Chloe whirled around in triumph watching as an expression close to panic crossed her friend's face.  
  
"'Aha' what?"  
  
"This!" Chloe pointed to a smudge against the newsprint. "On first glance, it appears to be a simple mark, possibly made by a finger or some other object that had been placed there. But, if one looks close enough, one can see that it is, in actuality, an eraser mark! And an eraser mark can only mean one thing - you wrote something here that embarrassed you and you didn't want anyone to see! I can only come to the conclusion that said doodle was either a) a heart or b) the bad boy billionaire's name." At Hudson's expression of defeat, Chloe pressed, "So, which was it?"  
  
With a heavy sigh, Hudson dropped onto the couch. "His name."  
  
"Whoo!" Chloe sat next to her friend triumphantly. "I knew it! You have a crush on Lex Luthor! Smelled like fish, indeed!"  
  
Sobering, Chloe looked down at the article, staring at it for a moment or two while beside her, Hudson remained unusually quiet. It took a few minutes for it to sink in but finally it hit her as to why her friend has suddenly clammed up. Turning her gaze to Hudson, Chloe said in a tone of horror, "Oh, H.C.! If your dad knew, he'd lock you up in your room for like two life sentences!"  
  
Making a face, Hudson simply sighed in reply and gazed out across the loft.  
  
***  
  
"I like this one best," Hudson declared, turning from the mirror to smile at her mother.  
  
Martha glanced over her daughter for a moment, returning the smile. It seemed like only yesterday that she and Jonathon had turned to find the toddler crouching amidst the wreckage from the meteor shower, smiling happily. Now she was going on her first date, looking all grown up and beautiful in the dark blue satin prom dress they had chosen from the rack. Jonathon had wanted his daughter to wait until she was at least sixteen - or eighteen or maybe thirty - before allowing her to go out but they had talked it over and Martha had explained to him how important something like this was to a young woman. They couldn't hold on to her being a child forever. Hudson was already far more mature than most girls her age. If they were to allow her to go to college still harboring the innocence that was so innate to her nature, she would eventually be hurt more deeply than her father could possibly imagine.  
  
So Jonathon had relented and now Martha stood with her daughter in Hanna's Boutique, a little clothing store on Main Street that seemed to make all of its money off of the teenage girls during Homecoming and Prom. Luckily, agreeing on a dress hadn't been all too difficult. Martha knew her husband wouldn't have allowed his daughter out of the house in anything that was strapless and apparently Hudson wasn't brave enough to fight for something like that just yet. The dress they had chosen was relatively modest with thick straps over the shoulders, the neckline square and not too low, the waist cinched and the skirt falling in soft folds to the floor. Martha didn't see how her husband could possibly object to it, especially if she bought the matching wrap to go with it.  
  
"Well?" Hudson prompted, twirling before her mother.  
  
"It's beautiful on you, of course," Martha replied with a smile, reaching out to push her daughter's hair behind her shoulder.  
  
Hudson smiled, turning back to the mirror to peruse her reflection. Today at lunch, Whitney had sat with her, which Pete had found cool because they had been able to discuss the upcoming game and Chloe hadn't seemed too pleased about. She'd plied the quarterback with question after question, as if she just didn't seem to believe that he really wanted to go to the dance with Hudson. That it was all some big mistake. After lunch, Hudson had gone to the Torch's office and she and Chloe had argued about it for about two minutes before apologizing and hugging and deciding that no man and no dance was worth fighting about. If worse came to worse, they could just go to the Homecoming together. Later, Pete had suggested that the three of them could have gone together, but Hudson commented that she would have felt like a third wheel. Chloe had stared at her as if she had completely missed something but she had just let it go.  
  
The gown and wrap were rang up by the clerk and enclosed into a dress bag which Martha gathered into her arms as she and Hudson exited the boutique, heading down the sidewalk toward the Smallville Savings and Loan. They had a few more errands to run before heading back to the farm so that Hudson could get her chores done and her mother could start dinner.  
  
"I just need to stop in the bank and make a deposit for your father," Martha explained while Hudson's gaze swept over the block.  
  
"Mind if I run into the Beanery?" Hudson asked. "I'm kind of thirsty."  
  
"Sure, honey." Martha reached into her purse and withdrew a few dollars to hand to her daughter. "I'll meet you there, okay?"  
  
Nodding, Hudson walked with her mother to the bank then waved and continued on up the street to the town's coffeehouse. Chloe had been ecstatic when The Beanery had opened its doors, claiming that maybe this one-horse town might not be so bad after all. She still talked about Metropolis like it was the greatest place on earth and Hudson found that she had yet to agree with her. While the city was exciting whenever she got to go there, she still found that she preferred the quiet farmland of Smallville. Besides, she felt safer here where there were fewer people to pry into her secrets.  
  
Walking into the coffeehouse, Hudson glanced around to see a few of the kids from school scattered around the tables before stopping by the counter to order an iced caramel cappuccino. She had been hoping to find Chloe here but figured that her friend was likely in the Torch's office where Hudson swore she would sleep if her father and the school would let her get away with it.  
  
"What a pleasant surprise."  
  
Hudson spun around at the voice to find Lex Luthor leaning against the counter behind her, his cool blue eyes regarding her intently. "L-Lex," she stammered, wondering when it was precisely that she had lost the power of speech. "Hi."  
  
Lex smirked in amusement. "Hi back." He glanced at the girl behind the counter, ordering a cappuccino, before returning his attention to the young woman beside him. "What brings you to town?"  
  
"Mom and I drove in to buy a dress. I'm going to the Homecoming Dance tomorrow!" She smiled brightly in excitement.  
  
Apparently this was a very important event to her. Lex's smirk turned to a smile as he slipped his hands into his coat pockets. "I take it Homecoming is a big thing around here."  
  
"Well, of course." Hudson rolled her eyes. "Do you see much else going on?"  
  
"Your point is well taken." Their drinks were delivered together and Lex slid his money across the counter, telling the girl, "This is for both."  
  
"You don't have to do that," Hudson protested, trying to lay her own money down.  
  
"I know," he replied, returning his unreadable gaze to her. "But if I can't give you a car, at least I can give you a cappuccino."  
  
Hudson grinned. "Oh. All right. But just this once."  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow as he regarded her. "Of course. Wouldn't want to break the bank or anything buying you coffee."  
  
Hudson laughed at the unexpected joke and received a smile in return.  
  
"So who is the lucky fellow?" Lex asked, sipping at his beverage as he glanced at her over the rim.  
  
"Whitney Fordman. He's our team's quarterback." Hudson shook her head, still amazed that this was all actually happening, that Whitney had asked her to Homecoming. "He's only like the most popular guy in school," she added as in afterthought.  
  
Lex frowned, glancing down at his cup. "Interesting. You don't seem the type to be impressed by dating the 'popular' guy, or a jock for that matter. No offense."  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson told him, "You sound like Chloe. She said almost the exact same thing to me today."  
  
Smiling, Lex commented, "Smart girl," before taking another sip of the cappuccino.  
  
"Honey?" Martha called out from the doorway. "You ready to go?"  
  
"Oh! Yeah." Hudson glanced from her mom to Lex, who had turned to flash a smile at the woman in the door. "Mom, have you met Lex?"  
  
Martha smiled at the handsome young man, stepping into the coffee shop and juggling the items she was carrying to hold out her hand in greeting. "No, I haven't."  
  
"Mom, Lex Luthor. Lex, my mother, Martha Kent."  
  
"Mrs. Kent." Lex took her hand, shaking it and offering a quick nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you." And it was. Unlike her husband, Martha Kent wasn't staring at him as if he were Satan himself and Lex found himself discovering where Hudson had inherited her easy affability.  
  
"Welcome to Smallville, Lex," Martha told him, glancing over him critically in an attempt to see the dangerous creature her husband had warned her about.  
  
Beyond the strange ethereal quality that surrounded him from his lack of hair, she didn't immediately recognize any warning signs that screamed out at her to stay away. Certainly, he carried the Luthor name and he was dressed impeccably and the fancy Italian sports car parked out front was likely his but Martha was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. While the BMW had been a bit much, she had the feeling Lex Luthor had no idea how else to say 'thank you' for his life.  
  
"I understand you and your husband run an organic produce farm," Lex commented, drawing the focus of the attractive red-headed woman before him. He had learned a lot of other information during his fact-finding mission on the Kents as well, such as the financial problems the farm regularly had. If they wouldn't allow their daughter to accept a gift from him, then perhaps he could thank them in another way. "I was wondering how I would go about placing weekly orders for myself and my staff?"  
  
Martha smiled, pleased with the unexpected business. "Feel free to call us anytime to place your order. H.C. makes the deliveries for us every Sunday."  
  
Lex glanced over his shoulder at Hudson who glanced up, meeting his gaze. Smiling a little, he turned back to Martha. "Excellent. You'll be hearing from me soon then."  
  
Nodding, Martha turned her gaze back to Hudson. "Come on, honey. I'd better get dinner started before your dad decides to try it himself. It was nice to meet you, Lex." She turned and headed out the door toward the car.  
  
Hudson was still attempting to picture her father's reaction to her delivering produce to the Luthor Estate every week. Looking up, she found Lex watching her with a slight smile and wondered, if only for a moment, if he hadn't planned out this entire scenario. Knowing that such a thought was completely outrageous and impossible, she returned his smile.  
  
"Guess I'd better go. Thanks for the cappuccino."  
  
"Not a problem, Hudson," he replied with a nod. "Have a good time at the dance."  
  
Moving past him to the door, Hudson hesitated just a moment, glancing back to find him watching her still, that same unreadable expression from earlier once more in his gaze. Unable to fathom what it could possible mean, she flashed him another parting smile before turning and hurrying out to the car.  
  
***  
  
Hudson sat staring into the mirror of her vanity, with just the slightest amount of trepidation flowing through her. Tonight was the big night, her first date - a date with Whitney Fordman. While it wasn't exactly a dream come true, it was better than anything that had previously happened to her.  
  
She had wanted to be able to attend the game but unfortunately the fence in the south pasture had to be fixed because the herd was getting through and finding their way out onto the main road. Then the tractor had broken down and Hudson had to help her father with the repairs. By the time she got everything done, she knew she would spend the better part of an hour simply cleaning up. Going to the game would have been pointless. Chloe had called an hour ago to say that the Crows had won the game and she and Pete would see her at the dance. For a moment, Hudson had almost asked her if she could just go with them and completely chicken out of the date with Whitney but she had remained strong and hung up the phone without admitting her fears.  
  
A knock at the door drew her attention away from her reflection and Hudson turned to see her mother step inside, smiling at her. "I came up to see if you needed any help with your hair?"  
  
Hudson nodded and watched in the mirror as her mother stepped behind her, picking up the brush by her hand and beginning to thread it through the long strands.  
  
"Your father may not make it through this night, I'm afraid," Martha said with a smile as she met her daughter's gaze in the mirror. "He's pacing a hole into the floor downstairs."  
  
"He has nothing to worry about. It's just a dance." Hudson played with the tube of lipstick in front of her.  
  
"Maybe." Martha began gathering thick strands of Hudson's dark hair, holding them in place and gently securing them with a pin. When her daughter had been younger, Martha had spent hours brushing and styling her hair, just because she couldn't stop marveling over how beautiful and strong it was. To this day, she had never seen a split end, never seen a break in it.  
  
"You're worried." Hudson sighed, glancing up at her mother. "You and dad think something is going to happen to give me away."  
  
Martha shook her head. "No, H.C. We trust you. Your father has just been more nervous than usual since the accident."  
  
"It's funny. One would think their parents would be pleased that they had saved someone's life. Proud of them or something."  
  
Setting the brush down, Martha placed her hands on Hudson's shoulders and met her gaze in the mirror. "We are proud of you, H.C. We couldn't have prayed for a more perfect child. But that doesn't mean we can't worry. You're our baby; you're all that we've got. We don't want anyone or anything to break up this family."  
  
Hudson reached up to clasp one of her mother's hands. "I don't either, mom."  
  
Smiling, Martha kissed her cheek before she returned to working on her daughter's hair, securing it all in thick strands over her head, leaving loose tendrils to curl around her neck. Looking at the reflection in the mirror before her, she told her daughter, "Perfect."  
  
"Let's hope Whitney thinks so." Hudson stood to grab her purse and wrap. Turning back around, she found her mother regarding her with a faintly furrowed brow. "What is it?"  
  
"I'm just. " Martha shook her head, mildly exasperated with herself. "I've just been wondering. You've never shown any interest in Whitney Fordman before, beyond the occasional insult. Why now?"  
  
Hudson shrugged. "He asked me, mom. It's not like I have a crush on him or anything. I mean, he's cute, sure. But. I don't know. It's the chance to do something I've never done before. Maybe my only chance. If I can't be a cheerleader, at least I can date a quarterback." She had yet to admit to her parents that she had one more try-out to make the cheerleading squad. She planned on waiting to spring that one on them after she actually secured a spot.  
  
"Oh. I see." Martha didn't like Hudson's reasoning but she knew there was no point in arguing it now. Showing interest in the first guy who shows interest in you isn't a choice - its resignation. She wanted more than that for her daughter. She wanted her to have the best, whatever that might be. Glancing down at her watch, she told Hudson, "It's eight o'clock. We'd better get you downstairs so your dad can take all of the pictures he wants to."  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes at the thought of such torture but followed her mom out the door and down the stairs to the living room. Sure enough, her father was pacing around like a caged tiger, but he looked up as they joined him, a smile appearing on his face.  
  
"H.C., you look positively beautiful." Stepping forward, he kissed his daughter's cheek, grinning down at her. "Isn't she beautiful, Martha?"  
  
"The prettiest girl in Smallville," her mother agreed.  
  
Hudson gave a very-unladylike snort and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Okay. Let's get this whole picture-taking thing out of the way. I promised Whitney I would be waiting outside."  
  
For the next five minutes, she somehow made it through various poses by herself, with her mother and with her father before they thankfully ran out of film. Her parents loved cataloguing just about every moment in her life with a photo except, thankfully, those ones which they never wanted anyone to get a hold of proof of. Otherwise, there was photo album after photo album of Hudson, beginning the week that they had found her and on through their years together as a family. She figured the ones just taken might begin to fill up her freshman year in high school.  
  
Standing by the door, she looked at her mother and father and smiled. "Well, I guess I'd better go out and wait for him."  
  
"We could keep you company," Jonathon offered hopefully, still not relishing the idea of letting Hudson go anywhere with a boy without accompanying her.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "No. I don't even want you peeking out the window. It's. embarrassing."  
  
Martha laughed and walked over to hug her daughter. "Very well. We'll hide away inside here, knowing that our daughter is ashamed of us."  
  
"Oh stop." Hudson shook her head in response, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Be good," Martha told her as she opened the door.  
  
"And," he father began.  
  
"Be careful," Hudson finished for him with a grin before stepping outside onto the porch, closing the door behind her.  
  
The sun was just setting in the west as Hudson made her way down the steps and into the yard to wait for Whitney. The shoes she had chosen to wear were flats and therefore comfortable to walk in while also being practical - she was the tallest girl in her school, much to the chagrin of the girl's basketball coach who asked every time she was in gym why she didn't try out for the team. Sighing, Hudson leaned back against the white picket fence, staring down the road in anticipation of Whitney's pickup truck.  
  
A few minutes passed before she finally glimpsed it heading down the road toward the drive. Smiling, Hudson pushed off from the fence and walked forward, waiting for the truck to pull around. Watching it, her brow furrowed a little when she began to realize that there were two people seated in the cab. A feeling of dread washed over her, causing her stomach to feel queasy and her heartbeat to accelerate. She couldn't even find a hint of surprise when the passenger side window rolled down as the truck moved past and Lana hung out from it.  
  
"Maybe this'll teach you to stay where you belong!"  
  
Hudson didn't even consider moving as a volley of eggs and mud-filled balloons slammed into her, splattering over her gown and face and the fence posts behind her. She just stood there and stared as the truck turned and headed back down the road, Whitney and Lana's laughter fading into the stillness of the evening.  
  
"H.C.?"  
  
Hearing her father call out to her from the door, Hudson quickly brushed away the tears that had begun to fall. Not even pausing to consider where she was going, she sped away from the farm, ignoring her parent's pleas to know what had just happened.  
  
Hudson was halfway through the next county before she stopped, just dropped down in the middle of the field she had been passing through, and broke into tears. If anyone had ever asked the question, can aliens cry?, well Hudson figured here was their answer. The truth was, she hadn't cried in years, not since they had lost a newborn calf during delivery. She didn't cry when she learned the truth about her origins, when she realized that not only had her birth parents given her up, they had sent her so far away from them as to never have to even worry about her attempt to contact them. She hadn't cried when she realized there truly was no one on Earth like her, that she was really alone and she always would be. She didn't even cry when the Lone Gunmen had died, though Chloe had been sobbing her eyes out on the couch beside her.  
  
But she was crying now. Great, big alien tears, if there were such a thing, and heart-wrenching sobs that probably would have terrified her mother and spurned her father into some sort of action against the persons who caused them. For in that brief moment in time, what was really no more than a paragraph in a chapter of her upcoming life, Hudson hated who and what she was. She couldn't imagine being anything more miserable than some freakish alien female who would never be able to share her secret with those she cared the most about, never be able to do anything that might give her away, never be normal. And that was what she wanted, more than anything, to be normal, to join the basketball team and track and try out for the cheerleading squad without having to worry about the damn meteor rocks. Hudson didn't want to feel like this, she didn't want to be able to set fire to objects just by looking at them or hear the faintest of whispers or survive being hit at 60 mph by a car and walk away without a scratch. She didn't even want to know it was possible, know what it was like, conceive even the possibilities of such things. She wanted to question, like everyone else, the possibility of the existence of aliens without knowing with a surety, the answer.  
  
That was it; she just didn't want to know.  
  
The longer she sat there, the more Hudson's anger grew. When she considered it, all of her problems, all of her failures in life, anything that caused her to question her identity, came down to Lana. If not for Lana Lang, she could have been a cheerleader at first try, she would never trip and look like a fool in front of her entire school. Everything was Lana's fault, and she deserved, for once, to see how it felt to be the outsider, to be ridiculed and laughed at. Rising to her feet, Hudson glanced toward Smallville, her gaze clouding over with anger. She took a small step forward and then sped off through the county, back towards Smallville High, determined to teach her tormentor a lesson. And she could, too. If she could, just for a moment, ignore her parent's warnings and teachings and just give herself a chance to be who she really was, without fear of reprisal, then she could teach Lana a very good lesson. She wouldn't hurt her - just humiliate her. Show her that there were people out there who just happened to be better than her, only they didn't flaunt it as much.  
  
Reaching the outer grounds of the school, she finally slowed to a walk, passing through the football field and across the track before racing up the bleachers and out to the parking lot. Hudson was still mulling over exactly what she should do when she caught a figure moving in the shadows. She would have ignored it except that they seemed to not wish to be seen as much as she didn't. Following quietly, Hudson finally hung back as she watched the person pass beneath a lamppost, eyes widening in recognition as she realized the person she was following was none other than Jennifer Creek, the girl that Chloe believed was responsible for the three electrocutions of the ex-cheerleaders in town. Wondering just exactly what Jennifer was doing sneaking around the school grounds during Homecoming, Hudson put off her revenge on Lana to follow the girl.  
  
Stepping quietly among the shadows, careful to make certain her presence went unnoticed, Hudson followed her over to the service buildings, frowning as she watched Jennifer step up to the emergency access panel of the Fire Sprinkler System. She shook her head for a moment, refusing to believe that this girl was so upset with what had happened to her twelve years ago, that she was prepared to take it out on people she didn't even know. How far could one carry revenge?  
  
A chill swept over Hudson as she considered the question. How far had she been willing to go? And how far would she have allowed her abilities to carry her in order to prove herself? She would have hurt people she cared about, her family, herself, all to be something 'better', to make her place among those in Smallville High. She would have jeopardized everything, just because a peer had played a joke on her, albeit a cruel one. Hudson wouldn't allow herself to make that mistake, now that she truly understood what it meant, and she certainly wasn't going to allow anyone else to make it in her place.  
  
Jennifer Creek had seen enough. It had been bad enough to wake up in the infirmary, knowing all that she had lost, all because she had been different, because she hadn't fit in. And she had returned to Smallville to rectify that situation, to make those girls pay for the crime they had committed against her, thinking they were so much better, that they had so much more of a right than her to a normal life. Because they were prettier, more popular, had boyfriends and better clothes. Well, she had seen to it that they learned the hard way what that kind of arrogance repays you.  
  
She had been on her way out of town, pleased with her success, hoping that everyone had learned their lesson, when she had watched another scene of cruelty play itself out on a farm just past the town limits. The poor girl had been all dressed up for Homecoming, only to have those dreams of a night she would never forget dashed away cruelly by yet another pair of students who thought themselves better. More worthy. It had been all Jennifer needed to make the decision to teach this town a lesson once and for all. She had turned around and headed straight back to the school, determined to show all of those snobs that turned out in mindless droves for the dance exactly what happened to them when they excluded and ridiculed and pretended to be more important. Once she was done, all of Smallville would think twice about raising cheerleaders and jocks and teenagers who thought it was fun to destroy the hopes and dreams of others.  
  
"Jennifer, you need to stop this."  
  
Pausing from her musings, Jennifer glanced out into the darkness to see a figure in a gown standing a few yards away. Frowning as she recognized the girl from the farm, she called out, "You shouldn't be here. You should have stayed away. Go home."  
  
"I won't let you hurt my friends."  
  
"Those people in there aren't your friends," Jennifer argued in a tone that suggested Hudson had no idea what she was talking about. "The sprinklers will get them nice and wet. I'll handle the rest."  
  
"They never did anything to you," Hudson told her, taking a few steps forward, approaching cautiously, like she would a wild animal.  
  
"I'm not doing this for me," Jennifer retorted, her expression earnest, desperate. "I'm doing this for you and for all of the others like us."  
  
Hudson shook her head, drawing nearer. She could almost touch the other girl. "What happened to you was my fault." The meteor shower. The coma. Blame it on the alien. "I can understand your pain."  
  
Jennifer scoffed. "I'm not in pain! I have a gift and a destiny and a purpose."  
  
She turned with the intention of continuing with that purpose, only to find Hudson blocking her path, somehow beating her from the place she had stood just a second before. Jennifer stared in mild shock as Hudson told her, "So do I."  
  
"I didn't want to hurt you," Jennifer told her angrily before reaching out to grab Hudson by the shoulders, bolts of electricity shooting through her hands into her opponent.  
  
Hudson winced, more from expectation that any feeling. A slight tickle moved through her body, from head to foot, that threw off her concentration for a moment as she marveled at it. Bringing her attention back to the present, she grabbed Jennifer by the arms and tossed her like a pillow over her shoulder, turning to watch the girl's descent and make certain that she wasn't injured. Jennifer slammed into the hood of an old school-owned pick up truck before sliding off of the edge to the far side. For a moment, Hudson thought that was the end of it, until the girl climbed to her feet, throwing an angry glare her direction. Placing her hand back on the hood, the electricity moved through her fingers and the engine rumbled to life. It was impossible for Hudson not to consider what a really handy ability that would be whenever you misplaced your keys.  
  
Jennifer climbed into the cab of the truck and threw it into gear, slamming her foot onto the gas and racing out toward Hudson with the intent on running her over. Unfortunately, instead of rolling away as she had expected, the girl in the gown grabbed hold of the front of the truck and held on as Jennifer raced it around the parking lot. Hudson's persistence only angered her further and she sped up, searching for a way to rid herself of the girl hanging on to the hood of the truck. Looking ahead, a smile crossed her face and she steered in the direction of the service garage.  
  
Glancing over her shoulder, Hudson took a deep breath as she saw the cement wall approaching, bracing herself for the impact. Now that she knew she would survive it, the anticipation stemmed from wondering exactly how it was going to feel. Jennifer wasn't letting up on the gas and for a brief moment, Hudson couldn't help but wonder if maybe she wasn't immune to cement walls. Maybe they were just a little different from the metal railing of a bridge. Then she felt her body crushed between the two and the wall broke away as the truck charged through it, pipes bursting and water spewing out as the truck finally came to a stop, trapped amid the rubble.  
  
Pushing the cement blocks off of her, Hudson slowly and gingerly climbed to her feet, wondering for a moment at what point she had lost her shoes. Her body ached and burned a little from the impact but other than that, she could tell that she was fine. Looking down, she noticed that water was pouring out of the mangled water main and her eyes were drawn to the cab of the truck which was similarly being flooded. Jennifer raised her head at the same moment and as their eyes met, identical realization hit - if she didn't get out of there, she would end up electrocuting herself. The girl reached for the door, only to discover that it was trapped against a section of the wall which had not collapsed in the crash. Seeing her dilemma, Hudson reached for the bumper to pull the truck free when the cab suddenly lit up in a brilliant display of electricity that shot through the engine and sent her sailing backwards through the air.  
  
Landing with a hard 'umph!', Hudson remained dazed for a brief moment as the electricity fizzled out of her body before she was able to struggle back up to her feet. Hurrying over to the truck, she pulled it free of the wall, then ripped the driver's door from the cab, watching as water cascaded onto the floor. Jennifer lay slumped over the steering wheel, her appearance significantly changed from high school age to the twenty-six year old that she really was. Hudson watched her quietly as she slowly lifted her head, breathing a silent sigh of relief that the girl. woman, wasn't dead.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked quietly.  
  
Jennifer turned to look at her blankly. "Who are you?" She gazed around the cab of the truck and out into the garage they had crashed into. "Where am I?"  
  
Hudson smiled a little. Jennifer didn't remember any of what happened and that was good. She didn't have to worry about questions regarding what she had done or fear that Jennifer would continue to seek vengeance. "My name's Hudson Kent. And you're in Smallville."  
  
"I want to go home," Jennifer said quietly, still dazed, her eyes worried.  
  
Nodding a little, Hudson reached in to help her out.  
  
***  
  
Hudson walked slowly along the road towards home. She could have been there long ago but felt that she needed the time to collect herself and come up with a plausible explanation for what had happened tonight. She knew her parents would have questions, had heard her father calling to her, which she had ignored, and they likely had seen the remains of the eggshells and balloons near the fence. Her father would want answers and her mother would want to coddle her. It was entirely possible that her mother was even now sitting at home in the kitchen, waiting for Hudson with a slice of apple pie and glass of milk so that they could talk about it. Her mother would expect her to have a good cry, because boys did those kinds of things to you, and then they would hug and Hudson would go up to bed and sleep and tomorrow morning everything would be better.  
  
The only problem with that scenario was, Hudson didn't feel like she needed a good cry any longer. Seeing Jennifer, understanding the pain and rage she was feeling because of what had happened to her, the way she had been treated, made her realize something. Hudson didn't want to be popular. If being popular meant having people hate you, if it meant not being able to trust people because they might just as well stab you in the back to have what you have, then she was more than happy to remain in the background. She would much rather have good friends like Chloe and Pete, that she could trust, and just sit back and watch what the rest of the school did. Sure, it would be nice to have people look up to her and vote her Homecoming Queen and receive Valentine's cards from all of the guys in February but was it really that important?  
  
On the outside, it appeared that Lana Lang had everything. She was beautiful, popular, head cheerleader, invited to sit on every committee, all of the teachers adored her and every piece of clothing she tried on was likely a perfect fit. But Hudson doubted that Lana could really consider the people she hung out with as true friends. She doubted that Lana's aunt Nell would be sitting at home this very minute with pie and an empty glass at the ready, watching anxiously out the window for her daughter's return. And Hudson knew very well that Lana wouldn't have been able to stop what was going to happen to her tonight. While she wasn't completely comfortable with her abilities, while she was far from comfortable with the knowledge that she was an alien, Hudson did understand that she had to make the best of what she had been gifted with.  
  
Jennifer had claimed to have a purpose, a destiny and Hudson had replied that so did she, only at that moment, they had simply been words. But now, she understood her meaning behind them. She might never be head cheerleader but she had saved a man's life the other day. She might never be Prom Queen, but she had saved her fellow students from death tonight. And maybe no one but her parents would ever know, ever realize what she was capable of, but she knew. There was something oddly comforting in that realization.  
  
Hudson knew that she had to accept the fact that she would never crawl out from under Lana Lang's shadow. Their lives had been inexplicably intertwined from the beginning. The meteor shower that had brought Hudson to Smallville had killed Lana's parents. This event, in effect, caused Lana to wear the necklace made of that very same meteor rock; the same rock that turned Hudson into a clumsy, uncoordinated fool in front of the entire student body on a regular basis. Sometimes, she couldn't decide if her life was purposely based on an Alanis Morrissette song or if it were all simply coincidence.  
  
The sound of a car approaching at an undeniably high speed from the road behind her pulled Hudson from her musings. Glancing over her shoulder, she briefly considered ducking into the rows of corn beside her, when the flash of an expensive European sports car coming around the corner changed her mind. Since most of the teenage boys in town were currently at a Homecoming Dance, she should have figured that the only other person driving at such a velocity would be Lex Luthor. Turning, she stopped to watch as the car came to a screeching halt a few feet from her, the door opening almost instantly.  
  
"Hudson," Lex called out as he exited the Porsche, his expression one of concern as his gaze traveled over her.  
  
A smile touched her face at the sound of her name and the way he said it. No one called her Hudson; it had always been H.C. The way Lex said it made her feel important, mature. She decided she liked that.  
  
"One would think you would have been taught a lesson about driving so fast," she called out.  
  
Ignoring her little barb, he returned, "What are you doing out here?"  
  
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Hudson dropped her gaze to the ground beneath her, staring at the way the lights from the car played over the weeds, lengthening the shadows. She didn't want to admit that the date she had been so excited over in town had really turned out to be a sham.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be at the dance?" Lex approached her, his eyes sweeping over the dark blue gown which was frayed around the edges, torn at the hip, ripped near her shoulders. It was covered in various stains, none of which he wished to identify, and he noticed her bare feet peaking out beneath the hem. Removing one of his hands from his pockets, he reached out and cupped her chin, raising her gaze to his. "Hudson, what happened?"  
  
Feeling her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment, she tried not to meet the blue-eyes that were regarding her so intently. "I. "  
  
"Where's your date?"  
  
Hudson bit her lip and forced a tremulous smile. "It wasn't real," she admitted quietly, ashamedly. "It was all just a. a joke. Something meant to. put me in my place, I guess."  
  
Lex's expression hardened as an unexpected anger swept through him. He understood the cruelty of others, especially in high school, but why they chose to pick on Hudson was beyond him. She was beautiful, she was kind, she was bright - not to mention she was good to have around in case of driving your car off of a bridge into a river. Unfortunately, with high school boys it was always the same. They were still too young and stupid to see anything beyond the 5'3", 75 pound cheerleader who hopefully 'put out', to notice a prize like Hudson hiding in the background. Lex knew - he'd made the same mistake himself more than once.  
  
"You really wanted to go, didn't you?" He brushed his thumb over her jaw gently, before pushing a few strands of hair off of her neck.  
  
Trying not to shift beneath his touch that was sending a tingle right through her, Hudson shrugged. "I just. I've never danced with anyone but my dad. I thought it would be. fun."  
  
"With a jock?" Lex smirked. "You'd likely have your feet stepped on all night."  
  
Hudson frowned a little as Lex pulled back, turning and walking away from her. Her hand reached up to touch the spot where his fingers had moved over her skin and she thought she wouldn't mind having him do that again. Not that she would ask but still, she had been so surprised by the moment that she hadn't taken the proper time to savor it. Wondering what he was up to, she continued to watch curiously as Lex reached his car, opening the door and leaning in. Moments later, music from the CD player blared through the speakers, sweeping over the silent roadside.  
  
"Come and lay right on my bed Sit and drink some wine I'll try not to make you cry If you get inside my head Then you'd understand Then you'd understand me"  
  
Returning to stand in front of her, Lex held out his hand. "May I have this dance, Miss Kent?"  
  
A feeling of elation swept over her and Hudson couldn't contain the smile that appeared on her face as she nodded silently, reaching out her hand and slipping it into his. Lex tugged her forward until their bodies were pressed together, his free arm slipping around her back, holding her close, while he brought their clasped hands up near their shoulders. He watched her for a long moment before offering a small smile and then slowly began swaying to the music.  
  
"Why I felt so alone Why I kept myself from love And you became my favorite drug So let me take you right now And swallow you down I need you inside"  
  
"You're very tall," Lex commented a bit gruffly after awhile, glad that she wasn't in heels or she actually would have had a few inches on him.  
  
Laughing a little, Hudson replied, "That's not the first time I've heard that."  
  
Lex regarded her eyes for a moment, which were currently more blue than green and he couldn't decide which color he liked better. "I don't mind. Those extra inches might have been the difference between pulling me from the river in time."  
  
Hudson smiled softly, dropping her gaze to rest on the black pullover he wore.  
  
"If we had this night together If we had a moment to ourselves If we had this night together Then we'd be unstoppable. "  
  
Silence fell between them again as they moved together easily to the music. Lex continued to watch her, marveling at the mystery of the young girl- woman in his arms - the same one who saved him from death and couldn't get a date to her school's Homecoming Dance. Her eyes and smile spoke of innocence; her tempting lips and voluptuous form brought to mind anything but. Lex had never met anyone like her before. He wanted to know everything about her, he wanted to satisfy the curiosity that was tugging at him to unravel the mystery of the young woman who saved his life.  
  
"Do you think that this is right Or this is really wrong I know that this is what we've been wanting And all this burning in my soul It fills up to my throat It fills up 'til my heart is breaking"  
  
"Sorry it's not the school gym." Lex finally broke the silence in the form of an apology.  
  
Hudson shook her head, still smiling, before laying her cheek against his shoulder. "No. It's perfect. Thank you, Lex."  
  
Lex just smiled and continued to dance.  
  
"If we had this night together If we had a moment to ourselves If we had this night together Then we'd be unstoppable. " 


	2. My First Taste: Tricked

"TRICKED"  
  
Smallville - An Alternate Universe Episode 2  
Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed. Michael Pritchard  
Hudson stood staring at Cassandra's lifeless body for a moment longer, fighting the tears that threatened. All this time, she had worried which of her friends she was going to lose, never once considering that it would be the kind old woman before her. Did that make her a bad person, that she hadn't immediately considered Cassandra as someone close to her?  
  
The nurse moved past her and out into the hall, calling out for someone named Betty. Hudson forced herself forward over to the chair where she crouched down beside Cassandra, taking her hand with one of her own. Reaching up, she brushed the gray hair away from the pale forehead, her gaze thoughtful.  
  
"I'm going to miss you," she told the woman quietly. "I wish we could have had more time to get to know one another." Rising, Hudson leaned over and kissed the wrinkled cheek before letting go of Cassandra's hand. "Goodbye."  
  
Wiping at the tears that had gathered in her eyes, Hudson exited into the sunny hallway, watching as two more nurses moved past her back into Cassandra's room. She glanced down the corridor, thinking to herself that in a place like this, people were used to death. They simply went on with their lives, day to day, used to saying goodbye to people they cared about. That thought triggered the image of the graveyard in Hudson's mind, and the tombstones that surrounded her, as if she had been the only person left on Earth. Wincing at the fear that the mere thought of such a fate created in her, she snapped herself out of the reverie and turned to leave.  
  
That was when she saw Lex. He was standing in front of a pair of French doors, staring out into the garden, the bright sunlight spilling over him, casting a long shadow across the floor. Though his gaze was frozen on the glass, his hands were moving rhythmically at his sides - sweeping over the material of his coat, clenching and unclenching, starting all over again. Frowning a little, not only at his presence at the retirement home but also at his uncharacteristic behavior, Hudson moved toward him, her eyes widening as she picked up on his heartbeat; erratic, too fast, as if adrenaline was shooting through his system. Fear?  
  
"Lex?"  
  
Lex started from his contemplation, turning fast to find Hudson standing just behind him, concern etched in her exotic features. He stared back at her for a moment before glancing over her shoulder towards Cassandra's room. The woman his future had killed. No. That was impossible. She was just some crazy old woman who liked to weave tales and capture the interest of those around her. She just wanted attention and he had fallen into her trap.  
  
His gaze flickered back to the young woman in front of him. "Hudson. What are you doing here?" Turning back towards the window, Lex ran a hand over his bare scalp.  
  
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Hudson commented softly, watching the nervous motions that he was making with his hands that she had come to recognize whenever her friend grew agitated or upset.  
  
Her friend. Lately, Hudson found herself questioning the strange interest or whatever it was that Lex seemed to have for her. Two days ago she had discovered that he still had the Porsche from the accident, that he kept it like some display in a museum, where he could look at it and marvel at how he had survived. He still refused to believe that she had simply dove into the river and pulled him out; he had called her on it, claiming that investigators had assured him the roof wouldn't have ripped open on impact. Truthfully, Hudson couldn't blame him for his curiosity. She would have behaved in the same manner, if she had thought about it long enough, wondering how she had moved out of the way in time, had the strength to dive into the water, pull him out, bring him back to life. Suspicious? Without a doubt. And she hated lying to him. That was the most difficult of all and it ate at her conscience worse than it did with Chloe or Pete, her longtime friends. Lex wanted so much to know why he was still here, how it was that he was still alive when by all purposes, he should be dead. And Hudson couldn't give him the truth.  
  
All of these thoughts flittered through her mind in a brief moment. "I came by to visit. Cassandra," she answered.  
  
"She's dead," Lex told her blankly, shoving his hands into his coat pockets for want of anywhere else to place them.  
  
Hudson's brow furrowed and she stepped nearer to Lex. "I know. I was just in there. But. how did you know?"  
  
Lex swallowed, unable to tell his friend - his only friend - that he had been responsible for the death of someone she cared about. "I. you talked so much about Cassandra, I thought I should meet her, see what it was that made such an impression on you."  
  
"When you got here, was she. I mean, did she - "  
  
"She was alive." Lex nodded a little then turned abruptly. "Excuse me, Hudson, but I have work to get back to." He pushed past her, moving down the hall.  
  
Hudson stared after him for a moment before breaking into a jog and following him out the main doors when she finally caught up to him a few feet from the black Ferrari. "Lex, wait! Umm. could you give me a ride home?"  
  
Lex turned to her, his gray eyes narrowing just a bit as he studied the young woman before him. "How did you get here?"  
  
"Chloe dropped me off," Hudson replied without hesitation. She hated lying but it seemed that every time she opened her mouth around him, the truth was an impossible feat to accomplish.  
  
Nodding a little, Lex continued to the driver's side, waving his hand at her. "Get in."  
  
Opening the door, Hudson slid into the expensive Italian leather seat, closing the door and strapping the seat belt across her shoulder. She glanced over at Lex, who was staring ahead out the windshield at the building before them. Shifting in her seat, knowing that he was still behaving completely out of character, she asked, "Lex, is something wrong?"  
  
He blinked, turning his gaze to her briefly before shaking his head and putting the car into gear. "No, I just. have a lot on my mind."  
  
"Oh." He didn't feel like talking. That much was obvious. Trying to come up with an alternate topic of conversation as they sped west down Sycamore, just north of Main street, Hudson finally asked, "So what are you doing for Halloween?"  
  
Lex flashed her a quick look which held the smallest hint of a smirk, the first he had allowed since leaving Cassandra's room. "Halloween?"  
  
"Yeah. You know, All Hallow's Eve, the night the dead like to come out to play. Witches, goblins, vampires. Halloween."  
  
"Probably the same thing I do every night, Hudson."  
  
She couldn't help herself. "Try to take over the world?"  
  
The flash of recognition in his eyes shocked her. Lex watched 'Pinky and the Brain'?? Well, that was something to file away for further investigation.  
  
"Something like that," Lex replied, switching into fifth gear, the speedometer moving far past the posted speed limit of 45mph. "Let me guess, your evening will likely include hay rides, bobbing for apples and begging for candy corn?"  
  
Hudson forced a smile at his sarcasm. Sometimes she thought Lex was laughing at her, and sometimes she believed she would hear just the vaguest hint of envy in his voice. This time, she couldn't decide which it was, maybe a mixture of both?  
  
"It used to," she replied. "But this year my dad is letting me go into Metropolis with Pete and Chloe to visit the Haunted Houses. You know, the Edge of Hell, the Transylvania House, the Beast - "  
  
"I know the places," Lex interrupted with a small nod. "I was a teenager once, Hudson."  
  
"You?" Hudson raised an eyebrow, smiled. "I don't believe it."  
  
"Your sarcasm is duly noted." Lex returned her smile for a moment but it faded just as quickly as it appeared. "I'm surprised your father is letting you go into the city. Especially in the warehouse district. It's not very safe down there."  
  
"Oh, don't you start now." She rolled her eyes, completely sick of people being so protective of her. Sure, Lex had no idea that she was anything other than the teenage girl she appeared to be but still, she wasn't an idiot either. "It's not like Pete plans on pimping Chloe and me on one of the corners."  
  
"I'm sure your father would love to hear you talking like that."  
  
Hudson shook her head. "I'm just saying, we know how to be careful. Chloe grew up in Metropolis. Besides, Mr. Sullivan is taking us."  
  
Lex didn't say anything. While he trusted Gabe completely, something about allowing Hudson - as innocent and beautiful as she was - to roam Metropolis, just seemed wrong. She didn't belong there, she belonged here in Smallville on her farm, riding horses and feeding cows and staring up at the stars at night. In his mind, Hudson was pure, untouched, golden. He didn't want to see that destroyed and he would do whatever it took to make certain she stayed that way.  
  
He would be the first to admit that there was a mystery behind Hudson that Lex believed drew him to her. She'd saved his life, when by all rights they should have both been dead. She had a habit of saving people around town, being in the right place at the wrong time or something like that. And yet she still denied that she was any different than anyone else, that her saving him was the same as anyone else would have done, that she certainly couldn't accept any gift in return for giving him his life. Even when Lex had confronted her with the Porsche and the fact that the roof could not have ripped open on impact, Hudson had stood there and smiled at him and told him she simply jumped in and pulled him out. She didn't remember anything else. Honestly, Lex. He could see in her eyes and body language that she was lying - was spectacularly bad at it, actually. But he let it go because she was his friend in the truest sense of the word: never wanting anything from him other than his time and companionship.  
  
Lex was no fool. He knew he was in deep when it came to Hudson. Somewhere along the way, she had become his ideal, his measure for everyone around him. And the worst part was, no one else seemed to measure up. Even though he knew there was something about her that she wasn't telling him, she'd certainly been more loyal, more trustworthy than any other person in his life since his mother. And that confused him - his mere reaction to her confused him. Hudson certainly wasn't the usual type of female he was drawn to, quite the opposite in fact. So his desire to be around her, to get to know her, to be a part of her life made little sense to him. And as much as he tried to fight it - and he had tried to fight it - still, Lex could not deny the fact that Hudson meant something to him. He just wasn't certain in what manner.  
  
Pulling onto Hickory Lane, the Ferrari tore past the fields towards the gravel road that led to the Kent Farm. "Just be careful," he finally told her.  
  
Hudson looked over at Lex, a little surprised at his words. "We will."  
  
He nodded and left it at that as he brought the sports car to a halt in front of the bright yellow farmhouse. The preparations for the coming winter were obvious as Lex stared out the window at the structure - storm windows added, trees and bushes pruned, some covered with plastic, the lawn furniture removed. He knew that Hudson had been busy lately, spending most of her time on weekends and after school helping her parents around the farm. He'd seen her less and less around town.  
  
"Have fun in Metropolis." Lex turned away from the sight before him to flash her a small smile.  
  
Smiling a little, Hudson unstrapped herself from the seat belt and climbed out of the car. Leaning back in, she commented softly, "Lex, if. if there's something you want to talk about, you know you're always welcome to stop by."  
  
"Thanks, Hudson," Lex replied with a nod. "But I'm all right. Really."  
  
Shutting the door, Hudson remained standing near the fence while she watched Lex speed off down the drive back onto Hickory Lane. Frowning a little at the strange conversation, she turned and moved through the gate, following the path to the back garden. She found her mother there, kneeling over a bed of flowers, preparing them for the coming frost that the weatherman had predicted for the evening.  
  
Martha turned to look over her shoulder as her daughter approached and gave her a welcoming smile. "Hi, honey. You're home early."  
  
Hudson flopped down on the ground beside her, silent for a moment as she picked a blade of grass, splitting it in half. "Cassandra, she's. she died."  
  
Silence. Hudson glanced over to see her mother watching her quietly, an unreadable expression on her face. Swallowing, she turned her gaze back down to the blade of grass that she was playing with, brushing the tip of her finger against the pointed edge, feeling nothing. It hurt to lose her new friend but there had been a few days when she had feared it would be someone closer. Then Harry had attacked her mother, almost succeeding in killing her when they became trapped in the grain silo. If Hudson and her father hadn't arrived when they did, they might have lost her.  
  
"I'm sorry, honey. I know she meant a lot to you," Martha said softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear.  
  
"You and dad didn't like her," Hudson accused quietly.  
  
Martha shook her head. "We were just worried about the ideas she was putting in your head, H.C. She had you terrified with her prediction about someone close to you dying."  
  
"Well, she was right, wasn't she?" Hudson tossed the torn blade of grass away from her and stared out at the fields. There were other things that Cassandra had shown her, but she didn't want to share that with her parents. She could only imagine the explanations they would come up with, how they would say it meant nothing. Hundreds and hundreds of gravestones and there she was, sitting in the center of them, all alone. What did it mean? Mentally shaking the image from her mind, she told her mother, "Lex was there."  
  
"At the retirement home?" Martha frowned as she turned back to her roses. "I didn't know he knew someone there."  
  
"He was there to see Cassandra." Hudson met her mother's gaze, watching as it went from curious to concerned.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Hudson shrugged. "He said I had talked so much about her, he wanted to know why."  
  
"She didn't. " Martha trailed off and turned back to the roses for a moment, stabbing at the branches with her shears. Their daughter's friendship with Cassandra had made her and Jonathon nervous; Hudson claimed she seemed to know things and they worried the woman might be a danger to their daughter. After all, she was old, could forget things, say things to people that she wouldn't remember. Things that could have hurt Hudson in the end. And what if she had said something to Lex? "Did she know about you, H.C.?"  
  
"She knew something." Hudson turned to lay flat on her stomach, laying her chin on her hands to stare at the dirt in front of her where a steady line of worker ants were hurriedly stocking their home. She blew lightly, watching as a few tumbled end over end before they scrambled back to their feet and continued with their work. "Mom, if I told you something, would you promise not to tell dad?"  
  
Martha stopped what she was doing and looked down at her daughter. "H.C., I don't - "  
  
"Mom." She turned her gaze up to her, blinking against the sun that blared behind her mother's red hair. "I have no one to talk to. I can't talk to Chloe or Pete. I can't even write anything down because there is always the possibility that it will be found. All I have is you and dad, and dad is so overly protective the moment I said anything to him he would just blow up." Hudson sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I just want to talk without the recriminations. Please?"  
  
Nodding, Martha set her shears to the side and turned to fully face her daughter. "Very well, H.C. Talk. I promise it stays between us."  
  
Sighing, Hudson looked back at the ants working a few inches in front of her. "The other day, I went by the castle to visit Lex. He. he has the car, mom. He kept it."  
  
"What car?"  
  
"The Porsche. The one he hit me with that day on the bridge."  
  
"What?" Martha stared at Hudson in confusion. "Why on earth would he keep it?"  
  
"He said he had a team of 'experts' look over it. He said that there was no way the roof could have been ripped on impact. There was no way he should have survived the accident." Hudson pushed herself back up to a sitting position, wrapping her arms around her legs, still unable to meet her mother's gaze. "Lex kept looking at me, waiting for an answer, asking me what happened that day, what I remembered. I felt so. guilty. Every lie I tell him, every question I refuse to answer - they all make me feel as if I am some horrible person, like I have no right to call myself his friend."  
  
"H.C.," Martha began. "You are protecting yourself and our family. You shouldn't feel guilty about that. It's Lex who should be feeling guilt - for accusing you of lying."  
  
"He didn't accuse me of anything, mom. He just. asked questions."  
  
"I don't like this." Martha shook her head, her brow furrowing with a hint of anger. "I don't like it at all, Hudson. If Lex is this determined to pry, when and where does it stop? Will it? If his mind is already set on this path - "  
  
"See? This is why I knew I couldn't tell you!" Hudson jumped to her feet and sent an angry glare down at her mother. "You totally ignore what I might be feeling and just worry about what might, by some remote chance, come of this."  
  
"I'm not ignoring what you're feeling, honey," Martha assured her, climbing to her feet and dusting her hands off on her jeans. She reached out and placed her hands on Hudson's arms, meeting her gaze. "I'm just trying to understand why Lex would do such a thing."  
  
"Maybe because none of it makes sense to him. Wouldn't you question it?" Hudson sighed and dropped her gaze to the ground, digging a small indention into the grass with the toe of her boot. "I feel like I'm betraying him, mom."  
  
"You like him, don't you?"  
  
Hudson raised her gaze quickly, too quickly, to meet that of her mother's. The answer was there.  
  
This was something Martha had dreaded from the moment Hudson had started a friendship with the son of Lionel Luthor. What teenage girl wouldn't fall for Lex? He was rich, handsome, powerful, sophisticated - everything that Hudson had been sheltered from. He had lived a life that she had only seen in movies, his very being speaking of things she would likely never have a taste of. Martha had grown up in Metropolis, she knew what boys from the city were like, how a boy like Lex Luthor could capture the imagination of a young farm girl. She and Jonathon had discussed it almost daily since Lex had entered their lives - he could hurt their daughter, destroy the person she was becoming. Neither of them wanted that and Jonathon would have done just about anything to keep it from happening. But Martha had convinced him to step back, saying that they had to trust Hudson or she would never be able to trust them in return. The last thing they needed to do was push her towards Lex, which is what would happen if they forbade her from seeing him.  
  
Realizing the mistake of her silent admission, Hudson sighed in resignation and looked over her mother's shoulder towards the field where she heard the approaching sound of the tractor. "Now you're never going to let me go near him again, huh?"  
  
"No, honey. I didn't say that." Martha moved away from her to pick up the gardening tools, setting them carefully into the tool box. "Lex hasn't. has he shown interest in you?"  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes. "No, mom. Nor is he going to. I'm fifteen. I'm surprised he even wants to be my friend." Catching her mother's look, she quickly qualified, "Although I've been friendly to him, so he has probably latched onto that, since there is no one else in town who seems willing to give him a chance."  
  
Martha rolled the hand shovel between her fingers for a moment, thinking how best to phrase her next question without sending her daughter into one of her renowned pouts. Finding no way around it, she looked up and asked, "Now that you know about the car, do you think its possible Lex is only being friends with you to - "  
  
"Learn my secret?" Hudson scoffed, shaking her head. "Do you think its actually crossed his mind that just because there are some. inconsistencies regarding his rescue, that I'm an - " Hudson automatically stopped herself from saying it. She had trouble saying it, she could admit that much. After all, it wasn't like it was something she could be proud of. She hardly knew what it meant. "That I'm. you know."  
  
Giving her an understanding smile, Martha held the tool box out to her. "Why don't you take this back to the shed for me and I'll go in and start dinner, okay?"  
  
"Sure, mom." Taking the tool box, Hudson turned to leave the yard when she stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. "Mom? You're not going to tell dad, right?"  
  
Nearing the porch, Martha looked back at her daughter and shook her head. "No, honey. But that doesn't mean I don't think that you should. Think about what would happen if he were to find out on his own?'  
  
Wincing at little at the thought, Hudson sighed and continued on her way to the shed.  
  
***  
  
Finishing the second braid, Hudson tied it off with the blue gingham strip her mother had cut for her, then stepped back from the oval mirror to critique her reflection. She hadn't dressed as Dorothy since she was nine years old and she had no idea why she had decided to do so this year but she was pleased with the results - her mother had a particular flare for creating costumes. From the gingham checked dress and ruffled white blouse to the bobby socks and ruby sequined shoes, Hudson was the quintessential Dorothy. And she knew she was going to get hell from Chloe and Pete for it.  
  
Hurrying down the stairs, she entered the kitchen to find her mom dumping bags of candy into the big witch's cauldron that she handed out for each and every Halloween since Hudson could remember. Her dad was sitting at the island, reading the paper and drinking some of the fresh apple cider her mom had made that afternoon. Jonathon glanced up from his reading and smiled as his gaze traveled over his daughter's costume.  
  
"Well, look who's back from Oz." He chuckled.  
  
"Oh, honey! You look adorable!" Martha set the current bag of Snickers down to walk over to Hudson and lean over to begin smoothing out the skirt before picking a piece of lint off of it. Her daughter shifted impatiently but Martha ignored her, taking a moment to fluff the sleeves and straighten the bows on her pigtails. "How do the shoes feel? Did any of the sequins come off while you were putting them on?"  
  
"No, mom," Hudson replied, pulling back just when she was certain her mother was going to lick her thumb to wipe a smudge off her cheek or something. "They're perfect."  
  
"Well, you need one more thing if you are going to convince everyone that you are authentic," Martha told her, moving back over to the other side of the kitchen and lifting up a picnic basket. Carrying it over to her daughter, she lifted one of the flaps to show a scruffy looking stuffed Terrier dog peering up through the whole, appearing as if at any moment it was going to wag its tail and bark.  
  
"Oh, it's too cute!" Hudson took the handle of the basket and inspected her fake Toto. When she'd dressed as Dorothy years ago, they'd had an Australian Shepard that she had taken with her on a leash as Toto. This was much better.  
  
"Remember, H.C, just because we're allowing you to go to Metropolis doesn't mean you don't have school tomorrow. We expect you home no later than one o'clock," Jonathon told her, trying valiantly not to let his daughter see how nervous he was about the impending evening.  
  
Hudson moved over to the island, reaching her hand into the cauldron to pull out a KitKat. "I know. Mr. Sullivan said we'd be leaving Metropolis by ten o'clock."  
  
"And I expect you to make up your missed chores this weekend," her father told her sternly.  
  
"Yes, dad." Hudson nibbled at her candy bar while across from her, her mother poured a bag of Hershey's Miniatures into the mixture.  
  
Jonathon stood and leaned over to kiss his daughter's forehead. "Be good. And have fun." Glancing at Martha, he told her, "I'm going to fix the fence in the south pasture. See you in a few hours."  
  
Watching as her father exited the kitchen through the screen door, Hudson bit off a chunk of her KitKat thoughtfully, her gaze straying to the goodie bags beside the cauldron that her mother had created for Pete and Chloe. Leaning over, she peered inside to see they included a caramel apple, various lollipops and chocolate, a small bag of candy corn, a packet of pumpkin seeds and a candied popcorn ball. She didn't know if Lex was a big candy eater - actually, sometimes she wondered if he ever ate at all - but she figured he still needed to enjoy a taste of Halloween. Hudson looked at her watch and figured that if she 'speed ran', she could be back to the farm in time for Pete, Chloe and Mr. Sullivan to arrive.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Martha glanced up from the oven where she was removing another batch of roasted pumpkin seeds.  
  
"Do you have any more of these bags prepared? I was going to take one to Lex."  
  
Her mother looked over at her for a moment before pointing to the end of the counter where a half dozen of the bags sat. "The cupcakes I'm baking for the Elementary School's carnival are almost ready if you want to take him some of those?"  
  
"No." Hudson shook her head as she gathered one of the bags into hand and headed for the door. "He probably won't eat this as it is. But I guess it's the thought that counts. I'll be right back!"  
  
Martha was about to call out to Hudson that perhaps her delivery could wait until tomorrow but it was too late. A whoosh of wind, the flapping of the curtains and the slamming of the kitchen door signaled her daughter's hasty departure.  
  
It took Hudson a matter of seconds before she found herself standing outside the castle gates. She keyed in the code, which Lex had given her after her first delivery, her foot tapping impatiently while she waited for the gates to open and she stepped through. Not wanting to take the chance of anyone noticing something out of the ordinary, Hudson walked sedately up the drive to the rock-laden path which led to the servant's entrance. Pushing the door open, she found the kitchen sterile and empty, the complete opposite of her family's kitchen, and wondered if Lex's cook ever made pumpkin seeds as she made her way into the hall and towards the second floor study.  
  
The very strange and inexplicable friendship with Lex was the most recent of the complications in Hudson's life that she had trouble coming to grips with. Added to the fact that he was six years her senior, they had very little in common. Okay, that wasn't entirely truthful. They seemed to have enough in common to always find something to talk about when they were together, but they were from two completely different worlds, and Hudson was having difficulty understanding why Lex wanted to be her friend. Beyond saving his life, she hadn't really expected to see him again. Then he had appeared on the side of the road after the 'Homecoming date that hadn't happened' and they had danced right there, in front of the headlights of his car, and he had driven her home. It had all been very innocent and very sweet and Hudson still couldn't get it out of her mind. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Chloe, preferring to keep it as a private moment just between her and Lex.  
  
Two days later, Lex had called their house wishing to place a produce order. Unfortunately, her father had answered the phone and had flat out refused to take it. Her mother's cooler head had prevailed in the end. The order had been taken and once more, Hudson had been instructed to simply place the box on the doorstep and leave.  
  
The next time, Hudson had tried - really tried - to do as her father instructed. When she parked in the back of the castle near the kitchen, she grabbed the box of produce and took it to the back door where she sat it on the step before crouching down and checking through to make certain everything ordered was there. Just then, the door opened and Hudson looked up to find him there -- leaning against the doorframe, one ankle crossed over the other, hands in the pockets of his black slacks. He flashed her this half-smile, like he had caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to, and she just remained as she was, staring up at him, trying to think of something to say.  
  
Finally she came up with, "Hi."  
  
"Hello, Hudson," Lex greeted. "Were you not planning on being friendly?"  
  
She scrunched up her face a little at how easily he had caught her. "Do you always hang out in the kitchen?"  
  
They both kind of grinned at each other and their lack of replies. Pushing off from the doorframe, Lex stepped back and waved in toward the kitchen as Hudson lifted the box into her arms. "Need help with that?" He asked.  
  
Shaking her head, she moved past him and set it down on the counter. "I'm good."  
  
"Of course. Silly question. Any woman who can pull a man from his car and the river it was in, can certainly carry a box of produce."  
  
Hudson shifted uncomfortably at his comment then shrugged. "Well, you know, things are lighter under water."  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I'm fat?"  
  
"Oh! No! I just - "  
  
"I'm teasing you, Hudson."  
  
"Oh." Hudson glanced down at the floor, feeling her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment.  
  
Lex watched her for a moment, smiling a little at her discomfort, wondering if she had ever flirted before in her life. Or had anyone flirt with her. "Want a tour?" He found himself asking, knowing very well that he was playing with fire.  
  
Hudson looked up at him and then toward the doorway that led into the hall. "I really should get back to my deliveries."  
  
"Ah." Lex nodded and dropped his gaze to the floor and there was this horrid moment of silence between them.  
  
Despite her parents' constant fear of Hudson's true nature being discovered and their subsequent sheltering, she had never been taught to withhold friendship, especially from those who seemed in desperate need of it. Even if it meant endangering her own life, if it meant being discovered and tossed into some research facility, Hudson had a feeling that Lex was desperately in need of a friend. Sure, he didn't need money or clothes or food or a roof over his head. That much was obvious. But everyone needed a friend and she didn't think he had any; at least not here, not in Smallville where one quickly learned that the Luthor name was synonymous with everything that was bad in the Encyclopedia. Even those employed by LuthorCorp didn't seem to have the nicest things to say.  
  
Silently asking her father for forgiveness because she was blatantly about to go against his instructions, Hudson stepped away from the box of produce and towards Lex. "Actually, I'm a little ahead of schedule today and I only have two more deliveries to make. A tour would be great!"  
  
Her decision had been worth it. Lex looked up at her and the slightest smile crossed his face, like maybe he knew she was breaking a rule or two but wasn't going to say anything about it. Nodding toward the hallway, he held out his arm, placing the other against the small of her back, and leading her on into the castle.  
  
The tour had been a quick one. While Lex explained that there were over 75 rooms in the place, Hudson caught on quickly that they wouldn't be visiting each, just getting a general sense of where everything was and where he preferred to spend the most time. It was almost as if he was silently telling her that should she stop by and be looking for him, these were the places to look. She loved the indoor/outdoor pool and the entertainment room, telling Lex that he could have some great parties here. His response had been a brief laugh. The study wasn't a bad place to be, very pretty and Hudson continually eyed the library above, wondering if there would be anything worth reading. When questioned if she had ever played pool before, she had responded only twice, and she had lost horribly both times.  
  
Leaning a hip against the purple felt-covered pool table, Lex smiled at his guest. "I'll have to give you a lesson sometime."  
  
Another hint to this odd friendship. Hudson shrugged. "That would be cool."  
  
Lex eyed her quietly for another long moment before commenting, "You never told me what happened the other night."  
  
"It's not important," Hudson replied, glancing away, her gaze fixing on the Coat of Arms hanging above the fireplace. She frowned a little as she stared at it.  
  
"I think it is." Pushing off of the pool table, Lex walked over to Hudson, stopping only when he was inches from her, so close that he could smell the fabric detergent Mrs. Kent used on their laundry. So close that he could see the changing shades of blue-black in the strands of her hair and watch the steady thrumming of her pulse in her throat. Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, as if to protect them (or her), he continued, "Tell me what happened. The quarterback played a cruel joke. "  
  
Hudson had remained quiet and still as Lex had approached. He'd done so stealthily, as if believing she might have bolted, but she'd heard him every step of the way -- his almost silent steps against the floor, his heartbeat as it grew louder in her ears. Hudson wondered if she didn't magnify everything when it came to Lex a little more strongly than she did with others. Precautions after all of the warnings from her father? Or something else?  
  
"No. I think it was Lana," she replied quietly. "He just went along with it."  
  
"Lana Lang."  
  
Turning to meet his gaze, Hudson asked, "You know her?"  
  
"Her aunt has sold quite a bit of land to my father," Lex replied with the smallest nod. "Why would she want to do that to you?"  
  
"I'm not certain." Hudson shook her head, unable to tear her eyes away from his. Not with the way he was watching her, so intently, so unreadable. "She has something against me joining the cheerleading squad or something. I was going to try-out but. " She shrugged slightly. "It's not that important anymore."  
  
"Cheerleading is important to Lana?"  
  
It didn't sound quite like a question but still Hudson replied, "Yes. She's head of the squad."  
  
"I see. "  
  
It had crossed Hudson's mind twice that Lex might have had something to do with Lana's eventual dismissal from the cheerleading squad but she had never been brave enough to ask. Besides, she still couldn't see how he could have pulled it off. Lana was Smallville's Golden Girl. Well, mostly. Her recent stint as a waitress at the Beanery hadn't gone very well, and there were still snickers over that. Who couldn't serve coffee?? Hudson was actually beginning to feel sorry for her one-time tormentor. Chloe and Pete told her she was insane. She could only reason that after saving someone's life so many times, you end up developing some sort of empathy with them.  
  
Each recurring produce delivery to the castle had been much like that day. Lex usually met her at the door, invited her in, convinced her to spend some time there, and they would play pool, talk, sit in front of the TV or play video games. The castle was like an amusement park in many ways - Lex had everything. And if he didn't have it when Hudson would bring it up, he would the next time she visited. In fact, her weekly Sunday afternoon had quickly become devoted to spending time with her new friend, to the point where she specifically saved his delivery for last.  
  
That hadn't gone over well with her father. While Martha Kent had been a little more receptive to the obvious fascination her daughter had with Lex Luthor, Jonathon Kent had a different view of it. Unfortunately, being the only male in the house and wanting to keep some semblance of peace under the roof, he had been forced to give in, though with certain restrictions. One, Hudson always had to be home before dark, so as winter drew near, her time spent at the castle became shorter and shorter. Two, she was never allowed to accept any gifts from Lex of any kind - if they went out to grab something to eat, she was expected to pay her own way. And three, Jonathon always wanted a full accounting of what had happened while she was there. Hudson had bristled at what she had considered to be ridiculous demands from her father but she had quickly realized that either she do as he said or no longer be allowed to make the deliveries.  
  
Fortunately, Lex began to make the occasional visit to the farm, seeking Hudson out in the loft or sitting with her in the family room where they would watch TV and talk. The rules weren't quite as strict then, though Hudson knew they were being watched very carefully. It didn't matter how much she tried to convince her father that they were only friends, that she was too young for Lex and he would never be interested in her in any other way; Jonathon Kent never listened.  
  
Mentally shaking the memories from her mind, Hudson made her way up the oak staircase and down the long corridor to the doorway of the study, peering in to find Lex sitting at his desk, his eyes trained on the monitor before him. For the briefest moment, she tried valiantly to calm the erratic beating of her heart at the sight of him - no matter what anyone in town might say about him, Hudson thought he had to be the most beautiful being that ever walked the earth. Even Chloe admitted that there was something extremely sexy about him, though she still preferred to give her friend hell over her newly acquired crush.  
  
Realizing it was rude to just stare, Hudson called out softly, "Lex, are you busy?"  
  
Lex glanced up from his work to find Hudson, dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, framed in the doorway. He couldn't contain the slow smile that formed as he rose to his feet and moved around to the front of the desk. "If you're looking for the Wizard, I think you're lost," he commented.  
  
"Actually, right now I'd just settle for the Yellow Brick Road," Hudson tossed back, walking further into the study.  
  
Chuckling, Lex waved a hand at her. "Cute costume."  
  
As a child, there had been a short time when Lex had developed a crush on Judy Garland in the 'Wizard of Oz'. He used to watch it with his mother when his father was away on business and he didn't have to hide the fact that the Flying Monkeys terrified him. But the Dorothy standing in his study was a far cry from Judy's version and Lex realized it was the first time he had ever seen Hudson in a skirt and heels, showing off slim ankles and shapely calves. Swallowing against thoughts he couldn't allow himself to have for the teenager in front of him, Lex lifted his gaze back to hers.  
  
Hudson was rolling her eyes. "Thanks. I think. Here." She held out the Goodie Bag to him. "For you."  
  
"What is it?" Lex took the bright orange bag, which was covered with drawings of ghosts, cats and witches all in black. Peering inside, he found an array of candy and treats that made his teeth hurt just looking at them.  
  
"Just some candy my mother has been putting together for the past few days."  
  
"I thought you were supposed to come to me for candy?" Lex queried, only barely realizing what he had said as he glanced up to see Hudson's face turn three different shades of red in the matter of milliseconds. Feeling his own ears grow a little warm at the implication, Lex quickly turned to walk over to the wet bar, depositing the bag and reaching for a much-needed glass of scotch. In an attempt to divert her attention from the unintentional innuendo he had just made, Lex asked, "Would you like some water or something?"  
  
Hudson was still attempting to regain her composure at all of the thoughts that had slammed through her mind at his candy comment. She knew it had only been said in the most innocent manner, but replies concerning 'Trick or Treating' were threatening to burst forth and she silently told herself she had to remember this moment to tell Chloe. The image of Lex sitting in his chair, asking 'Would you like some candy, little girl?' was probably the nightmare her father suffered from every night.  
  
"No thanks, Lex," she finally got out. "I have to meet Chloe and Pete."  
  
He smiled at her a little as he took a sip of his scotch. "Your trip into Metropolis. I had forgotten."  
  
"You're welcome to join us," Hudson offered, wishing very much that he would say yes, even though she knew he wouldn't.  
  
Lex shook his head and glanced down at the glass of amber liquid in his hand. "I don't think so, Hudson. But thank you for inviting me."  
  
"What're friends for?" She smiled and took a step back towards the doorway. "Well, I'd better go. I just wanted to bring you that so you don't miss out entirely. Have a nice evening, Lex. And I hope you don't get visited by any ghosts or anything."  
  
Smiling a little as he watched her leave, Lex turned his gaze to the bag of candy, regarding it for a few moments before picking it up and carrying it with him over to the desk to continue his work.  
  
Hudson sped her way back to the farm, reaching the yard just as Mr. Sullivan's car pulled into the driveway. Brushing her skirt of the dust that it had gathered, she stepped into the kitchen to grab her basket and inform her mother that her ride was here. Moving back out into the afternoon sun, Hudson flashed a smile and waved as Chloe climbed out of the car, stumbling a little as her witch's hat got caught on the roof.  
  
"A witch, Chloe?" Hudson called out, laughing. "Isn't that a little cliché for you?"  
  
Chloe shrugged as she approached, looking adorably impish in her black gown with kohl darkened eyes and black streaks through her hair. The hat was tall and pointed with a wide brim, shading her face. "At least I'm not dressed as a storybook character. I thought doing the traditional thing would be fun for once." She stuck out a leg and lifted up the skirt, showing off black and white horizontal striped hose above her Dr. Martens.  
  
"It's nice to see that not even Halloween can change the incomparable Chloe Sullivan," Hudson commented.  
  
Chloe smiled and did a quick curtsy in reply.  
  
Another door opened drawing Hudson's attention, and she glanced up to see Pete emerging from the back seat of the Optima, dressed in leather pants and jacket, white turtleneck with Afro wig and mustache. "Pete?" She blinked. "Who are you supposed to be?"  
  
For a moment he looked offended, then posed into a fighting stance. "Does this help?"  
  
She shook her head, mystified. "Eddie Murphy?"  
  
Pete sighed, causing Chloe to giggle beside Hudson. "Pete, don't blame H.C. Do you think she knows anything about the Blaxploitation genre?"  
  
Hudson's glance of confusion to Chloe answered that question.  
  
"I'm Shaft," Pete told her with just a tinge of frustration as he walked up to them. "And this is a very cool costume. Other people 'get' it."  
  
Chloe looked over at the very mystified Dorothy. "He chose this costume so that just for once, he could be a bad mutha - - "  
  
"Chloe! Pete! Hi!" Martha called out as she exited the house, carrying their Goodie Bags in her hands.  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Kent," they chimed in chorus as she reached them, Chloe turning a distinct shade of pink.  
  
"Happy Halloween!" She greeted, handing each their bags of candy. "Chloe, you make an adorable witch!" Turning to Pete, Martha stared at him for a moment before chuckling. "Shaft? Interesting choice, Pete."  
  
Flashing a 'Told you so' look at the two girls, Pete smiled up at Hudson's mother. "Thank you, Mrs. Kent. But I think Hudson's film education is severely lacking."  
  
Hudson frowned. "It is not. Just because I've never heard of this Black Exploitation thingy - "  
  
"Blaxploitation, honey," Martha corrected, patting her shoulder consolingly.  
  
"Hi, Martha."  
  
"Oh, hi Gabe!" She waved at Chloe's father as he exited the car. Turning back to her daughter, Martha smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to go talk to Chloe's dad. Have a good time, H.C., and be careful."  
  
The three friends watched quietly as Martha walked over to Gabe and the parents began conferring with one another before they returned their attention to each other. Conversation centered around the week at school and how they might be able to call in sick tomorrow, though Hudson had never been able to get away with that excuse, considering she had never been sick a day in her life. Pete mentioned that he had heard Whitney tell some of their teammates that he and Lana were probably going to check out the Haunted Houses tonight as well and inwardly, Hudson groaned at the thought as Gabe called out that it was time they got on the road. They all piled into the car, Chloe climbing into the back with Hudson, claiming they had some 'girl talk' to take care of, and Pete riding up front with Gabe. As they waved to her mom while pulling down the driveway, Hudson's thoughts returned to Whitney and Lana.  
  
It wasn't so much that she didn't want to run into them -- she had gotten an apology out of Whitney for the joke they had played on her at Homecoming, which had been something, at least. After that, it seemed as if Fate were playing some strange game with Hudson or something. Just when she thought she had seen it all with Jennifer Creek and her electric touch, a bug-boy with some strange fascination of turning Lana into his mate, appeared. Was there a male of any species who wasn't in love with Lana Lang? Then came the Fire-Starter coach, who not only succeeded in torching the Torch - Hudson still thought she was pretty cool to come up with that line - but almost barbequed both Principal Kwan and Chloe. It was after the incident with Tina Greer -- one of their schoolmates who could morph into anyone she wanted to be from Lex to Hudson herself - when the girl decided she liked Lana's life better than her own and Hudson once more found herself coming to Lana's rescue, that a tentative friendship had developed between the two. Lana actually said hi to her in town now and had even stopped by the farm a few times. It was almost as if these strange mutants were purposely seeking Hudson and her friends out.  
  
Even Chloe had been targeted when Sean Kelvin, a boy with the ability to drain the life of others in order to gather warmth for himself, had attempted to do so to her. Add Cassandra to the list and Hudson began wondering why there were all of these creeps suddenly coming out of the woodwork. According to Chloe, these kinds of occurrences had been taking place ever since the meteor shower, and while Jonathon Kent preferred to blame it on the LuthorCorp Chemical Plant, Hudson had a different theory. She figured that someone somewhere had placed a big announcement in the Daily Planet: 'Alien Girl Going Through Teenage Angst - Please Give Her Something Else to Keep Her Occupied'.  
  
Seriously, if she had to save Lana Lang's life one more time.  
  
"Hey." Chloe poked her with an elbow and leaned over so that they could talk to one another softly. "Seen Lex lately?"  
  
Hudson glanced up front for a moment to see that Gabe and Pete were busy discussing football before turning back to her friend. With a smile, she told her, "This afternoon. I took him a bag of candy."  
  
Chloe snickered. "Was that all you gave him?"  
  
Feeling her cheeks grow warm, Hudson admitted, "He made a comment - it was all very innocent - but my mind went straight to the gutter! I think his did, too."  
  
"What was it? You have to tell me. It's like a moral imperative or something."  
  
Casting a glance towards the front of the car once more, Hudson leaned closer to Chloe and whispered the exact circumstances regarding the whole candy comment. The blonde's mouth fell open in shock and then she burst into laughter, drawing the attention of both Pete and her father.  
  
"What'd I miss?" Pete turned to look over his shoulder at them.  
  
Chloe was too lost in her hysteria to reply. Sinking a little deeper into the back seat, Hudson just shook her head and shot her giggling friend a dirty look.  
  
***  
  
"I'll be back here at ten o'clock," Gabe told the three teenagers standing beside the car where he was leaning out the open window. "If you need anything, Chloe, call your uncle's place."  
  
"I can't believe you forgot your cell, dad," Chloe complained, though she smiled a little as if used to his forgetfulness.  
  
He shrugged. "Yeah, well, if my head wasn't attached to my shoulders. " Breaking off, he gave them all a smile while putting the car in gear. "Have fun kids."  
  
"Bye, dad."  
  
"Bye, Mr. Sullivan," Pete and Hudson chorused.  
  
As the Optima disappeared down the street, the three friends turned to look at each other as if to ask 'What now?'. Almost on cue, they started west down the street, towards the growing lines of thrill-seekers gathered outside the various Haunted Houses. The first line they hit was the longest of all and they stood in it for about five minutes without moving before deciding to hit some of the other places first. Pete suggested the Edge of Hell and they all agreed, glancing down the one-way street for traffic before hurrying across it to the other side where the much shorter line slowly moved toward the entrance.  
  
"So, Dorothy," Pete began, rubbing his hands together as he glanced at her basket. "You didn't happen to pack a picnic in there, did you?"  
  
Grinning, Hudson opened one of the flaps to reveal a couple of popcorn balls, a bag of Hershey's miniatures and three caramel apples. "Did you think my mom was going to let us starve?"  
  
Chloe groaned, placing a hand over her stomach. "Did they invent Halloween specifically to see how many pounds teenage girls could put on in an evening?" She frowned suddenly. "Hey. That might make a good exposé."  
  
"I love Mrs. Kent," Pete commented to Chloe. "If she wasn't already taken, I'd marry her."  
  
"Thanks for that disturbing thought, Pete," Hudson quipped with a grimace.  
  
"Hey guys!"  
  
They looked up to see Whitney waving to them from a few yards away, heading in their direction with Lana by his side. The sight of the jock and ex- cheerleader did not bode well, in Hudson's opinion. Not when she was coming to accept the fact that being around Lana usually meant saving her life. And here she thought tonight was supposed to be fun.  
  
"Here's a disturbing thought," Chloe whispered to Hudson. "Spending the entire evening in the presence of the lovely Lana Lang."  
  
"Out trolling the Houses?" Pete asked as the couple reached them.  
  
"It's better than hanging out in Smallville," Whitney replied, nodding in greeting to Chloe and Hudson.  
  
Pete grunted. "I hear that, man."  
  
Whitney was wearing the same costume he had for the past three years - a Zombie Football player. He'd added to it over the years so that each Halloween it was a little more realistic, complete with ratty, discolored uniform and fake bone sticking out of his neck that made it appear to be horribly broken. This year he had added tufts of grass and dirt around the helmet. Hudson had always found the costume slightly disquieting but very appropriate for Halloween. Beside him, Lana was dressed as Snow White sans the necklace. Hudson supposed that it didn't compliment the costume.  
  
"I remember the last time you went as Dorothy," Lana commented with a little nod to Hudson. "It snowed that Halloween."  
  
"Oh yeah!" Pete chimed in. "I remember that. It started coming down so hard our parents made us all quit 'Trick or Treating' and school was cancelled the next day."  
  
Hudson smiled. "That was like the best day ever. Sitting at home, watching cartoons, eating candy. What kid wouldn't beg for that to happen?"  
  
They all grew silent and glanced up towards the sky, as if silently praying for a change in the weather. Unfortunately, the stars winked brightly above them and the air was still warm. Beside Hudson, Chloe sighed then reached into her bag and withdrew her camera. Holding it up, she took a few pictures of the crowds around them, then a quick one of Whitney and Lana, causing the football player to frown a little. Placing the strap over her neck, she reached into her bag once more and withdrew a tiny, handheld recorder. Pete and Hudson watched her quietly for a moment before glancing at one another.  
  
"You know, Chloe, the accessories don't really match the outfit," Pete commented, scratching an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm well aware of that." She took off her hat and shoved it into the bag. "I'm here for a story!"  
  
Dorothy, Snow White, the Zombie and Shaft as one collectively blinked in response.  
  
Chloe frowned at them. "What? Look, there was this small blurb on the back page of the local news section of the Planet earlier this week about one of the Haunted Houses - Millennium. The second day they were open, two kids disappeared and haven't been found. No one really thought anything about it, figuring they probably just ran away or something. But for two weeks after that, other patrons kept complaining about hearing people screaming for help. The owner said those were recordings which were part of the tour. Then, last week, a college guy died while going through the House!"  
  
"I don't get it," Whitney said, shaking his head.  
  
Flashing him a look that said it didn't take much for her to believe that, Chloe turned to Pete and Hudson and continued, "The paramedics said he had a heart attack - he was nineteen! The friends that were with him said they believe something scared him to death when they got separated - one of them is even in an institution right now! And. " She paused for dramatic effect, glancing at each of the four pairs of eyes in front of her. "The owner of the Haunted House is originally from Smallville!"  
  
Hudson shifted from one foot to the other. "Let me guess - you're here to check out that House?"  
  
"Of course!" Chloe pushed past Whitney and Lana and started down the street. "They closed it down after the death due to complaints. The owner is suing the city. I want to see for myself what's going on in there." When she realized no one was following, she turned back around and settled her hands on her hips. "Well, is no one else up to the adventure? You came to see a Haunted House, right?" She smirked. "Or, are you chicken?"  
  
Whitney snorted. "This stuff is for kids. None of it has ever scared me." Grabbing Lana's hand, he started down the street to follow Chloe.  
  
Hudson glanced over at Pete. "When we actually go somewhere just to have fun - and not to act out an episode of Scooby Doo - be certain to tell me, okay? I want to remember it."  
  
"Yeah. Same here." Heaving a heavy sigh, Pete fell in beside Hudson as they hurried to catch up with the others.  
  
They pushed their way past the long lines that were waiting outside of the various Haunted Houses, all but Chloe glancing longingly at each, as if knowing they were going on a wild goose chase and would be lucky to have any fun throughout the evening. The further they moved down the block, the more deserted the area around them became and Hudson found herself understanding why Lex had warned her about the warehouse district - most of it was uninhabited, dark and an absolutely perfect place for random acts of violence. Lana had grown quiet, wrapping her arms around herself as if attempting to ward off danger. Pete and Whitney had been discussing the team but the conversation had dwindled and they now shot nervous glances down the street. Hudson hung back, watching her friends, listening for any sounds that were out of the ordinary. Up ahead, Whitney commented that he doubted Chloe had any idea where she was going and received the flash of her middle finger in reply.  
  
"She's really serious about being a reporter, isn't she?"  
  
Hudson glanced to her right to see that Lana had dropped back to walk with her. Snow White and Dorothy. She was certain they had to make quite the pair. Nodding, she replied, "Yeah. It's all she talks about usually."  
  
"It must be great to be that driven, to know what you want to do and how to get there." Lana sighed. "She certainly won't be stuck in Smallville all of her life."  
  
Not knowing what to say to that, Hudson remained silent. She usually had very little to say around Lana, uncomfortable with the whole change in dynamics between their interactions with one another. It was as if she was waiting for Lana to turn into the mean-spirited bitch she had become used to, instead of this unexpected offering of friendship. Then again, ever since she had been kicked off of the cheerleading squad, Lana seemed to have very few friends outside of Whitney. Hudson figured that was why she was forcing herself to become so involved in some of the clubs and community organizations around the school. Unfortunately, it made it seem as if she were trying too hard.  
  
"H.C., I wanted to thank you."  
  
Frowning, Hudson glanced over at Lana. "For what?"  
  
"For being nice to me." Lana looked up at her, nodding her head slightly. "You have no reason to be. I've been. really nasty, I know. But you've never let that get in the way and I appreciate it. You're a really. good person."  
  
For some reason, Hudson could clearly hear Lex in her mind saying something like 'Nice girls finish last'. She didn't get a chance to reply.  
  
"Here it is!" Chloe called out from up ahead, turning off of the sidewalk onto the path that led up to the building on their left.  
  
"It's an old Brownstone," Pete commented, stopping just outside the gate and staring up at it.  
  
The Haunted House was three stories high and appeared to be in fairly good condition, all of its windows in one piece, the yard in the front properly maintained, the paint on the door new. A sign stood just to the side of the steps leading up to the front door, which read : "The Millennium House - The Newest Addition to Metropolis' Avenue of Terror! - $5 entry fee". At the top of the steps, yellow police tape stretched across the steps, blocking the way. Chloe was the first to reach it, crawling under it to get to the door. She tried the knob a few times before turning around to face the others with an angry huff.  
  
"It's locked."  
  
Pete rolled his eyes. "Did you think they were going to leave it open because they knew Chloe Sullivan was stopping by?"  
  
Chloe stuck her tongue out at him in reply before turning her gaze to Hudson imploringly. "H.C., you have a way with these things. Can you see about getting us inside - please??"  
  
"That's Breaking and Entering, Chloe," Hudson replied in disbelief. "Do you know what my parents would do to me if they knew I came to Metropolis to commit a crime?"  
  
"There is no such thing as crime in the pursuit of the journalistic enterprise," Chloe commented.  
  
Hudson made a face. "You're making that up."  
  
"Oh, H.C., please?" Chloe pleaded, her shoulders dropping in near dejection. "We've got to get inside, or we can't prove or disprove what those college students said."  
  
Pete glanced at Hudson. "I don't know about you, but I'm not here to prove or disprove anything. I just want to have some fun on Halloween."  
  
"Oh, come on." Whitney pushed past all of them to join Chloe at the top of the steps. "It's just an empty building. Where's the harm?" He jiggled at the door knob for a moment. "Anyone have a credit card?"  
  
Chloe reached into her purse to pull one out. "You know how to do that?"  
  
Whitney glanced down at her. "You don't?" Then he turned back to the door and began slipping the card into the space between the door and the frame.  
  
"Man, I can't believe we're doing this," Pete muttered as he, Hudson and Lana glanced out toward the street, making certain no one was watching them.  
  
"Got it!" Whitney called out triumphantly, pushing the door open barely a moment before Chloe hurried past him inside. He waved toward Lana. "Come on!"  
  
Snow White hurried past Hudson and Pete to move up the stairs. They glanced at one another in resignation before Pete held out his hand, indicating that Hudson go first. With a sigh at her friend's penchant for seeking out trouble wherever it could be found, she moved up the path to the house, wishing that her ruby slippers really worked.  
  
Once they made it through the door, Chloe felt around on the wall until she discovered a light switch and fake sconces lit up around them, casting dark shadows across the ivory-colored tile floor. The low lighting revealed that the narrow walls had actually been constructed for the Haunted House, keeping the patrons on a narrow path straight to the entrance into the actual attraction. Writing over the walls warned the customers to turn back before it was too late, once they went through the door there was no way out, etc. Chloe snapped a few photos as they moved down the hall, commenting as to how cheesy it all appeared so far. Hudson followed behind her, then Pete, with Lana and Whitney giggling in the back. When they reached the last door that led into the attraction, they were greeted by a shrunken head which suddenly switched on, its eyes glowing, and cackling laughter issuing forth from its mouth. Chloe screeched and jumped back into Hudson and Pete before flashing them a chagrined expression.  
  
"Greetings, Travelers!" It spoke to them, its eyes moving slightly from left to right. "You must be lost, or you wouldn't be here!" It laughed. "Once you step through this door, your Fate becomes pre-Destined. For none who enter shall ever leave the Millennium House. Muahahahaha!"  
  
"That's like a really bad impression of Vincent Price," Chloe commented, snapping a picture.  
  
"It scared you." Pete smirked.  
  
"I was just surprised that it was working," she replied over her shoulder.  
  
Hudson reached out and touched it, moving closer for a better look, examining the front and back as her expression turned to a frown. "Weird. I don't see any batteries or motion sensors or anything." She shook it, hearing nothing rattle inside.  
  
Pete stepped up and took it from her. "You're missing something."  
  
The head screeched.  
  
The five teenagers screeched and jumped back.  
  
After a moment of silence, Whitney snapped, "That was uncool."  
  
Hudson found a smile and shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's kind of funny." Glancing at Chloe, she nodded towards the door. "Well, intrepid reporter. This is your mission. Open the door."  
  
Chloe flashed her a brilliant glare for a moment before finally pushing the door open and stepping inside.  
  
They entered an elaborate hallway, decorated in Turn of the Century, early 1900's style. There were fake Tiffany lamps set on delicate cherry wood end tables, matching settees covered in dark brocade and ornate mirrors on the walls. The corridor seemed to continue on in each direction, an obvious trick of the light, the walls lined with doors every few feet.  
  
"Whoever designed this place has seen one too many campy haunted house flicks," Whitney commented.  
  
Lana seemed to disagree. "I think it's pretty."  
  
"Sure seems a lot bigger than the place looked outside," Pete remarked, walking up to one of the mirrors and peering at the reflection of his costume. He flashed himself a grin then ran a hand over his wig in appreciation.  
  
"It's all a trick of the eye," Chloe informed him, holding her camera up to look at the viewscreen on the back before snapping a picture. "The lights are only on in this section so that it appears there's a lot more in either direction."  
  
Hudson wrinkled her nose for a moment at the intense 'old house' smell that permeated the air. She wondered if they made an air freshener called 'Old, Haunted House' for people to use. Considering the attraction was new for the year, she thought she should be smelling paint and glue instead. Wandering over to one of the lamps, she leaned over it, checking the bulb and the connection. "I guess that one switch you hit turned the entire place on."  
  
At the silence behind her, Hudson turned to see the others looking at her in obvious dismay before they all seemed to nod in reply. It occurred to each one of them that no one in their right mind would place the main power switch by the front door where patrons could turn it off. But no one seemed inclined to bring that up.  
  
Pete was the first to speak. "So what now?"  
  
Chloe glanced down both sides of the hall. "I think we should split up, check the place out."  
  
"Yeah, that's typically when people start dying in the movies, Girl Friday," Pete remarked.  
  
"Ah, come on, Pete!" Whitney taunted. "We're here to have fun. It's Halloween."  
  
"Actually, I'm here for a story," Chloe replied.  
  
"I don't think we should split up simply because none of us know our way around this place, and we might have trouble finding each other," Hudson told them, keeping to herself the fact that she couldn't watch out for all of them if they weren't together.  
  
Chloe shrugged. "Okay. Let's go. this way." She turned to her right and started walking.  
  
Shrugging, the others followed her down the hall. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for confusion to begin to cloud their faces as they continued to move down the hallway that seemed to have no end in sight. Just when they thought it would grow dark, more table lamps appeared. Just when they thought they would certainly reach a dead end, it would continue on. Finally, they all came to a halt, mirrored frowns reflected on each face.  
  
"I thought you said it was a trick of the light," Pete groused, glancing at Chloe.  
  
"What else could it be?" She tapped at the floor with her foot. "Maybe the floor moves; we're on like a treadmill or something."  
  
Hudson walked over to the wall at her right and crouched down near the floor to see if anything was moving. She shook her head and stood. "No."  
  
"This is ridiculous." Whitney walked up to the closest door and opened it - only to find a brick wall on the other side. "What the. "  
  
"Are all of the doors fake, then?" Lana queried, her nose wrinkling in confusion.  
  
Focusing her gaze on the wall, Hudson peered through it, following it down the direction they had just come from. She counted five rooms but the rest of the doors were fake, and some of them led into the same room as others. It was all one complicated maze. Walking over to the door that led to the nearest room, Hudson tried the door hesitantly, as if she was expecting a brick wall on the other side and feigning surprise when it opened into a room. Like the hall, the lights inside were on when the door opened.  
  
"Not all are fake, apparently," she commented as the others walked up behind her.  
  
"This house is not this big," Chloe remarked, stepping through the doorway.  
  
"No way. There is something seriously freaky going on here," Pete added, following her. "That, or the guys that designed this place are fricken geniuses."  
  
"Well, whatever it is, I think. " Hudson trailed off from whatever she was going to say when she realized Whitney and Lana were no longer behind her. Frowning, she stepped back out into the hall and glanced around. There was no trace of them. "Whitney? Lana?"  
  
Inside the room, Chloe and Pete looked at one another when they heard Hudson calling the names and they walked out to join her. "Where are they?" Chloe asked, sounding more annoyed than concerned.  
  
"Whitney!" Pete barked. "Hey, this ain't funny, man. We don't have time to play around."  
  
They waited. Nothing.  
  
He shook his head with a snort. "They probably decided to check out one of the bedrooms."  
  
"Oh, there's a pleasant image," Chloe replied. "Remind me not to go into that one."  
  
Hudson scanned the entire area and rooms around them. There was no sign of the couple, and she couldn't hear them either. Worry stole over her and she turned her gaze to Chloe. "I think we should get out of here, call the police."  
  
"What for? You know they're just off goofing around. We shouldn't have brought them in the first place. Come on. There's a lot more to explore."  
  
"I'm serious, Chloe." Hudson grabbed her friend's arm before she could go back into the room. "I've got a really weird feeling."  
  
Chloe shifted nervously, glancing at Pete who suddenly looked just as uncomfortable. They knew their friend well enough to understand that when she said something wasn't right, she was generally correct. It could be attributed to luck or a keen sense of perception but both had come to rely on Hudson's more than accurate acuity.  
  
Sighing, Chloe closed the door to the room and shrugged. "Okay. So we go back the way we came, and maybe we'll find them along the way."  
  
This time, Hudson remained behind her friends, watching carefully as they made their way back down the hall, scanning the walls that they passed. Occasionally she was unable to see through them, forcing her to pause and wonder if it didn't have to do with the fact that she had yet to gain full control over the ability. She still heard and saw nothing that would lead her to understand where Whitney and Lana had gone. Something about the entire place didn't seem right; it was almost too quiet. Frowning with her thoughts, Hudson almost didn't notice Pete as he stopped to let her catch up to him.  
  
"H.C., I'm starving. Mind if I have a little of whatever your mother packed?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
She continued walking, not wanting Chloe to get out of her sight as she lifted one side of the lid on the basket and reached in to search for something for Pete, her gaze still scanning their surroundings. Pete was muttering about Chloe always getting them into trouble as he moved along beside her, saying it loud enough for their friend to hear him and flash him a look over her shoulder. Hudson was barely listening, her attention suddenly focused to the basket when she felt something wet hit the top of her hand. A low growl issued from the inside, bringing all three friends to a halt, their gazes drawn to the basket where Hudson's hand still remained hidden.  
  
"What was that?" Chloe almost whispered.  
  
Slowly withdrawing her hand to the lid, Hudson flipped it upwards, just as a snarling, drooling Toto flew out at her. She screamed and tossed the basket away, jumping to the side as the rabid dog hit the ground and turned on them, fangs barred. The teenagers stood in muted shock as it continued to snarl viciously before it finally raced towards them.  
  
"Run!" Hudson shouted and they sprinted down the hallway, Toto in pursuit.  
  
"I thought you said that thing was a stuffed animal!" Pete accused.  
  
"It was!" She replied, glancing over her shoulder as the tiny dog raced behind them. Hudson considered quickly what she could do without giving away her abilities but she knew the moment she allowed the dog to bite her, it would be a little hard to explain why it wasn't successful.  
  
Glancing ahead, she scanned the walls until she found another room. "Chloe!" She called out, waving toward the third door on the right. "That door, there! Try it!"  
  
Chloe raced ahead to the one Hudson pointed at and turned the knob, finding it opened into a room instead of a brick wall. Pete and Hudson hurried in after her and they slammed the door shut, falling against it as Toto reached it, barking wildly and scratching at the wood.  
  
"And I thought - " Chloe gasped for breath. "That I had seen - everything!"  
  
"That," Pete pointed at the door. "Is just wrong!" He glared at Chloe. "And don't tell me it was a trick of the light either!"  
  
"No lights," Chloe replied, shaking her head. "Hallucinogens, maybe?" She offered. "Something in the air?"  
  
Hudson knew that was impossible. They wouldn't be affecting her as well. "I don't think so." Toto continued to bark and growl beyond the door, whimpering once. Turning her gaze to the blonde witch, she commented, "Well, you wanted a story."  
  
"Yeah. Great."  
  
***  
  
After investigating the room they had escaped into, Chloe, Pete and Hudson exited through another door, which led into a smaller corridor that was a complete change from the other hallway. This one had no ornamentation whatsoever, not even rugs on the floor. It was dark, lit up only by the occasional sconce on the wall, and the floorboards beneath their feet creaked as they walked. Surprisingly, they quickly discovered a winding staircase and after much debate on which direction to go, they headed up towards the third floor.  
  
"Looks like an attic," Pete commented as they stepped onto the landing and peered into the room before them.  
  
The ceiling was lower here than it had been on the second floor, and the air smelled of dust. Hudson moved forward, scanning for any sight of Whitney and Lana but saw nothing except old furniture and a few trap doors that aroused her curiosity. Chloe and Pete each took a different direction into the room, each examining corners and drawers and anything they could pick up.  
  
"There's nothing here." Chloe sighed and sat down on an old couch, dust rising up around her.  
  
Hudson was about to reply that maybe they hadn't looked hard enough when a chill swept over her. She frowned, turning slowly to look out at her friends. She never got a chill - well, not until that Sean Kelvin had turned her into a popsicle. After that, she would always remember to sympathize with those around her during the winter months.  
  
Chloe was frowning too, her brow furrowing deeper with each passing moment. "Did it just drop like twenty degrees in here? Or is it just me?"  
  
Help us.  
  
"Did one of you just say something?" Pete asked quickly, jumping away from the mannequin he had been poking at.  
  
Please.  
  
Stay with us.  
  
Go.  
  
It didn't take much more convincing than that. The three friends raced for the staircase, practically tripping their way down until they reached the narrow hallway once more.  
  
"I think I liked the second floor better," Pete remarked, glancing up the steps toward the attic.  
  
"What was that?" Chloe was pulling her recorder out of her pocket. She hit the rewind button, then play:  
  
". degrees in here? Or is it just me?.... Did one of you just say something?... the pounding of feet down the stairs. I think I liked the - "  
  
Snapping the machine off, she looked up at Hudson and Pete. "Nothing."  
  
"So maybe we are just hallucinating." Pete tried to look relieved at the thought but failed.  
  
"No." Hudson shook her head. "I don't think we'd all be hallucinating the same thing. You heard what I heard, right? 'Help us. Please. Stay with us. Go'?"  
  
Pete nodded. "It was the 'Go' that caught my attention."  
  
"So there's something here. "  
  
Chloe flipped her recorder back on and started back towards the stairs. "You're right. Or it could be the owner just messing with us. Or Lana and Whitney - I wouldn't put anything past them. Come on. Let's check it out again."  
  
"She's insane," Pete commented to Hudson, shaking his head.  
  
Sighing, Hudson followed her. "I don't know. I don't think whatever this is, that it will hurt us."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Because if it does, we're screwed."  
  
"Wonderful," he muttered as they stepped into the attic once more.  
  
"We should have brought a flashlight," Chloe complained as she walked towards the other side of the room.  
  
"Maybe you should have thought of that when you were planning this little sojourn without informing your friends," Hudson replied, kneeling beside a crumbling bookcase where a vent had recently been constructed into the wall. Frowning, she attempted to see if it were loose or ascertain if it had been opened recently but it seemed perfectly normal. Except for the fact that it was brand new, in a room where everything else was crumbling and dusty.  
  
"What're you looking at, H.C.?" Pete asked from across the room.  
  
"A vent."  
  
"Ooh. Scary."  
  
She looked over her shoulder at him but refrained from commenting.  
  
"What about it?" Chloe joined Hudson, kneeling beside her.  
  
"It's recently been put in."  
  
"So maybe they had to replace the heating system or something," Pete pointed out as he walked back over to where his friends were peering at the vent. "I wouldn't be surprised, in a place this old."  
  
"Very possible."  
  
Chloe stood, brushing the dust off her skirt. "We could always check out the basement. See if there might be any reason other than a new ventilation system."  
  
The temperature around them began to drop once more. Pete nodded. "Anything to get the hell out of this attic!"  
  
Chloe and Hudson nodded, and the three friends moved back down the stairs that led them to the second floor. They spent a few moments looking around in hopes of tracking Whitney and Lana, but finding no one, they returned to the staircase and followed it to the first floor.  
  
The rooms they moved through on the first level were more like those of a classic Haunted House. One room had a mannequin dressed as a Medium sitting in front of a crystal ball, complete with floating head inside. Pete stared at it for a long moment, swearing that the eyes were watching him. Chloe commented as she passed by that if he kept walking, he wouldn't see it. The next room they entered had a skeleton popping out of a closet and a hanged man that would drop down out of the ceiling to startle the patrons. It worked on Chloe and Pete, both of whom wanted to know why Hudson didn't scream. She shrugged in reply, responding that after living in Smallville, very few things startled her anymore.  
  
"Here's another vent," Chloe called out, kneeling beside it in the corner of the room, just past the hanged man. "It's new, too."  
  
Hudson crouched beside her, noticing that the screws seemed looser than the ones upstairs. She tugged at the grate for a moment until it popped off and then peered inside. Something smelled funny and she took a deeper breath, a feeling of nausea instantly sweeping over. Swaying a little, she started to fall back as Pete caught her from behind.  
  
"Whoa. What's up?" He put a steadying arm around her, pulling her back to lean against a chair.  
  
"You okay?" Chloe glanced back at her before returning her gaze to the vent.  
  
Hudson nodded, trying to catch her breath. "Yeah. I just got a little sick there for a moment or something. I'm fine." The feeling was very familiar. It was the same sensation she felt whenever she came into contact with the meteors. She looked down at her hands but her skin and veins appeared normal. Maybe she was just imagining things.  
  
Leaning in closer to the vent, Chloe reached out and scooped at some of the dust that lined the metal. She brushed her fingertips together as she stared at it, finding it extremely curious that it was slightly greenish in color. Meteor rocks? In Metropolis? That didn't make sense. Maybe they were paint particles or something that was used in many of the Houses scare tactics. Turning back to Pete and Hudson, she was about to suggest they just head straight down to the basement when she noticed a strange expression appearing over Hudson's face. If she didn't know better, she would say it was a look of total fright.  
  
"H.C.?" She asked, frowning a little.  
  
At first, it was just disbelief. Hudson tried to tell herself that what she was seeing wasn't really there. Then it moved. Lifting her hand, she pointed a finger a Chloe's shoulder. "Ch-Chloe."  
  
Chloe furrowed her brow at her friend. "Yes?"  
  
"You. Your shoulder. There. "  
  
Pete followed Hudson's finger to see what she was pointing at and his eyes widened a little. "Oh. Ick. Chloe, there's a spider on your shoulder."  
  
Turning her head, Chloe saw what had her friend's attention. It was pretty big, maybe a quarter in size, but nothing more than your common house spider. She flicked it off with her hand and glanced back at Hudson who jumped when she did so. Starting to catch on, it took everything she had not to break into a smile. "H.C.. It's just a spider."  
  
Hudson was about to reply when she felt something tickling her fingers where they lay against the floor. Slowly turning her gaze to her right, she jumped to her feet with a scream at the tarantula moving over the carpet.  
  
"H.C. - "  
  
She screamed again when more began to appear, crawling out from behind the curtains, under the carpet, over the table tops. Pete and Chloe both jumped to their feet as well, the room around them beginning to crawl with the eight-legged creatures. They were a little too shocked to do anything as their friend continued to scream and then dart out the far door into the next room. Backing out, their gazes on the strange phenomena, they finally followed Hudson's screams through two more rooms before they caught up with her in the hall.  
  
Chloe grabbed her arm and Hudson screamed again as she whirled around, knocking the blonde completely off balance. Pete caught her.  
  
"Chill," Pete commented. "They're just spiders."  
  
"Just spiders?!" Hudson repeated in disbelief. "They're - they're horrid, icky, scary, furry - "  
  
"H.C. is terrified of spiders," Chloe told Pete, shaking her head. "If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it."  
  
Pete laughed. "You live on a farm, H.C. With black widows and Wolf spiders and -- "  
  
"Shutupshutupshutup!" She interrupted, putting her hands over her ears, as if it would help. "I'm going to have nightmares the rest of my life as it is!"  
  
Covering her hand over her mouth to hide her smile, Chloe nodded a little. "It's all right, H.C. We won't mention this debilitating phobia of yours again."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Hudson turned to continue down the hall, wiping at her arms and shoulders in an attempt to make certain there was nothing crawling on her. Behind her, Chloe and Pete snickered as they followed. At least they couldn't see how bright red her face was. It was beyond embarrassing to be invulnerable to almost anything, to know that unless there were meteor rocks involved, she likely couldn't be hurt - and yet, she was terrified of spiders. They couldn't take a bite out of her, and even if they could, the poisonous ones wouldn't affect her. Chloe and Pete didn't know or understand any of this, so at least she could be safe in the knowledge that they believed she had valid reasons for being scared of spiders. Instead of the truth - which was simply that they were fuzzy and creepy and those facts in themselves was all she needed to know.  
  
"Do you think they were real?" Pete suddenly asked.  
  
Stopping, Hudson turned back to her friends as they caught up to her.  
  
"I mean like Toto," Pete explained. "It's not possible that a stuffed animal really chased us down the hall. Is it?"  
  
"It's not something I want to admit to, no," Chloe responded with a shake of her head. "I should have taken a picture but - "  
  
"We were all trying to get away from a snarling, fanged animal, Chloe," Hudson assured her, patting her shoulder. "Your safety comes first."  
  
Chloe turned to Pete. "So then you're going on the hallucinogen theory? That we're all seeing these things because there is something in the air making us see them?"  
  
He shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, nothing else explains the Toto-nator. And those spiders just appeared out of nowhere."  
  
"So, if that's the case, then we're on the right track in wanting to check out the ventilation system," Chloe suggested, urging them to continue down the hall. "We just need to find a way into the basement to find out if our theories are correct."  
  
It seemed simple enough. They searched through the remaining two rooms but unfortunately found no door that led them into the cellar. Pete suggested that it might be located outside so they made the decision to search the outside perimeter of the house. Unfortunately, as they began making their way back down the hall, they discovered that nothing was where it had been previously. Doors changed, rooms were rearranged. The entire house was quickly turning into a gigantic maze. And here on the lower level, Hudson was having even more difficulty seeing through the walls and doors around her. It was as if there was a layer of something blocking her vision. She'd had yet to encounter anything she couldn't see through since developing the ability but maybe there was something out there. But what?  
  
"More hallucinogens?" Chloe asked when they circled back to the same spot for the third time.  
  
Hudson nodded. "It has to be." Though it still made little sense that it was affecting her. Unless the nausea she had felt really had been related to meteor rocks - then it made a whole hell of a lot of sense. But she still couldn't grasp how meteor rocks had made it to a Haunted House in Metropolis.  
  
"Now what?" Pete glanced back down the hall in the direction they had just come from.  
  
"We keep looking," Hudson responded with a sigh. There had to be an answer somewhere.  
  
***  
  
The answer was found in the coat closet.  
  
While walking past it for the fourth time, Hudson felt a draft from under the door. Opening it, they had pushed aside the fake werewolf with the glowing green eyes to discover a door hidden behind it. Fortunately, it wasn't secured with any kind of lock and was easily opened.  
  
Beyond the door lay a flight of stairs, which disappeared into darkness. Hudson tried to see beyond the walls encompassing the stairs but again, her vision failed her. Like some of the walls upstairs, for some reason, she simply could not see past them to the basement beyond. Shifting uncomfortably, she glanced over at Chloe who was already pushing past her, carefully making her way down the staircase. Hudson almost called out to her that maybe they shouldn't go down there but she couldn't think of a plausible reason as to why. If there were meteor rocks, and she felt them as she neared, then she simply needed to turn around and hurry back upstairs. She could always say she had seen a spider. Pete moved past her to follow Chloe and Hudson took a deep breath, moving along behind him.  
  
It was on the fourth step down that Hudson heard the snap and found herself falling through the stairs to the basement below, taking the upper half of the stairs with her. She landed with a thud as she heard Chloe and Pete calling out to her, asking if she was all right.  
  
"Fine!" She replied, knowing that the fall she had just taken would have likely broken at least an arm on any non-alien. Almost reflexively, she reached up to touch her face and then swiped her hand over her clothing, knowing that she had brushed a few nails on the way down as well. While she knew they couldn't damage her skin in any way, she still didn't want to discover that she had brought a few of them with her. That would cause way too many questions.  
  
Sighing softly, Hudson moved to sit up when a hard wave of nausea swept over her. Pain hit her stomach and every nerve throughout her body felt as they were shivering or shuddering. Gasping, she rolled over on to her stomach, squinting against the painful sensations when she caught a look at what was causing them: Piles of glowing green rocks, stacked against the walls of the cellar, all around her.  
  
"Meteor rocks! I knew it!" Chloe exclaimed as she neared Hudson, almost tripping over her in the darkness and not noticing the state her friend was in.  
  
She moved closer to the wall, kneeling down to pick at a few of the rocks before following the trail over to the venting system. It was little more than an old fashioned furnace in which a bed of the meteor rocks lay. There was some other chemical mixed with them, but she was having difficulty discerning exactly what it was. Turning her gaze to the temperature gauge, she took out her camera and began taking a few pictures, making her way around the device and snapping a lot of shots of the green rocks.  
  
Meanwhile, Hudson was attempting to struggle to her feet just as Pete reached her. She collapsed with a groan.  
  
"H.C.?" He knelt beside her. "What's wrong?"  
  
"S. sick," she ground out, trying to lift herself up once more. She felt Pete's arms go around her as he helped her up. "I don't know. what it is."  
  
Another lie. It didn't matter. They had to get out of there and with the gaping hole in the stairs and her current debilitation, she couldn't come up with a way to do so. Pete was attempting to get Chloe's attention and pull her away from her investigation long enough to see that Hudson wasn't feeling well.  
  
"You okay to stand on your own?" Pete asked, glancing toward the stairs as if he might have thought of a way out.  
  
Hudson nodded, knowing she wasn't completely certain but if he had an idea, she wasn't going to hold him back. As he walked away she swayed a little but grabbed a hold of a wooden beam that stood in the center of the cellar. Closing her eyes, she rested her forehead against it, trying to quell the burning/twisting/churning pain that was going on inside of her. She was certain that at any moment her veins were going to rip through her skin and spew blood everywhere. Well, that was if she could bleed, which she had yet to discover.  
  
Feeling an arm move around her waist, Hudson opened her eyes to see Chloe beside her, brow furrowed in concern. "Is it the same thing you were feeling upstairs?"  
  
"Yes. only worse."  
  
"Maybe you're allergic to the meteors?"  
  
Thinking fast, Hudson shook her head. "I live among them in Smallville, Chloe. I've never felt like this." That was true. This was the worst that they had ever affected her. Then again, she had never before been locked in a room that was surrounded in them.  
  
"It could be a reaction to the meteors and whatever chemical it is that is spread over them in the furnace."  
  
"Hey guys!" Pete called out from the darkness. "I think we might be able to crawl our way on up out of here. We're going to have to help H.C. out though."  
  
Hudson didn't have the heart to tell them that it likely wouldn't be enough. Her entire body seemed to grow heavier with each passing moment.  
  
"Just come on over and - Ahhhhhh!!!"  
  
"Pete!" Chloe yelled, rushing away from Hudson and disappearing into the darkness. "Pete! What is it?!"  
  
"The stairs - -they're trying to eat me!"  
  
Hudson lifted her head at that. At this point, she was prepared to believe just about anything.  
  
"They're not really trying to eat you, Pete!" Chloe's voice rang out. "It's an hallucination!"  
  
"Like fun they're not!" Pete squeaked. "Ouch! Chloe, hurry! I can't break free!"  
  
"What am I supposed to do? I can't even find - Ow! Found them!"  
  
If it weren't so potentially fraught with danger, it would be a Three Stooge's act. Closing her eyes for a moment to find strength to speak, Hudson reopened them and focused her gaze, attempting to see in the darkness. Finding what she was looking for, she told Chloe, "There's an axe in the corner near you - "  
  
"No way in Hell!" Pete hollered. "She is not swinging that thing in the dark!"  
  
"Can you think of a better idea?" Chloe replied. "Now try not to struggle. I can see your outline a bit."  
  
"Not well enough --- ahhhh!"  
  
Hudson listened as the sound of metal slamming into wood echoed through the room. Once, twice, three times. There was a loud groan, as if the entire house were prepared to cave in on them. It continued to creak and tremble around them.  
  
Taking a breath, she asked, "Pete?"  
  
"I'm okay."  
  
Suddenly Pete and Chloe were back beside her. Unfortunately, Pete was missing his wig and his leather jacket was torn to shreds. Chloe was rubbing her arms, frowning back into the darkness at the staircase which had thankfully quieted.  
  
"Okay, I think I've had just about enough of this place," Pete commented, turning his gaze to Chloe. "Time to call the cavalry. Get your dad over here to get us out."  
  
"Let's hope the phone works in here." Chloe reached into her purse and pulled out her cell, hitting the button to unlock the keys, which illuminated the screen, offering them a bit of light. "Well, that's helpful," she said with the slightest hint of sarcasm, while she dialed her uncle's number.  
  
Slowly, Hudson slid back to the floor, unable to stand on her own any longer. Pete crouched down beside her, reaching out a hand which he rested on her shoulder comfortingly. She managed a weak smile at him and wished there was some way to explain to her friends what was causing this. The best she would be able to claim was some sort of twenty-four hour flu or something. She just hoped neither of them planned on mentioning the fact that they had never seen her sick before.  
  
"Damn." Chloe looked down at them. "All I got was the answering machine. They must have gone out."  
  
They grew silent, wondering what to do now. Pete continued to watch Hudson as she lay more heavily against him, as if her strength were completely sapped. Above them, Chloe paced before taking her phone out once more and switching it on for more light. Wandering away from them, she began to search the perimeter of the cellar, Pete watching the movement of the light carefully. She paused for a moment near the corner then turned and went back a few steps.  
  
"Hey! There's a small door here. I think it might go into a crawl space or something."  
  
"Be careful," Pete warned.  
  
He listened as he heard the door yanked open, wood and metal screeching in protest. There was some shuffling against the ground, like Chloe was crawling. Then her voice drifted back out to them:  
  
"It's dark. Damn phone doesn't make a very good flashlight. " A long pause. "Doesn't look much different from the room out there, smaller though. Might have been used as a vault or something in the past - "  
  
"Chloe," Pete broke in impatiently, trying to help Hudson to sit up some more. He worried that if she passed out, it might make her sickness worse. "Is there or isn't there a way out of here?"  
  
"Oh. right. Sorry."  
  
Pete sighed, about to reply when a noise from above caught his attention. Glancing up, he stared into the darkness, knowing that it hadn't come from the floor above. It had come from the ceiling. Like right above them, in the same room. "Did you hear that, H.C.?" He whispered.  
  
She was about to reply no when something like a squeak, followed by the flapping of wings, broke out in the darkness. The sounds were soon joined by others.  
  
"Holy -- !" Pete threw himself back against the ground, losing hold of Hudson, when something that distinctly looked like a bat, swooped over his head.  
  
The room became alive with flapping and squeaking, movement all around them. Pete scrambled to his feet just as a colony of bats swarmed over them, beating at them with their wings. He grabbed hold of Hudson as she attempted to get to her feet, pulling her along with him toward the hole that Chloe had disappeared into. The bats flew after them, slamming into their backs and heads as if working together to bring them down. Pushing Hudson ahead of him, Pete made certain she was through the doorway before he crawled in after her and swung the door shut, as the pounding of tiny bodies thudding against the door followed.  
  
Chloe was staring them with wide eyes, holding up the phone to give off some illumination.  
  
"Please, tell me you found a way out of here?" Pete asked.  
  
She shook her head. "Nothing but brick. It's like an old panic room or vault or something."  
  
Hudson lay against the cool dirt floor for a long moment, listening to her friends and the frenzied attack by the bats outside the door. She knew the bats weren't really there - it was all just a very elaborate hallucination - no matter how real they had felt. The problem was, the hole in the stairs was really there, as were the meteor rocks. Both of which effectively ended any chance that she might have to get them out of there. Though she was feeling a little better now that the rocks were on the other side of the door, she knew it wasn't quite enough to help. Plus, even if she was at full strength, she certainly couldn't punch her fist through the wall and not expect to be on the cover of the Daily Planet the next morning.  
  
Unable to think of any other solution, Hudson held her hand out to Chloe. "Give me the phone... I know someone who can help."  
  
***  
  
Lex was going over the reports from the current quarter for the second time, determined to make certain that his calculations were correct. The Plant was showing a profit; his proof that the business decisions he had made were paying off. Not that he expected his father to hand him any form of congratulations or even a 'Well done, son' but at least, for the sake of his own pride, Lex knew that he had made the right decision. It also provided him with the impetus to continue to do so, no matter what his father might say.  
  
At some point in the evening, he had broken down and tried eating the popcorn ball that had been included in the bag of candy Hudson had brought to him. Now, every few minutes or so, he found himself swiping kernels of corn off of the reports and the surface of his desk. That would be the last time he ate such a ridiculous snack, although it had tasted really, really good. From what Lex could tell, Mrs. Kent had added both butterscotch and caramel to it, causing it to be one of the sweetest treats he'd had in a long time. If only there had been a tidier way to eat it. A smile touched his face at the thought. For some reason, he had no problem with picturing Hudson eating it without a single problem. She would have bits of popcorn all over the front of her shirt and possibly the corners of her mouth and he just knew she would look adorable. And he would lean forward and wipe the bits from her lips with his thumb and then his mouth would follow and he would taste the caramel and butterscotch and popcorn on her tongue and his fingers, sticky from the treat, would tangle in her hair as he held her to him.  
  
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted the fantasy and Lex flashed an unappreciative glare at it, considering not answering for the moment then abruptly changing his mind, just in case it was an emergency at the Plant. Flipping it open, he snapped, "Lex."  
  
"Lex!"  
  
"Hudson?" He frowned at the panic in her voice; she sounded out of breath, sick.  
  
"Lex, we need your help!"  
  
He froze, memories of the trouble one can easily find in Metropolis, sweeping over him. "What is it, Hudson? What's wrong?"  
  
"We're at the. Millennium House. we. "  
  
Silence. Then a scream.  
  
"Hudson!" Lex stood, reaching for the keys to his Ferrari as he started for the door. "Hudson!" He demanded again, listening carefully from the sounds coming from the phone. Scuffling, gasps, a curse from someone that sounded like Pete then a bang as if the phone had been dropped. He came to a halt in the hallway, his breath stopping for a moment as he waited. "Hudson?" He asked, his voice dropping softly.  
  
"Lex, are you there?"  
  
Chloe's voice. "Chloe, where's Hudson?"  
  
"She's here - she's sick. I don't know what's wrong." Chloe sounded panicked.  
  
Lex started for the door again. "What's going on?"  
  
"We can't get out of this house - something is wrong. I know this will sound crazy but it's already tried to eat Pete! We've lost Whitney and Lana, Hudson is really sick - "  
  
"I'll call Luthorcorp security and get them over there," Lex assured her. "I'm on my way in the helicopter. Warehouse district - Millennium House, right?"  
  
"Yes - it's on the corner of Delaware and Montpelier. Please, hurry!"  
  
Chloe almost dropped the phone as she attempted to hang up, then glanced with a worried expression at Hudson who was leaning against Pete. Just when she had made the phone call, one of the bats had somehow climbed in under the door. Pete had beaten at it with the shreds of his leather jacket, then shoved the rest of the tattered clothing into the space between the ground and the door. Of course, when they had searched for the dead bat, they hadn't found anything. Hudson was pale and there was sweat breaking out across her brow, lending credence to the chills that were racking her. Chloe had no idea what to do. She leaned over and brushed the strands of dark hair that had escaped the braids away from Hudson's cheek.  
  
"Lex is on his way, H.C. He's sending his security. We'll be out of here soon."  
  
Hudson opened her eyes and tried to smile. "I. told you."  
  
Pete frowned at the idea of Lex Luthor coming to their rescue but didn't say anything, not wishing to upset his friend at the moment. He tightened his arm around her shoulders supportively before looking over at the cellar door, which was currently their only protection from everything beyond it. The scratching noise continued, setting his nerves even further on edge. Turning his attention back to Hudson, he noticed that her eyes were still open and focused, as if she were attempting to gather her strength. Sure enough, within moments she was struggling to sit up.  
  
"You're sick," he protested as she pulled away.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "I'm okay. Really."  
  
She wasn't and she knew it. But it wouldn't be good to appear so ill when Lex's people showed up. She feared that there would be enough questions from Pete and Chloe when all of this was over. Hopefully, with everything happening around them, they would both be much too wrapped up in their own experiences to dwell on her sudden illness. Leaning against the back wall, the furthest away from the cellar where the rocks were, she took a small breath and tried to smile at her friends.  
  
"I hope Whitney and Lana are all right."  
  
Pete snorted. "They probably high-tailed it out of there immediately. For all we know, they're on their way back to Smallville."  
  
"It would be better than thinking that they might still be stuck up there somewhere," Hudson commented. She couldn't handle the guilt of something happening to her friends because she had been foolish enough to walk right into a pile of meteor rocks.  
  
"Feeling better?" Chloe asked, noting that her friend's color was returning just a little, even though she was still shaking.  
  
Hudson nodded. "Yeah. I'll be okay."  
  
They grew silent, sitting in the darkness, listening as the sounds of the bats outside the door slowly died away. Did that mean the hallucination had ended? Or that their attention was drawn elsewhere? The three friends were tense, waiting for whatever the House decided to throw at them next. Chloe carefully placed her camera into her bag, knowing that this was one of the best stories she had stumbled on to yet, especially since she had personally lived through it. Of course, it wouldn't mean much if Hudson got any worse. She certainly couldn't capitalize on her best friend's pain.  
  
Hudson was just drifting off, her body exhausted from the stress it was being put through, when she was certain she had heard footsteps above them. Lifting her head, she watched as the light from Chloe's phone flickered back to life as she too stared up at the wood ceiling above them. Pete shuffled in the space beside her, raising up so that he could get closer to hear better. But Hudson heard it just fine. Footsteps. More footsteps.  
  
"Hello?" Chloe yelled out, obviously thinking like Hudson was - the men from LuthorCorp had arrived. "We're down here!" She crawled to her knees and began pounding her fists against the wood.  
  
Pete joined her as they both called out, "Hey! Down here!"  
  
The footsteps stopped. Then they heard a muffled voice, "Stay back from the ceiling. "  
  
Frowning for just a moment, Chloe and Pete both back away, pressing against the wall next to Hudson. They all jumped as the sound of a chainsaw tore through the flooring above them.  
  
Pete groaned. "If this is another hallucination, we're in deep shit."  
  
Much to their relief, the chainsaw belonged to LuthorCorp security personnel and not some crazed maniac out to murder them. They were lifted out of the cellar and helped outside where they were soon reunited with Whitney and Lana.  
  
"Where did you guys disappear to?" Pete demanded when they reached the couple near the LuthorCorp van.  
  
Whitney made a face. "We wanted to check out one of the rooms. "  
  
Beside him, Lana turned a little red and Pete rolled his eyes. "Ah man. I knew it."  
  
"Didn't you hear us calling?" Chloe asked as she helped Hudson to sit just inside the open door. One of the men that had helped them out handed her a blanket, which she draped over her friend's shoulders, trying to warm her. "When we realized you were gone, we looked for you."  
  
"It was really weird," Lana replied, wrinkling her nose a bit. "We didn't hear anything in that room. We. sat down on the bed. to talk. and the next thing we knew, it was trying to eat us or something! So we ran into the closet - but it locked behind us and we couldn't get out."  
  
"That was all that happened?" Pete queried blankly.  
  
"Yeah." Whitney shrugged. "Why? And what's with all of this?" He waved at the men that were moving in and out of the house.  
  
"Long story," Hudson assured him with a small smile.  
  
"Well, this is certainly the strangest Halloween I have ever experienced," Lana told them with a nod. She glanced up at Whitney. "We'd better head back. Aunt Nell will kill me if I'm not in by one o'clock."  
  
Whitney slipped his arm around her and nodded at the others. "See you guys. Sorry we didn't get to learn more for your story, Chloe."  
  
As they walked away, Chloe, Pete and Hudson glanced at one another in disbelief.  
  
It took over forty minutes by the time the helicopter picked up Lex outside the castle and delivered him to Metropolis. Fortunately, the pilot did make a spectacular landing in one of the empty parking lots adjacent to the Haunted Houses and Lex wasted little time in getting over to the corner where the Millennium House stood. It wasn't too hard to find considering LuthorCorp security was crawling over the place and a large crowd of onlookers had appeared.  
  
"Mr. Luthor." Todd Raines appeared before him, falling in step as they moved across the street. "The building is secure - "  
  
"Where are Miss Kent and her friends?"  
  
"Over there by the van, sir. She refused to allow us to call an ambulance. There didn't seem to be any serious injuries among them, just some bumps and bruises."  
  
Lex nodded once. "Get that crowd out of here."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Moving toward the van, Lex spied Hudson and her friends almost immediately. She was sitting on the inside of the opened doors, Pete and Chloe leaning against the vehicle beside her. As if she heard him coming, Hudson glanced up and immediately rose to her feet, walking forward to meet him. It felt completely natural to envelope her in his arms and hold her tightly for a brief moment before Lex pulled back and ran his gaze over her, in an attempt to assure himself that she was safe.  
  
"Are you all right?" Lex asked, touching her cheek.  
  
Hudson nodded and flashed him a reassuring smile. "Yes. Thanks to you. Your men seemed to get here just in time."  
  
Lex glanced toward the Brownstone off to his right, frowning slightly. "What happened?"  
  
"Meteor rocks," Chloe commented as she walked up beside them. "The owner is originally from Smallville. I think he brought all of these meteor rocks with him because he discovered a way to create hallucinogens out of them. He could make people believe they were seeing scary things. It's the perfect money making scheme. And I plan on getting all of the answers I need once I get back to the Torch!"  
  
Turning his gaze back to Hudson, Lex asked, "What is she talking about?"  
  
Not wanting to compound the meteor rock theory or Lex's curiosity, she simply shrugged in reply.  
  
"The owner of this house," Chloe insisted. "He's responsible for the death of that college student last week. He scared him to death with these hallucinations." She paused and frowned. "We didn't find those two missing kids though. Either they really did run away or. " She glanced back at the Haunted House.  
  
Frowning, Lex asked, "Did you mention this to my people?"  
  
"I don't think so!" Chloe replied, turning back to him. "This is my byline in the Planet. No one else is going to beat me to it."  
  
Knowing he could get the information he needed elsewhere, Lex flashed her a tight smile. "Of course, Miss Sullivan. I would never think to take such an achievement away from you."  
  
"Hey, Chloe. Your dad's here," Pete called out as he appeared beside them, flashing a glare at Lex and the fact that he still had one arm looped around Hudson. "We should get going."  
  
Chloe waved to her father who was climbing out of his car, an expression of concern crossing his face at the commotion around them. "Thanks, Mr. Luthor," she told him. "We appreciate the help! Come on, Hudson. I can't wait to tell my dad about this!"  
  
"I'll be right there," Hudson told them, motioning for Pete to join Chloe. He frowned at her for a moment, as if in indecision about leaving her with Lex before he finally turned and walked off toward the car. Sighing at her friend's behavior toward the man who had just rescued them, she turned back to Lex and smiled.  
  
"I could give you a ride back in the chopper," he suggested quietly, not wishing to admit that he wanted to keep an eye on her.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "No. That wouldn't be right to do to Chloe and Pete or Mr. Sullivan. But thank you for the offer."  
  
When she turned to leave, Lex took hold of her arm and pulled her back. "Hudson, what happened in there?" He nodded toward the building. "When you called, you were sick. Chloe said you were sick. Now. you seem fine."  
  
Worrying her lower lip for a moment, wondering how best to reply without actually lying to him, she finally replied, "Maybe I'm allergic to the meteors? I don't know. Maybe it was the mold from the old place mixed with them. All it did was make me nauseous and stuff. You know, like with the flu? When I got outside and was able to get some fresh air, I felt much better." She took a deep breath to emphasize her meaning. "Chloe was being all dire on the phone because we were freaked. It's not everyday farm girls get the pleasure of having drug-induced hallucinations."  
  
Lex found a smile. "I'm glad you're okay, Hudson." He reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You had me worried."  
  
She couldn't hold back the reply, "Now you know how it feels."  
  
Another smile. "Go on. Your friends are waiting for you. I'll stop by tomorrow and see how you're doing."  
  
Smiling at Lex, Hudson turned and hurried off toward the car.  
  
He watched as Gabe's car disappeared down the road before turning and heading towards the Brownstone where Todd Raines stood, talking with two of the other security personnel. Having no wish to get too close to it, Lex paused on the curb, waiting for Raines to join him while his gaze swept over the structure. Was it truly possible that the meteor rocks could cause mass hallucinations? If so, how did it work? How was it possible to get a group of people to believe they were seeing the same thing? Perhaps it was actually the power of suggestion. If one person said they saw something, the others then believed they saw it as well. If that were the case, then creating the hallucination en mass would be more difficult, as there would always be someone who would think differently from everyone else. Whereas, with a small group such as Hudson and her friends, all of whom knew how one another thought and behaved, would be much more easily controlled.  
  
"Mr. Luthor?" Raines joined him, following his gaze to the Haunted House.  
  
"I want you to secure this area. Get whatever information you can on this place. Bring everything to the castle and make certain the owner doesn't talk."  
  
Raines nodded. "Yes, sir."  
  
Turning to head back to the helicopter, Lex stopped suddenly and looked back at the head of his security. "Did. your men see anything while they were in there? Anything that might lend credence to what the kids were claiming?"  
  
"No, sir." The man shook his head. "But we weren't exposed for very long. If it does have to do with hallucinogens as the blonde suggested, we don't plan on taking any chances when we go back in there."  
  
"Good." Lex was pleased to hear that the appropriate gear would be used when clearing the place out. He didn't need any of his men falling victim to whatever had affected Hudson and her friends. "Keep me updated. I want a report by morning."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Casting one last glance at the Millennium House, Lex moved across the street back toward the helicopter.  
  
***  
  
The walk down the aisle was familiar. Thick, black carpet, chairs on either side decorated in black bows and white lilies, solemn men and women, watching him with sympathetic eyes. Lex stopped just short of the ornate silver casket on the raised dais in front of him. He didn't want to see her, not like this. He hadn't been there when he should have been, to hear her last words, to kiss her goodbye, to tell her he loved her and always would. Pamela told him he needed to do this, he needed to say goodbye, to have closure. But not like this. His mother was not lying in that box; she couldn't possibly be gone forever. Not when there was so much he never got to say to her because he had always expected her to be there; there was always plenty of time.  
  
Lex hovered just beyond the dais, glancing over his shoulder to see his father speaking in low tones with the Mayor. Pamela was watching him from a seat in the front row; she offered a soft smile and inclined her head forward, urging him on. Taking a deep breath, Lex stepped forward, one foot in front of the other, until he could peer into the satin-lined casket.  
  
Only, his mother wasn't there. It was some old woman, who looked hauntingly familiar. Lex was about to turn and announce that this wasn't his mother at all when the old woman's eyes opened - milky-white and sightless. She turned her head toward him and Lex opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out.  
  
"You did this to me, Lex," the old woman spoke, but in his mother's voice. The treasured, beautiful voice that used to sing him to sleep, read to him in the comfort of his parent's big four-poster bed when his father was away on business. That beloved voice which now accused, condemned, forced Lex to see what he already knew.  
  
Back-peddling away from the horror in front of him, Lex turned and stumbled down the aisle, running down the black carpet. running through the field of corn spread before him, feeling the blast of heat surging from behind, following, gaining on him, threatening to consume him into the darkness. He stumbles and falls, scrapping his knees against the ground as the black wave engulfs him, sweeps him away to a wasteland of death and destruction.  
  
Disoriented, Lex stands, brushing the ash and dust from his white suit, his gaze encompassing the devastation that swept towards the horizon. Above him, thunderclouds rumbled and the sky darkened.  
  
"How could you do this, Lex?'  
  
Turning, Lex sees his mother standing amidst the corpses in a gown of white that billows about her in the wind. She was so beautiful it hurt to look at her. He wanted to turn away but couldn't; she didn't belong there. The crow on his shoulder cawed as if in agreement.  
  
"How could you do this? To me. To everyone. You were my son. What happened?"  
  
Lex opens his mouth to speak but the only sound he hears is the crow, cawing once more as it sits on his shoulder. He reaches up to push it away but it flaps its wings, beating them about his head in protest. Angrily, Lex grabs at its legs and throws it to the ground.  
  
"CAW!" It protests, stamping around in the scattered bones for a moment before lifting into the air once more.  
  
Standing before him still, Lillian holds out her hand. "Come to me, Lex."  
  
He takes a step but his feet are heavy. The crow flies to her instead, settling on her arm. She brushes her fingers over its breast and it flaps its wings.  
  
"CAW!" The bird turns its gaze to Lex and asks, in a strange imitation of his father's voice, "You don't want her to see, do you, Lex?"  
  
Lex shakes his head, whether in reply or denial, he does not know. All he understands is that he is still unable to scream as the crow reaches up and begins pecking at his mother's eyes.  
  
Lex jolted awake, the scream dying in his throat. Heart thudding wildly in his chest, he lay unmoving on the couch where he had fallen asleep while looking over expense reports. Staring up at the ceiling above, he quickly found that the image of the crow pecking at his mother's eyes was an impossible one to ignore. And memories came flooding back.  
  
Pamela had been the one to tell him. He had gone to the library in search of more answers for how to heal his mother, to make her better. He hadn't trusted the doctors, had been certain they weren't doing enough for her because they didn't love her like he had. She wasn't their mother. So for the past few years before her death, Lex had been studying for himself to see what would make her strong again, well again. The study had only intensified during the months that her condition had grown worse. By then, she hardly got out of bed anymore.  
  
He had been sitting quietly in the back parlor, which was named after his family for the large donation his mother had made a few years before. It was one of his favorite places to go when he was home from school. His mother had helped with the decorating and it was so very much like her that when Lex couldn't actually be with her, that place was good enough. No one bothered him there and he was certain not to have to listen to his father's repeated lectures about how he was foolish to think he could accomplish what modern science could not. Lex refused to listen. He had believed he would find a way to save his mother, without his father's help and that would prove that he was better than the doctors.  
  
He still remembered looking up between his reading to see Pamela standing in the doorway, watching him, tears in her eyes; he had known instantly that he was too late. He had failed his mother and his father had been right. How could he possibly achieve what the doctors could not? Time had run out.  
  
The vestiges of the nightmare remained. Lex could still hear her voice, as if she were there in the room, standing beside him, speaking into his ear:  
  
"You were my son. What happened?"  
  
He turned his head quickly, looking to the right where the sound had come from but there was nothing. The fireplace crackled behind the couch. Clenching and unclenching his fists, Lex slowly sat up and rubbed at his eyes, as if trying to rid himself of the images that still remained. Taking a deep breath, he swung his sock-covered feet to the floor and leaned on his knees, his gaze focused on the rug as he roused himself to full awareness. It had only been a nightmare. He had suffered similar ones for years, ever since the meteor shower actually. He had been plagued with dreams of running from the blast; sometimes he got away, but usually he didn't. Then, after his mother had died, the nightmares had increased, become more intense, more frightening. His father had told him to grow up; That only children suffered from nightmares. His therapists had told him to examine his nightmares - why was he having them? What did he think they were telling him? Did he resent his mother? That was usually the point where he told them to 'fuck off' and stormed out, off to lose himself in a marathon of alcohol and drugs until he could just. forget.  
  
Standing, Lex moved over to the bar and poured himself a glass of scotch. Alcohol, again. Though much more subdued now, and his tolerance had achieved a remarkable level - it took quite a bit to get him mind-numbingly drunk anymore. Besides, he hadn't done that in. He raised an eyebrow curiously. In the time since he had come to Smallville. One would think that after driving yourself off a bridge to your imminent death, that the first thing you would do upon realization that you were still alive was to go home and get drunk. Drink yourself into oblivion and then attempt to understand, in your throes of misery with your head down the toilet, why you were still here, how it was possible.  
  
But Lex hadn't done that. After realizing that he was alive, and that the young woman he had thought he had killed had actually saved his life, Lex had gone to the castle and. boxed. He'd worked himself into a sweat, pure, draining exhaustion and then passed out into a deep sleep. When he awoke the next morning, he had continued with his need to release energy until Hudson had shown up, returning her gift to him. That was the point where everything had changed. Lex no longer felt the need to drive himself to exhaustion or drunkenness in order to keep himself from thinking. Now, he allowed himself to think, to contemplate the realization that someone had been looking out for him, and they hadn't expected or wanted anything in return for it. For the first time since the death of his mother, Lex knew he had a place in this world, knew that he had a future ahead of him. And it was all thanks to a fifteen year old girl who had not only saved his life, both literally and figuratively.  
  
It was wrong and he knew it, but that didn't change his fascination with Hudson Kent. It didn't change the fact that Lex enjoyed spending time with her, that he wanted to do things for her, give her everything she ever wanted, and make certain she had everything that life had to offer. Of course, he would never be allowed to do that. Her father wouldn't allow it and Lex doubted very much that Hudson would either. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't be there along the way when she needed him, to make things just a little easier. It was the least that he could do when she had given him so much. He could never allow himself to take more.  
  
Walking with drink in hand over to his desk, Lex decided to do some more work for the evening. It was too early to head up to bed and, he'd had enough nightmares for the evening. If he needed to stay up the rest of the night, then he would do so. Setting his glass down, he flipped open the laptop, hitting the refresh on his email, his gaze straying to the small bag still perched on the corner of his desk. Another gift from Hudson; funny how she expected him to accept things from her, but she couldn't do the same. He stared at it for a long moment, his dream coming back to him, the image of Cassandra lying in his mother's casket. Hudson had been with him that day but he hadn't told her what had happened, couldn't find the strength to tell her that it was possible his future was so horrible that it caused the death of that woman. Lex didn't even believe she could really see the future and yet. It was entirely possible that he was responsible.  
  
Standing, Lex grabbed his keys out of his pocket and headed for the Kent farm.  
  
Hudson's attention was drawn from her musings, staring out the telescope into the sky above, as the sound of an approaching sports car broke the silence of the autumn evening. She had been wondering if her home could have been near the bright star to the north, or the smaller, dimmer one to the west. Or maybe the one that flickered with a soft red shimmer to it. So many possibilities and she didn't have the slightest inkling as to which one of the billions of stars above her signaled home. And why she was here instead of there.  
  
Running her fingers idly along the eyepiece, she peered into the darkness, watching as headlights appeared on the gravel drive, growing smaller and more distinct until the familiar sight of a silver Aston Martin pulled up beside the barn. Smiling slightly, Hudson leaned her chin on her hands and watched as Lex emerged from the driver's side, glancing momentarily towards the farmhouse before disappearing through the barn door. Turning in her chair towards the stairs, Hudson waited patiently while she listened to Lex's modulated steps move up them until he appeared over the railing, glancing in her direction.  
  
"Hey," he called out, flashing her the barest of smiles.  
  
"Hi, Lex. What brings you to the farm?"  
  
Shrugging, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat as he moved over to her. "I'm not interrupting you, am I?" His gaze took in the area around her as if searching for some hidden visitor or homework.  
  
"No." Hudson shook her head, glancing at the telescope. "I was just sitting here. thinking."  
  
"Seems there's a lot of that going around," Lex replied, following her gaze for the moment, because it was easier than meeting her eyes. There was a part of him that believed he was a complete idiot for coming here, as if he expected Hudson to wave a magic wand or something and make everything better. The truth was, she would likely either believe him totally insane or fall right in line with his thoughts and blame him for Cassandra's death. Either outcome was unacceptable and it was on the tip of his tongue to make an excuse to leave when Hudson spoke.  
  
"Thank you for the other night - I mean, getting us out of that place and everything."  
  
Lex looked up to find her watching him and he immediately dropped his gaze from the piercing green eyes. "It was nothing."  
  
"That's not true," Hudson insisted, leaning over from her chair to take his hand in hers. "You're always there for me, when you have no reason to be. Sometimes I feel like an errant little sister who's always looking to her big brother to get her out of trouble."  
  
Little sister. While it wasn't perfect, it was an easier way to regard her. Lex's fingers curved around hers. "It's the least that I can do," he replied, raising his eyes back to hers. "You saved my life. Remember?"  
  
"You make it sound like an obligation," she accused softly. "Friends shouldn't be like that."  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow in slight humor. "What about siblings then?"  
  
Hudson smiled.  
  
A comfortable silence fell between them for a moment, and they continued to hold hands. Hudson could sense that Lex wanted to talk, but she had learned from experience that it was impossible to push him into it. He would only withdraw even further, and then she would never learn what was on his mind. So she allowed him the time and space he needed to come to grips with whatever it was he wanted to say - and she certainly hoped it didn't have to do with more investigations! - while she reached to the side of the couch for her bag of Doritos.  
  
"Want some?" She asked, pushing her hand into the bag and withdrawing a handful of nacho cheese flavored chips.  
  
Lex made a face of minor dislike. "No. Thank you."  
  
"Don't tell me you don't eat Doritos?" Hudson appeared horrified. "Lex, this is serious. I don't know if we can be friends anymore."  
  
The response she got wasn't what she had been looking for. Letting go of her hand, Lex stood and wandered over to the window, running his hand over his scalp in the familiar nervous gesture.  
  
"I was kidding," she called after him, turning on the couch to look after him, her brow furrowing slightly. "Lex?"  
  
"I think. I think I killed Cassandra."  
  
Okay, she totally was not expecting that. "Lex - "  
  
"I went to her, you know. Asking about you." Lex turned from the window to look at Hudson, his expression only slightly contrite, mostly resigned. He stared at her for a long moment before his gaze dropped to the ground. Hands tucked safely within his pockets, he shrugged. "I thought she might be able to shed some insight on you, tell me something that might help me to understand why I'm still here. "  
  
Hudson sighed and looked away. Would this never end? What was it with Lex anyway that he couldn't simply accept that she saved his life and that was that? Frowning, her gaze on the cushions of the threadbare couch, she asked, "Was this before or after you showed me the Porsche?"  
  
"Before." Lex flashed her a look that said she should have known that. "It was what made me decide to show you, tell you. ask you up front what might have happened."  
  
She couldn't help but cast her frown in his direction. "So I take it Cassandra didn't have the answers you were looking for? She didn't have any great secret to tell you about me? Like I'm really a sacred, lost Princess from the Planet X3112 who has been hidden away here in the tiny hamlet of Smallville with her two trusty companions, Qu'roth and Zotra - you know them better as Jonathon and Martha - waiting for the day when I will - "  
  
"Enough," Lex snapped, interrupting her with an angry and hurt expression. "I didn't say that what I did was right. And I didn't say that I was proud of it."  
  
"Then why did you do it?"  
  
Lex was silent for a long moment, his gaze turning back out to the stars. Hudson shifted uncomfortably on the couch as she waited, wondering for a brief moment if she wasn't really a Princess in exile. Okay, it was a silly thought. But then, so was a fifteen year old girl who could be hit by speeding cars and survive without a scratch. Her attention returned to Lex when a board creaked beneath him as he stepped, moving back over to Hudson, where he sat beside her on the couch. Pressing his hands together in front of him for a moment, fingertip to fingertip, he finally turned to meet her eyes.  
  
"I don't know, Hudson. I can't give you an answer. I thought it was right at the time."  
  
Making a face, Hudson glanced away, searching for the forgiveness she knew he was seeking. Deciding that it was easier to simply let it go, she turned back and asked, "Why did you go back?"  
  
His face paled at her question, and he dropped his gaze to the floor. "It was something you said. when you said that maybe Fate had something else in mind for me -- " He broke off, waited for a beat, spoke again, "I wanted to see what my future will hold."  
  
Hudson smiled a little. If there was anyone that she knew who had a bright future ahead of them, it was Lex Luthor. At least, it had to be better than sitting in the middle of a graveyard, all alone. "What did she see?"  
  
Lex shook his head. "I don't know. It. she died before she could tell me." He turned to face Hudson. "My future killed her."  
  
"What?" Hudson blinked for a moment then finally shook her head. "Lex, that's ridiculous. How could seeing someone's future kill you? Especially when that future is yours. I doubt it could be anything other than glorious - filled with trumpets and brass bands and - and fireworks, even!" She smiled but Lex didn't return it. Realizing that this was seriously upsetting him, she leaned forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. "She was an old woman, Lex. Did you ever think it was simply her time to go?"  
  
"I was holding her hand. She said 'You've been warned', and I waited and waited, and I asked her what she saw and. " Lex swallowed, glancing out across the loft. "She was dead."  
  
"Lex - "  
  
"I taunted her. I asked her if she was afraid of what she would see. " He shook his head. "And then. "  
  
Taking an initiative she normally would have never made, Hudson moved closer and wrapped her arms around Lex's shoulders, hugging him tightly. "She died, Lex. Of old age. That's all there was to it. Your future did not kill her." Laying her head against his shoulder, she assured him, "You're going to have a great future. I just know it."  
  
"What if you're wrong?" Lex asked softly. "What if. I turn out like him?"  
  
Hudson didn't want to ask if there were aspects about Lionel Luthor's life that would scare a person so badly they could die from it. Preferring to ignore the thought, she replied, "You won't. You're not your father, Lex."  
  
Lex laughed derisively. "For rarely are sons similar to their fathers: most are worse, and a few are better than their fathers."  
  
Brow furrowing, Hudson lifted her head to look at him quizzically. "That sounds familiar."  
  
"Homer. It's a quote from 'The Odyssey'."  
  
"Ah." Hudson sighed. "Why is it people find it necessary to trust in the words of someone just because they wrote them down a few thousand years ago?" She shook her head. "If anything, you will be better."  
  
Turning his gaze to hers, their eyes meeting for a moment, Lex finally asked, "Better at what? Deception? Hurting others? Stepping on the lives of those around me to achieve my goals? Better at what, Hudson?"  
  
Her arms tightened slightly around Lex, but she didn't have an answer for him. For some reason, his words brought to mind her own dark future and what the vision of the graveyard might mean, for her, for her family, for her friends. Taking a deep breath, Hudson laid her head back against his shoulder, and they continued to sit there together in silence, contemplating the future. 


	3. My First Taste: Friends

Smallville: An Alternate Universe Episode 3  
  
"FRIENDS"  
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. Albert Camus (1913 - 1960)  
Knowing she was an alien, while in itself could be considered fairly cool among some circles, also added an intolerable amount of pressure to Hudson's life that she never believed was really fair. Her father told her that life was rarely fair, and even rarer was for it to ever make much sense, and why did she believe she had the right to be granted what others did not? Being an alien didn't make her special; it just made her different.  
  
Being an alien meant several things to Hudson, beyond just being different. It meant being alone, really and truly alone. She could be in a house full of people - her own house, her own party - and still feel as if no one were there but her. It meant keeping secrets, which she was quickly learning was never a good thing. Sure, there were secrets that never really harmed anyone, like knowing that Chloe's favorite bra is actually pink lace and that Pete is a closet Madonna fan. But then there were secrets about your life, ones that you couldn't tell anyone, not even those closest to you, including your best friend. Those were the ones that Hudson knew that, no matter how dangerous the truth might be, telling it might be the lesser of two evils.  
  
Take this moment for instance. Lex needed her help. The entire situation could be over in seconds if she could only allow herself to speed past him to Earl Jenkins, knock the guy out, and Lex would be safe. Only two things were holding her back: one, Lex didn't know she was an alien and could move at super fast speeds, therefore if she did so, she would be letting him in on her secret, and two, she reacted to Earl as if his body were filled with meteor rocks. She'd get sick the moment she got too close to him. Lex didn't know that either. All her friend knew was that right now, she was his only chance.  
  
Not that she was given much opportunity to dwell on it.  
  
Earl broke into another one of his fits, his entire body shaking violently, like a jackhammer. So violently in fact that the catwalk they were both standing on began breaking apart. Lex and Hudson glanced at one another just as they heard the girders snap, and then it was breaking and falling. Lex called out for Hudson as he tumbled over the railing, his hands barely gripping one of the metal rods. She ran down what was left of the catwalk, careful not to burst into superspeed, just as Lex lost his hold on the railing and fell further. She felt momentary panic until he caught Earl's legs and held on, dangling from them precariously. The drop was a good thirty feet to cement floor. It was very likely that if they fell, the wouldn't live through it. Hudson didn't hesitate, she simply grabbed Earl's arm. And through the pain and nausea that swept over her at the contact, she pulled. Pulled until the older man was able to draw himself up the rest of the way, and then she reached for Lex, lifting him to safety.  
  
Just as Lex was safe beside her, the remainder of the catwalk began to shake again. They both looked up to see that Earl had almost made it to the elevator but his violent shakes were taking over once more. Hudson and Lex glanced at one another - and if they'd had the time to roll their eyes they likely would have - before she grabbed him and pushed him ahead as they both raced for the elevator. The bridge collapsed behind them mere seconds after they reached safety, both breathing hard; one from yet another near- death experience, the other trying to quell the nausea that had rolled through her.  
  
"Hudson." Lex was looking at her. "How did you pull us up?"  
  
Oh yeah. That. Hudson swallowed and shook her head. "I don't know. Adrenaline, I guess."  
  
Lie number 1,263. Do you think being an alien makes you special? Hudson looked away from Lex's expression of disbelief because really he had every reason not to believe her. Not every fifteen year old girl can lift, with one arm, two full grown men dangling beneath her. Not every one but this one; and the next time Lex asked about it, the next time he admitted that it was a little difficult to believe, lie number 1,264 would fall right in line, something like 'Well, you know. Lots of work around the farm and stuff'. And Lex, being her friend and all, and wanting to believe that she wouldn't really lie because she wasn't special as compared to everyone else in the world, would accept it and let it go.  
  
Just like he was doing now.  
  
The SWAT team met them halfway through the Plant, escorting them the rest of the way while paramedics rushed in to help Earl after Lex waved them away. His legs might still feel like jelly, no matter how much he pretended they didn't, but he was otherwise all right, thanks to Hudson. Again.  
  
He glanced over at her as her parents rushed to her and threw their arms around her and her mother said something about never having been so happy to see her. It hurt to watch, no matter how happy he was that Hudson had people who loved her so much, and he looked away and kept walking. Lex tried not to wince as he approached his father, who was looking at him as if this was all his fault. No happy greetings here.  
  
"You lied to me," Lex accused quietly, hating the fact that his father didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth about the Plant he was in charge of.  
  
"No, no I didn't. I said Level 3 wasn't on any plans. It wasn't. It's plausible deniability." Lionel regarded him without expression, though there was a hint of self-congratulation in his eyes.  
  
Lex let it go. "What were you doing down there?"  
  
"Doesn't matter," Lionel replied. "It was a failure, we closed the door and moved on."  
  
"You almost got me killed." His father didn't negotiate with terrorists. Lex was certain that if Hudson hadn't shown up to change the course of events, his father would have had the SWAT team shoot Earl Jenkins down, no matter who was in the way.  
  
His father glanced at him smugly. "No, you almost got yourself killed. It was your call, remember?"  
  
Lex tried not to let that hurt. He looked away and swallowed back the desire that swelled up in him to scream at his father. He hadn't done so in very many years. He certainly wasn't going to start now.  
  
Reporters were rushing on to the scene and Lionel turned away to answer their questions, as if Lex simply wasn't smart enough to do so on his own, even though the Plant was under his charge. He stood there and listened without interruption for about as long as he could stand before he broke in and informed the press that LuthorCorp would do everything in their power to see that Earl Jenkins received the best medical care. Whether his father wanted to admit it or not, this was their fault, and Lex wasn't going to be like him. He was going to do the right thing and to hell with Lionel Luthor and his plausible deniability.  
  
More questions were fired at him with his pronouncement, and Lex would have been more than happy to answer them; only it was obvious his father didn't plan on letting him do so. After all, he might say the wrong thing, damage the image of LuthorCorp even further. Even though he had just saved that image. And his father was using some stupid excuse, as if he actually cared about what had just happened to Lex, to make the reporters stop and provide them with a perfect photo op - a hug between Lionel Luthor and his son.  
  
His father was stiff against him, his hands almost condescending in their touch as he patted his back, and Lex just stood there, staring ahead at what a real hug must be, as Hudson was practically engulfed by her mother and father and that was a real family, real love. It hurt to watch but Lex couldn't look away, couldn't tear his eyes away from what he wanted, and if it meant living vicariously through his best friend to get it, then so be it, however pathetic that might be.  
  
Once the appropriate amount of flashes took place, Lionel stepped back from Lex and turned once more to the press, informing them that a full statement would be prepared by his office and released to the media later that night. Knowing that he was dismissed, Lex turned away, running a hand over his bare scalp, the realization briefly crossing his mind that his name would likely not be mentioned in the press release. Something like 'Lionel Luthor's son was taken hostage' would be the only nod toward his part in the situation, and he found that for once, he just didn't care anymore.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
Turning at the sound of Hudson's voice, he found her standing beside him, completely silent on her approach as usual, and Lex tried not to add that to the long list of questions he had about her. Including the ability to lift him and Earl Jenkins to safety. "Are you all right?" He asked, thinking it seemed to be the right question.  
  
Hudson smiled. "I think I should be asking you that."  
  
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Lex shrugged. "Thanks to you. Otherwise, I'd be just another splatter on the floor of the non-existent Level Three of the LuthorCorp chemical plant."  
  
Lex thought he saw a flicker of something like fear in Hudson's eyes but decided it was simply his imagination.  
  
"I didn't do anything," Hudson replied in her usual humble manner. "You were the one who risked your life to save the class. You're the real hero."  
  
Lex Luthor - Hero. He felt hysterical laughter threaten to burst forth and fought it back quickly, even as he heard his father's laughter in his mind. He didn't even know how to respond to her so he remained silent, dropping his gaze between them.  
  
Hudson watched him silently for a moment, knowing that there was a lot going on in his head that he would never share. Lex was like that - an island unto his own or something like that. She'd heard enough about his father, and now had the chance to see the man in action, to begin to understand why Lex behaved that way. She knew what it felt like to believe you were all alone.  
  
"H.C.," her father called out from a few feet away. "Let's head home, honey."  
  
"Be right there," she returned before glancing back up at Lex. "If you need to talk - "  
  
"You're available," Lex broke in, nodding a little, having memorized the familiar refrain. He hoped she understood that it really did mean something to him, to know she was always there. Even if it was hard for him to acknowledge.  
  
Hudson gave him a small smile, then walked a little past him toward her waiting parents before she quickly changed her mind and turned back. Throwing her arms around him, she pulled Lex close and hugged him tightly, burying her face against the crook of his neck. Even after being taken hostage and almost dying, he still smelled like expensive cologne and silk.  
  
"I'm glad you're all right," she whispered against his shoulder.  
  
It was unexpected, and for the longest time, Lex wasn't certain how to react. Like with his father, he just stood there, allowing Hudson to hug him as her parents looked on from nearby, and lurking somewhere behind them, his father. Slowly, the realization penetrated him that this was what he had wanted so badly only moments before, and he lifted what were suddenly very heavy arms, to hold her in return. And it felt.right.  
  
"If anything had happened to you in there. " Lex trailed off and closed his eyes, ignoring the glower cast his way by Jonathon Kent. He laid his head against hers and breathed in the apple-scent of her hair. "Thank you, Hudson."  
  
Hudson wondered if it was selfish of her to be pleased that Lex had been worried about her, that he might have blamed himself if anything had happened to her. Was she really that desperate to be an important part of his life? Her hands smoothed over the back of his purple silk shirt for a moment before she finally pulled away to meet his gaze.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Lex held on to her for a moment longer before finally letting go and slipping his hands back into his pockets. "You'd better go. Your parents are waiting."  
  
They smiled at each other, as if there were some secret between them that no one else would ever be a part of. Then Hudson turned and walked away to join her mother and father while Lex silently looked on. Maybe he should care that Jonathon Kent didn't seem too pleased that he had been holding his daughter, but he didn't. Not when, for a brief moment, Lex knew that someone truly cared.  
  
"Interesting little exchange," his father commented from beside him.  
  
Lex just glanced over at him, having absolutely no inclination to reply. That moment with Hudson was his to savor, and he wasn't about to let his father ruin it. Without a word, Lex turned and walked back towards the Plant.  
  
***  
  
"There's very little that can be done about it, Jonathon."  
  
"People are going to talk. She doesn't need that kind of exposure."  
  
"People are already talking. They have been since she saved his life, Jonathon. People always talk. What matters is that we know it isn't true."  
  
"Isn't it?"  
  
Silence.  
  
Hudson lay back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling above. Normally, she tried not to listen in on her parents' conversations, but after what had happened this morning, she thought it only fair to be warned. Apparently, one of the reporters had been paying attention when she had hugged Lex, and now a photo of their embrace was plastered across the front page of the Smallville Ledger, the headline reading: Kent Girl Saves Luthor Heir Again.  
  
Worst of all, she felt guilty about the title, about the contents of the article. The writer had painted her as the one who saved the day, completely ignoring the fact that Lex had risked his life to get everyone in her Agriculture class and her out of there. Lex was the outsider, of course, the one who didn't belong in Smallville; while she was 'homegrown', a member of the pack.  
  
Boy, if they only knew.  
  
"I can't help but worry, Martha. Ever since that boy came into our lives, I lay awake at night worrying about what might happen if he ever discovered the truth."  
  
"He would never hurt her," Martha Kent replied quietly. Hudson heard the clink of silverware as it was placed on the table. "I don't think he's capable of that."  
  
Her father snorted. "He's a Luthor. He's capable of anything. You know that as well as I do."  
  
"The sins of the father, Jonathon?" The oven door opened and closed, and the scent of fresh-baked blueberry muffins drifted up the stairs. "Did you ever stop to consider that H.C. notices something in Lex that the rest of us don't? She's always been a good judge of character."  
  
"She's also always been too kind-hearted," her father replied. "She wants to see the good in anyone, no matter what."  
  
"And you think this is a bad trait?"  
  
"No. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I don't want to see her get hurt." Another long pause. "Lex is an unknown. She's never been exposed to someone like him before."  
  
"I have enough faith in our daughter to believe that she can see past the glitter and glamour of Lex's upbringing to see the person inside." A pause. "H.C.? Honey, breakfast is ready!" Martha called out. Her voice lowered once more to her husband, "Maybe you should try to do the same."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Hudson sat up, glancing once more at the paper beside her and the picture of Lex and her hugging. She smiled a little before picking it up and placing it beside her computer. Later she would cut it out and put it in her scrapbook, which was quickly becoming littered with articles and pictures pertaining to Lex and some, like this, which included her. Speeding down the stairs, she arrived in the kitchen in a blur, flashing a smile at her parents.  
  
"Smells good, mom," Hudson commented, grabbing the tray of muffins to take over to the table, which was already laden with fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, fresh cantaloupe, orange juice and milk. She'd finished her chores extra early that morning so that she could run into town and get a few more copies of the Ledger, and in that time had worked up an appetite. Sitting down, she glanced at her father. "What are you eating?"  
  
Jonathon returned the smile that she flashed at him as he took his seat at the head of the table. "I don't know where you put it all," he commented as she loaded her plate with eggs, half a dozen strips of bacon, just as many sausage and three muffins. He noticed she ignored the melon.  
  
Hudson shrugged as she took a large swallow of her milk. "I don't know. Maybe I'm from a planet of gluttons. You know, everyone there eats way too much." She blinked and looked up at her parents in sudden realization. "Maybe I'm not the only one of my kind here! That would explain the Food Network!"  
  
Martha rolled her eyes and Jonathon chuckled, each relaxing a little from the tension they had exhibited the moment she had entered the kitchen. Pleased to see it, Hudson returned her attention to her meal, hoping that she could make it through her breakfast without her father bringing up the picture in the Ledger. Unfortunately, her luck seemed to have run out for the day.  
  
"H.C.," her father began, his voice laden with that 'we need to have a talk' tone. "I think we need to discuss your. friendship with Lex."  
  
She was silent for a long moment as she buttered one of her muffins and her parents exchanged glances with one another. Finally taking a bite, she replied, "Very well. What would you like to discuss? The fact that we're friends? Or that you don't like Lex's father, and, therefore, feel you have the right the dictate who I can and can't be friends with?"  
  
"H.C.," her mother warned softly.  
  
"I'm trying to look out for this family," he snapped, his fork clanking against the plate as he set it down. "But you seem determined to get yourself hurt."  
  
"By being friends with Lex?" Hudson asked incredulously. "He makes me happy, dad! He understands me, he treats me like an adult - "  
  
"Exactly how are adults treated, H.C.?" Her father demanded. "I'd like to know because I don't see how we treat you any differently from each other."  
  
"I don't see you telling mom who she can and can't be friends with," she muttered.  
  
Jonathon stared hard at his daughter for a moment. "If she came home one day telling me that she had struck up a friendship with Lionel Luthor, then I would have to say something."  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson muttered, " You are so narrow-minded."  
  
"Dammit, Hudson Clark Kent, we are not talking about me!"  
  
"Jonathon!" Martha broke in, surprised at his vehemence.  
  
Ignoring his wife, Jonathon rose to his feet and snatched the copy of the Ledger from the counter, tossing it onto the table in front of Hudson. "You don't need this, H.C.," he told her, stabbing a finger at the picture. "We don't need this. Being a friend with Lex Luthor is one thing. This -- "  
  
"He needed a hug!" Hudson protested, jumping to her feet. "Lex almost died, dad! You have no idea what it's like to stand there knowing that the life of someone you care about is completely in your hands. And you have the abilities to end it all in seconds, but you can't do anything because it's been drilled into your head over and over again that the moment someone else knows, you're going to end up under a microscope! Do you think I don't have nightmares?" She demanded, almost choking on the word. "Well, I do. I'm the alien here. Not you. Not mom. And so maybe one day I make a mistake and I end up on a dissection table and that's the way it ends for me. But at least I have the memories of a little bit of happiness instead of keeping everyone I ever come into contact with at arm's length!"  
  
Grabbing two more muffins, Hudson sped out of the house, the sound of the door slamming behind her the only indication that she had ever been there.  
  
Glancing up at her husband, Martha set her napkin down and began clearing the plates off of the table. Silence descended around them for the next few moments before Jonathon finally dropped back into his chair, lifting up the paper to stare at the picture of his daughter and Lex.  
  
"I just worry about her, Martha," he said softly. "She's. she's our little girl."  
  
Smiling a little, Martha walked over behind him and looped her arms around his shoulders to lean in and look at the photo. "Yes, she is. But she's also a teenager. If you keep pushing, we're going to look like the bad guys, instead of the people who could really hurt her. We have to start trusting her judgment, Jonathon. Let her make her own mistakes."  
  
"And what if those mistakes hurt her, Martha?" He turned to look back at her. "I mean really hurt her."  
  
"Hudson knows the consequences. We have to believe that we have done the best we could raising her. In no time at all, she's going to leave here to take on the world by herself, and if she doesn't have the confidence in her abilities to make it alone, then we will have failed her."  
  
"I don't want to think about her leaving just yet," Jonathon replied, turning his gaze to the photo once more. "I don't think I'm ready for that. "  
  
***  
  
The Aston Martin sped past the 35 mph speed limit sign, a good 40 mph faster than the suggested posting. It took a sharp corner a little wide, then skidded through the gravel shoulder in an attempt not to hit the turtle that was slowly making its way across the road. A black mare stood beside the fence surrounding it's pasture, nibbling on the taller grass growing on the other side, her head jerking upwards as the car streaked past, tires squealing as it rounded a corner and disappeared.  
  
Lex noticed nothing of the small town around him, the big red barns, harvested cornfields and herds of cattle that dotted the landscape around him. He barely even noticed the roads. It was a familiar trip for him; south on Beresford, west on Sycamore, north on Hickory and he would find himself pulling into the familiar gravel driveway of the Kent farm. Through the past few months of his growing friendship with Hudson, the lemon yellow farmhouse had come to represent a place of refuge for Lex. He knew he wasn't welcomed - at least by the head of the family - but that didn't make it any less special to him. Jonathon Kent's disapproval wasn't enough to drive away the calm that settled over him just by the sight of it rising out of the fields in the distance. He didn't know why the place affected him the way it did, was uncertain why he was drawn to it and treasured it. If hard pressed, he would be unable to explain himself except to say that he felt a certain longing he hadn't experienced in years whenever he was there.  
  
At the moment, he sought the peace that the farm and Hudson's presence brought him. Spending the entire morning with his father, going over the 'clean up' process from the hostage situation at the Plant and listening to the sutble innuendos about how he was failing as the Luthor heir, was just enough to chase him out of his own home. Lex had expected his father to spend the night after they left the Plant as late as they had, but he hadn't prepared himself for the morning's paper.  
  
"Interesting story." Lionel had walked into the study where Lex was going over his email, and dropped a copy of the Ledger onto his desk.  
  
"I've seen it," Lex replied, not looking up, hoping his father would take the hint and move on.  
  
His father never took hints. "I especially enjoyed the picture." Lionel's finger tapped over the black and white photograph on the front page. "You know, the one of my son wrapped in the arms of an underage farm girl."  
  
Lex felt his jaw clench. So that was where this was going. "The young woman who just happened to have saved my life."  
  
"Twice," Lionel pointed out, moving around the desk to lean against the credenza behind Lex. It was a pre-calculated move; it placed him where he could watch his son, see his reactions. But in order for Lex to view his father, he would have to turn around and therefore appear interested in the conversation. "Isn't that correct? She was the one who pulled you from the river, when you were foolish enough to drive your car off the bridge."  
  
"All in yet another vain attempt to gain your attention, right, dad?" Lex asked in annoyance.  
  
"I have no idea why you do the things you do, Lex. If I had those answers, I'd rule this planet. Possibly the universe."  
  
Lex didn't bother replying, tried focusing his attention on the email in front of him that he'd already read through twice and still didn't understand.  
  
"I hear you've been seeing a lot of this girl," Lionel continued, folding his arms over his chest as he watched his son closely for any change in his expression. "Is there any particular reason why?"  
  
Leaning back in his chair, Lex took a few breaths to calm himself - a trick taught to him by one of his many couselors as a teenager in order to deal with his father - then half-turned his head. "Because she happens to be my friend. Something which I don't expect you to understand."  
  
Lionel grunted. "We're Luthors, Lex. We can't afford to have friends. You certainly can't - especially with fourteen year old girls."  
  
"She's fifteen," Lex commented quietly, knowing it was really pointless to say anything and wishing he had just remained silent.  
  
"It won't be easy to bury charges of statutory rape in a town like this, Lex," Lionel continued as if he hadn't heard his son, pushing off of the credenza and walking past the desk, his hands gesturing in front of him. "If Jonathon Kent decides to -"  
  
"We're friends, dad," Lex repeated.  
  
"Friends?" Lionel turned back, flashing a look that clearly stated he believed his son to be insane. Snatching the paper back into his hands, he waved it in Lex's face. "This is just a picture of two friends?"  
  
Lex sighed. "That's what I said. Or do you need a Miracle Ear?"  
  
"Don't get cute, Lex," Lionel replied, smiling tightly. "You can't afford this. Your reptuation among the press and the community isn't strong enough to withstand a scandal of this kind. I won't allow it."  
  
"What are you going to do? Send me off to boarding school? Banish me to the ends of the earth? Oh, wait. You've already done that."  
  
Lionel's smile faded away and he stared hard at his son for a long moment. "The decisions I make are based on what I believe to be the best course for your future, Lex. I refuse to stand by and watch you destroy what I have worked so hard to build." He leaned over the desk. "If this goes too far, I will use whatever means necessary to bury it. Is that clear?"  
  
"Crystal," Lex replied blankly before pushing the chair out and standing.  
  
He'd had enough. It was one thing to hear the whispered assumptions around town; it was quite another to be threatened by his father. With as few excuses as possible, Lex left the castle and went for a drive to clear his head and wait for his father to return to Metropolis. Before long he found himself turning the car around and heading toward the Kent farm.  
  
Slowing the car as he neared the entrance, Lex turned onto the gravel drive, careful not to kick up too much dust as he moved past the pastures that lined either side of the road, and parked just outside the barn. He glanced around for a moment to see if any of the Kents were outside, then opened the door and stepped out into the cool November air. He could hear the old tractor in the distance but louder than that was the music coming from the open window of the loft above him.  
  
Smiling a little at the familiar and unexpected tune, Lex walked around the car and through the barn doors, stopping at the bottom of the steps as he glanced upwards. Moving up them quietly, his hand on the shaky railing beside him, he hesitated halfway up when he noticed Hudson sitting on the worn couch, her eyes closed, singing along to the music coming from the portable CD player behind her:  
  
Father once spoke  
  
of an angel . . .  
  
I used to dream he'd appear . . .  
  
Now as I sing,  
  
I can sense him . . .  
  
And I know  
  
he's here . . .  
  
Here in this room  
  
he calls me softly . . .  
  
somewhere inside . . .  
  
hiding . . .  
  
Somehow I know  
  
he's always with me . . .  
  
he - the unseen genius . . .  
  
Lex smiled a little as he watched her, silently listening to her attempt to sing along. She wasn't bad; she wasn't good, either. But he found himself enjoying it all the same. Frankly, Hudson could be dressed as a clown doing the waltz down Main Street and Lex would still think she was talented beyond all knowing. That realization was just a bit unnerving.  
  
"Am I interrupting?" Lex called out as he forced himself up the last few steps.  
  
Hudson broke off in mid-song as her eyes flew open, her face coloring brightly. "Er. no. Hi." She scrambled to turn off the CD player.  
  
"Leave it," Lex instructed as he took a seat beside her on the couch. He watched as she turned the volume down then settled back into her place against the arm. "I didn't know you were a fan of 'Phantom'."  
  
She shrugged. "Mom used to play the album when I was little, and I fell in love with the music. She said I used to put on her dresses and stand in front of the mirror, singing into it like I was Christine, singing for the Phantom."  
  
Lifting up the case of the original Broadway production, Lex smiled at the image she painted before asking, "Ever seen it?"  
  
"We rented the videotape of it once," Hudson replied, her voice somewhat hesitant. She felt a little embarrassed that she loved something she had never seen before. "The tickets are always so expensive and. well, Dad isn't exactly a patron of the theatre."  
  
Lex smiled. "I'm shocked."  
  
Hudson shook her head, grinning. "Smart ass." Leaning forward, she took the CD case from him, twirling it between her fingers for a moment. "So I take it you're a 'Phantom' fan?"  
  
"I'm not the biggest fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber, no." Lex shook his head. "But the story has always intrigued me, and the musical production of it is something everyone should see at least once."  
  
"I've always felt so sorry for the 'Phantom'," Hudson commented, flipping through the booklet for a moment. "His love for Christine is so tragic."  
  
Raising an eyebrow at her words, Lex leaned back and regarded her thoughtfully before replying, "He was obsessed, willing to kill for what he believed was his. He didn't care what she wanted."  
  
"She was cruel to him," Hudson retorted. "He gave her so much in the way of his music, he was devoted to her, and she took it all, as long as she wasn't expected to give in return. She couldn't even give him her friendship. She judged him, just like everyone else did. I think she was a bitch."  
  
Lex laughed. "Now I know the real reason why your parents won't take you - you might start throwing things at the actress."  
  
Hudson smiled a little, her cheeks growing slightly red once more. "All he wanted was love and acceptance," she explained. "I don't see how one person could so callously turn those needs aside."  
  
"Some people aren't deserving of love, Hudson," Lex replied blankly, his gaze dropping to the floor.  
  
"Everyone is deserving of love, Lex."  
  
His brow furrowed a little but he didn't say anything in reply. Silence fell between them as the music continued, the lyrics of 'Stranger Than You Dreamt It' rising from the speakers. Hudson discreetly watched him from beneath her lashes, thinking as she always did how beautiful he was, the low lighting in the loft casting distinctive shadows over his face. She studied the red-gold lashes, the straight line of his nose and high cheekbones. Even the tiny scar on his upper lip seemed to add and not detract to the perfection of his features. She was truly surprised that the women in Smallville weren't throwing themselves all over him. Not that she was complaining. Hudson was more than pleased to keep this little secret all to herself.  
  
"Did you see the Ledger this morning?" Lex asked finally, breaking the silence between them as he cast his gaze back over to her.  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes. "Yes. And I certainly hope you're not here to lecture me on how inappropriately I behaved as well."  
  
Lex stared at her for a moment before commenting, "Your father wasn't pleased."  
  
"That's putting it mildly."  
  
He could only begin to imagine the conversation that took place in the Kent household. He wondered how many similar conversations had taken place since that fateful day at Loeb bridge. Selfishly, Lex was pleased to know that he was at least talked about within the walls of the yellow farmhouse, even if the words regarding him weren't exactly flattering. The knowledge still made him feel as if he was a part of something.  
  
Finding the strange desire to share, he told her, "My father had a few things to say about it as well." He looked up to see Hudson watching with an expression of surprise. He gave her a small smile. "I was once more informed how disappointing I am and that I'll never live up to the Luthor name when I insist on fraternizing with an underage high school girl."  
  
"Ouch." Hudson winced a little, frowning. "Sounds like your dad and my dad should get together and go bowling."  
  
Lex tried to picture Lionel Luthor bowling and couldn't see it. Then he tried to picture Lionel Luthor bowling with Jonathon Kent and found enough humor at the image to chuckle. "Somehow, I don't see either of them sharing your sentiment, Hudson."  
  
She sighed. "I don't mean to sound all melodramatic or anything, but have you ever felt like the entire world is against you?"  
  
"Every day of my life."  
  
They smiled at one another until Hudson turned her gaze to her jeans, picking at some imaginary lint. "So what are we going to do about it?" She raised her eyes back up to meet his.  
  
Lex watched her quietly before looking out across the loft, wondering how he should reply. The smartest/wisest/kindest thing to do would be to end this now. To tell her their fathers were right and get up and walk away and not look back, no matter how tempting, no matter how she called to him. He had survived before Hudson Kent had come into his life; he could do so again. The problem was, he didn't want to. He didn't want to give up the warmth that filled him when she flashed that megawatt smile or the laughter that only she knew how to evoke. She made him feel strong and special and a part of something. It was selfish to keep this going, to not end it now. But Lex had never claimed to be a nice person. The Phantom's haunting voice rang out to 'The Music of the Night':  
  
Close your eyes  
  
and surrender to your  
  
darkest dreams!  
  
Purge your thoughts  
  
of the life  
  
you knew before!  
  
Close your eyes,  
  
let your spirit  
  
start to soar!  
  
And you'll live  
  
as you've never  
  
lived before . . .  
  
"Your friendship is important to me, Hudson," he admitted quietly. "But I would understand if the cost is too high a price for you to pay."  
  
Hudson worried her lower lip for a moment before leaning forward and taking his hand. "I'm not Christine."  
  
Lex brought his gaze around to hers with a half smirk. "Are you comparing me to the Phantom?"  
  
She smiled and shrugged. "Well, you're definitely better looking."  
  
Chuckling, Lex rolled his eyes. "Thanks. I think." He ran his hand over his scalp then squeezed the hand that held his before rising to his feet and letting go to turn and glance down at her. "I am sorry your father is giving you a hard time about being friends with me, Hudson."  
  
Her eyes sparkled. "I'm sorry your dad thinks you're a pedophile."  
  
"And on that note," Lex remarked blandly as he turned to go, rubbing his eyes in exasperation while Hudson giggled behind him. Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard her call out his name and turned to find her standing at the top, smiling. "Yeah?"  
  
"I just wanted to let you know that this little incident won't keep me from hugging you whenever I feel like it."  
  
Lex tried to hold back a smile but was extremely unsuccessful. "You're incorrigable."  
  
She beamed. "You love me."  
  
Sighing as if the entire conversation were beyond his understanding, Lex flashed her one last grin before disappearing out of the barn.  
  
***  
  
Martha had just finished doing the dishes and wiped down the table from Sunday dinner when the phone rang. Drying her hands on the towel, she picked up the portable while moving back over to the sink to turn off the overhead light.  
  
"Kent Farm."  
  
"Good evening, Mrs. Kent. This is Lex. Is Hudson available?"  
  
It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, to tell him that Hudson was in town with her friends or some other lie. Her daughter and husband had just begun speaking to one another again this afternoon instead of sulking the way they both had since yesterday's argument. Thankfully, Lex had been out of town earlier today when Hudson had made her deliveries, which meant she came home on time, and there was nothing for Jonathon to grouse about. Martha didn't really blame Lex but she could see how their lives were much more peaceful before he entered into the picture. It was unfair of her to hold him responsible for their problems and, in reality, she sided more with Hudson's view of him than her husband's. Still, she had a family to protect.  
  
"Lex," she began. "I. " Martha trailed off, wondering exactly how much more upset her daughter would become if either she or Jonathon interfered any further.  
  
The other end of the line was silent, as if Lex were expecting this, waiting for the set down that was long in coming. It was his silence that ultimately caused Martha to change her mind. Her husband had already given him enough of a hard time since he had come to Smallville; she wasn't going to continue to live up to Lex's expectations of how he believed everyone would treat him.  
  
"Let me get her for you, Lex. Just a moment."  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Kent."  
  
And she certainly couldn't fault him for his politeness, though sometimes Martha had trouble not comparing him to Eddie Haskell. Covering the speaker, she called out, "H.C.? Lex is on the phone."  
  
"Okay, mom!"  
  
Martha put her ear to the phone, waiting for the moment when Hudson picked it up. She glanced up as Jonathon walked into the kitchen, frowning at the phone in her hand. He probably wanted to listen to the conversation as much as she did.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
At the sound of her daughter's voice, Martha hung up.  
  
"Hi. I'm not calling at a bad time, am I?"  
  
Hudson shut the door to her bedroom then flopped down on her belly onto the mattress, careful not to bounce too hard. She made a face. "Oh yeah. I was right in the middle of entertaining the Duchess of Wales."  
  
"Smart ass." She could feel his smile over the phone.  
  
"My father calls me that, too, you know," she informed him.  
  
"Must be a sign of the Apocalypse."  
  
"You have no idea." Hudson rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. "So what's up?"  
  
"I was wondering if you and Chloe would be interested in going to Metropolis next Saturday?"  
  
"Chloe's always interested in going to Metropolis," Hudson responded, reaching out for the stuffed horse beside her and bouncing it on her stomach. "She says she needs to do so occasionally in order to remind herself that civilization really does exist."  
  
Lex chuckled.  
  
"What will we be going for?"  
  
"My father has a new exhibit opening at the museum that night which includes a reception - "  
  
"Ech. That sounds incredibly boring, Lex. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing the exhibit but the reception - "  
  
"You didn't let me finish," he broke in, his voice a combination of amusement and exasperation.  
  
"Oh." Hudson waited a beat. "Well?"  
  
The voice on the other end sighed in her ear. She just knew he was currently pinching the bridge of his nose, likely smiling, wondering what he was doing putting up with an obnoxious teenager.  
  
"You obviously don't have any interest," Lex commented. "I guess I'll just return these tickets to the matinee of 'Phantom of the Opera'."  
  
"It's not that I don't - what?" She sat up quickly, her stuffed horse tumbling back onto the bed. "Lex. really? You're not teasing me?"  
  
He scoffed. "Seriously, Hudson. You should know me well enough to know I don't tease."  
  
Hudson grinned. "Lex, if you were anymore uptight, you'd eat coal and shit diamonds."  
  
Lex's bark of laughter was unexpected. "Such language. I don't know if I should be insulted or pleased."  
  
"Hmmm. I think you just proved my point."  
  
"Now I know I'm taking these tickets back."  
  
"Lexxxxxx!" Hudson whined, not caring that she was currently acting her age.  
  
Scrambling up from her bed, she sat down at her desk and prepared to log on to the internet when she got off the phone with Lex. She was still begging her father on almost a daily basis to get a second phone line, but so far he wasn't budging. He always replied that it was a waste of money. When it came to no longer tying up the phone when she needed to get on the net, she certainly didn't see how it could be considered a waste. Of course, a few months ago, he had been determined that they didn't need the internet, but then her father had discovered www.flingthecow.com, which had quickly become not only his favorite game, but very near an obsession of his. For now, the internet connection in the Kent household had been saved.  
  
Lex was laughing at her. "I don't know, Hudson. First, you seem completely uninterested about keeping me entertained at the reception, then you insult me. I'm not certain you deserve to go to 'Phantom'."  
  
She thought quickly. "Please, Lex? I'll. I'll wash all of your cars!"  
  
"That's quite a task, you know."  
  
"Well, if you didn't have your own personal dealership - "  
  
"These tickets are going in the trash."  
  
"You're such a tease, Lex."  
  
"You have no idea," came the reply.  
  
And her mind went in every direction. Didn't he know that one shouldn't say such things to a teenager? Especially one that nightly dreamt of her best friend in ways one shouldn't be dreaming of their best friend. Not that he knew her little secret - or that she ever planned on letting him know!  
  
"I should probably get going," Lex told her and she could hear him shuffling papers around in the background. "And knowing you, there is still some homework sitting around that you have been pushing off. "  
  
Hudson glanced down at the science book near her elbow in which two chapters needed to be read through before she headed to bed. "Not at all."  
  
"Liar." A pause, then, "Think your parents are going to say yes?"  
  
Hudson had been trying to ignore that little obstacle from the moment he had mentioned the tickets. Having Chloe there would certainly subtract the threat that her parents seemed to believe Lex represented. At least, she hoped it would, and she secretly praised Lex for thinking of that solution before inviting her.  
  
"They should. Mom will say yes simply out of my need to be exposed to the arts and stuff. Dad. well, with mom and I working together, we should be able to get him to say yes. He'll probably impose a fairly early curfew though."  
  
"That should be no problem. My dad will be in Japan on business, which is really the main reason I have to make an appearance at the exhibit or I doubt I'd go. We shouldn't be there more than two hours or so. Enough time for a few drinks, a few hors d'oeuvres, a little mingling. "  
  
"Maybe Chloe and I will just catch a flick while you 'mingle'," Hudson commented sarcastically.  
  
"And maybe I'll just have my driver leave you both in Metropolis."  
  
"Oh yeah. That would score points with my dad."  
  
"It would if he has to put up with that mouth of yours the way I do." Another certain smile.  
  
"There you go, sounding like him again."  
  
"Told you it was the Apocalypse."  
  
She laughed.  
  
"Goodnight, Hudson. Talk to you later."  
  
"'Night, Lex."  
  
Hitting the 'Off' button, Hudson stared at the receiver in her hand for a long moment, smiling softly. She wondered how many people could claim that Lex Luthor called them just before bed, bought them tickets to a show they had never seen before, invited their friend just to make certain that they could go. He had covered all of the bases, and Hudson was quickly learning that when it came to Lex, it was the little things that counted the most.  
  
Most of the time, Hudson was satisfied with her life. Sure, being the only alien in Smallville made things a little difficult, especially when no one was allowed to know about it. And it made life lonely and complicated but she dealt with it the best that she could and knew that her parents were there if she needed them. Then, one fateful day, she had met Lex Luthor and suddenly things weren't quite as rosy as they had been. And it had nothing to do with the money he had and the life he led. Instead, it revolved around the fact that she was too damn young and knew he would never see her as anything more than a 'little sister'. It was frustrating to no end, especially since knowing him had in turn made every guy at school seem insignificant. They paled in comparison to Lex, who smelled of expensive cologne and scotch and silk and moved like some predatory animal and smiled just for her, as if he were gifting her with something that very few were ever given.  
  
There was a soft knock at her door and Hudson turned from her musings to smile at her mother as she entered her room, laundry basket in her arms. "Already off the phone with Lex?"  
  
Hudson nodded, setting the receiver on her desk and standing to rifle through the newly washed clothes for the sweater she wanted to wear in the morning. "Yeah. He just called to ask me something."  
  
"Oh?" Martha didn't want to pry, so she busied herself with hanging up Hudson's clothes for a moment, then turned to folding others and setting them in her dresser while her daughter found the sweater she had been searching for and moved to sit on the edge of her bed. She waited a few moments longer, just enough time for her patience to pay off.  
  
"Mom, do you think dad would let me go to Metropolis next Saturday?"  
  
Martha tried very hard not to react. She asked, her tone mildly curious, "What for?"  
  
"Lex got tickets to 'Phantom of the Opera'. He's invited me and Chloe." She glanced up at her mother hopefully.  
  
"I see." Martha refrained from further comment until she had all of the clothes put away before she turned to face her daughter. "What do you want me to say, H.C.?"  
  
Hudson opened her mouth to reply, then promptly closed it. She dropped her gaze to the blue sweater for a moment before looking back up. "Chloe would be going, too. I don't see the problem."  
  
"Obviously you do see it, H.C., or you wouldn't be using her attendance as an excuse, and prodding me to see if it would be all right."  
  
"I - " Hudson stopped herself, knowing her mother was right. She worried her lower lip for a moment, then began, "If you could tell dad - "  
  
"No, H.C.," Martha cut her off, shaking her head. "I'm not getting into the middle of this. If you are going to insist on having a friendship with Lex and pretending to be an adult, then you are going to have to behave as one. You and your father are going to have to come to some sort of agreement on your own. I won't continue to run interference."  
  
"But mom -- !"  
  
"No 'buts', Hudson Clark," Martha told her sternly. "If going to Metropolis with Lex next weekend means that much to you, then you'll ask your father yourself and find your own way to get him to agree."  
  
Hudson huffed petulantly but didn't argue.  
  
Her mother smiled. "Have a little faith in your father, honey. He can be agreeable if you simply help him to see your side of things."  
  
"I don't believe there is a such a thing as 'my side' when it comes to Lex, mom."  
  
She had a point but Martha didn't want to discourage her. Father and daughter needed to work this out in their own way or there would never be peace in the house again. And Lex would gain even more ground with Hudson. Moving toward the door, Martha told her, "Get some sleep and worry about this tomorrow. I'm sure you'll figure out something, sweetie. Good night."  
  
"Good night, mom."  
  
Hudson stared at the door a long while after it had closed, turning the sweater over and over in her hands. Talk to her father. Convince him to let her go to Metropolis with Lex.  
  
With another loud huff, Hudson flopped back on the bed. Her mother might just as well have asked her to be Human.  
  
***  
  
"It's not that I plan on turning down a trip to Metropolis or a little bit of culture, I'm just wondering why this is being offered, H.C.," Chloe commented as her friend pulled the door to the Beanery open and she stepped through. "You have to admit, it's a little weird."  
  
Hudson shook her head with a sigh. "What's a little weird? Lex discovered I enjoyed the music and got tickets to it. End of story. I mean, you know his family probably has a private box anyway or something."  
  
"This is what I'm saying." Chloe leaned over the counter to order a latte for herself and a caramel cappuccino for Hudson. Grabbing Hudson's sleeve, she guided her over to a small table by the window and sat down. "Look, you know I have nothing against Lex - aside from my natural inclination to view him as a journalistic endeavor. He's a pretty cool guy. Not to mention hot as hell - "  
  
"Chloe."  
  
"But that's beside the point." Tossing her oversized purse onto the table, she brushed her bangs off of her forehead and glanced across the table at her friend. "If this were Metropolis, no one would really care, H.C. Sure, it would be all over the papers, but people would just go about their every day lives, knowing they would likely never run into you or Lex anyway. But this is Smallville."  
  
"I don't see what the big deal is."  
  
Chloe made a face. "H.C., you know I love you, right? But if you ever decide to take off those rose-colored tinted glasses with the enormous blinders on the sides, tell me."  
  
"You are a monumental bitch, Chloe," Hudson replied in a manner only used between good friends.  
  
The blonde leaned over the table on her elbows and dropped her voice to a whisper, "Look around you, H.C. Just take one good look and tell me what you see."  
  
Frowning at Chloe, Hudson did as she suggested and glanced around at the crowd in the Beanery, trying to figure out what it was she wanted her to see. It didn't take her long. Gazes were cast in her direction. Ones that quickly turned the other way when she caught them; whispers were shared with companions as eyes wandered over her, assessing, theorizing, accusing. Hudson wondered if she wasn't walking around with a big red L emblazoned on her forehead. An 'L' - for Luthor or Lex or Lex Luthor. It didn't really matter. And what would her father say when he came to town and Mrs. Mills at the Feed Store commented 'So is that fallen daughter of yours shacking up with the Luthor boy?' Her jaw clenched and she turned back to face Chloe.  
  
"They're wrong. So their opinions don't matter."  
  
"Whatever planet you come from, H.C.," Chloe commented off-handedly. "I wouldn't mind taking a trip there sometime. You know, away from reality."  
  
Chloe had this way of making flippant remarks that were too close to the truth. Hudson grew silent as their drinks were brought to them and she found she couldn't even look up at the waitress; even though Trina would likely think that sleeping with Lex would be cool. Trying very hard to wipe that thought from her mind, Hudson took a sip of the beverage, belatedly realizing she probably should have blown on it first, for appearance sake.  
  
After a few minutes of silence, Hudson finally asked quietly, "So what do you suggest? End my friendship with him?"  
  
"Oh, hell no," Chloe responded abruptly, waving her hand in the air. She grinned. "You'd have to be insane to purposely end a friendship with Lex Luthor. I mean, look at him!"  
  
Hudson allowed a smile.  
  
As if pleased that her friend was finally showing some amusement, Chloe continued, "I'm just telling you, be prepared for the consequences. And remember, Lex is going to suffer the worst of it. But then I suppose he's used to this kind of controversy."  
  
"Controversy." Hudson almost snorted. "I hugged him for crying out loud."  
  
"Yes, but that's the boring part." Chloe sat back and arched a brow. "Let's look at this from my," she laid her hands over her chest, "perspective. A journalist. I get a picture of Lex Luthor hugging a fifteen year old girl who apparently just saved his life. That's kind of boring. Big whoop. People don't want to read about that. They want scandal.  
  
"So what if the reason this fifteen year old girl saved Lex Luthor's life was because they were involved? No woman in Metropolis had been enough for the errant son of billionaire Lionel Luthor. But a farm girl from Smallville - now she had caught his eye. He loved her enough to risk his life to save her from being held hostage and, in turn, she saved him."  
  
Hudson tried very, very hard not to smile. "That's absurd."  
  
"Absurd or not, people want to read about it. While it outrages people in Smallville, who want to 'protect' one of their own - you - it thrills people in Metropolis, who find it exciting and another window into the life led by Lex." Pausing to take a drink of her latte, Chloe then added, "You're being fifteen and him twenty-one just makes it naughty. And everybody loves naughty. well, except you, of course."  
  
"Hey!" Hudson's mouth fell open. "That's not true."  
  
"What's not true?" Pete appeared beside the table, dropping into the empty chair. He glanced from one girl to the other.  
  
"Chloe says I don't love 'naughty'."  
  
Pete chuckled. "Girl, you just saw your first rated-R movie last year."  
  
"That's because my parents wouldn't let me."  
  
Her friends glanced at one another and grinned.  
  
"She's the perfect child," Chloe commented.  
  
"Kind of like the Beaver," Pete added.  
  
Hudson remained silent, her cheeks flushing at their teasing.  
  
"Of course, all of that is quickly disappearing," Chloe continued, catching Hudson's gaze. "With Lex's influence, you'll be a normal teen in no time."  
  
Pete frowned. "I should have known this was all about Lex." He looked over at Hudson, who was chewing on her lower lip. "I can't believe you let the paper print that picture."  
  
"What? You know I have no say as to whether or not the Ledger prints a picture."  
  
"Then you shouldn't have been hugging Lex Luthor," Pete told her. "I mean, the guy's only after one thing, H.C.."  
  
"I don't believe this." Hudson shook her head and looked away for a moment. Turning back to Pete, she asked, "So does that mean you're only after one thing as well? How else do you explain always hanging out with me?"  
  
Pete shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "That's totally different and you know it. We've been friends since we were kids. We're the same age, in the same classes and we have a lot in common. We're friends. The Luthors are no one's friends." He said this as if it were a fact.  
  
"How do you know that Lex and I don't share anything in common?" Hudson demanded, leaning forward a bit to stare hard at both of her friends. "Have you ever bothered to ask me 'Hey, what did you and Lex do together on Sunday'? No. But whenever you know Chloe and I hung out together, Pete, you always ask what we did. Isn't Lex afforded the same courtesy? Or is it simply because of who he is, you're going to assume the worst of me, too?"  
  
"Look, chill, H.C., all right?" Pete made a face for a moment, waiting until she settled back, glaring at him. "I happen to think it's creepy and wrong for some twenty-one year old guy to be hanging out with a fifteen year old girl. I don't trust him. We all know what the Luthors are capable of - "  
  
"You don't know Lex," Hudson muttered.  
  
"And he's up to something. Seriously, why would Lex Luthor want to hang out with you?" Pete asked.  
  
"Oh, thanks."  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"If it were for sex, I'm sure he could get it in plenty of other places much more easily, Pete," Chloe commented as she pulled out her camera and began scanning through the pictures she had taken that day. Without looking up, she added, "It isn't as if the man is desperate in that department. Look at that one girl he showed up at the party with last week."  
  
Oh yeah. Her. Hudson hadn't liked the looks of her. Whoever she was. She frowned.  
  
"That's my point," Pete replied, holding out his hands in emphasis. "He's obviously up to something."  
  
"Corrupting rural America one teen at a time."  
  
Hudson felt a smile tug at her lips with Chloe's comment. Pete just shook his head in exasperation.  
  
"I've gotta go." Hudson slid to her feet as she looked at her watch, realizing she was supposed to have had the cows fed two minutes ago. Hopefully her father wouldn't hold another few minutes against her (;)not when she still had to come up with a way to convince him to let her go to Metropolis. "We're cool for Saturday then, right, Chloe?"  
  
She looked up for a moment and nodded. "Yeah. I won't have a problem with my dad. It's your dad that should have the interesting response."  
  
"Don't remind me." Hudson started toward the door. "See you guys tomorrow."  
  
"Bye, H.C.," Pete called out.  
  
"Later!" Chloe set her camera down and caught Pete's curious look. "If I tell you, you'll get even more pissed."  
  
"I'm not pissed. I'm just trying to look out for our friend. instead of encouraging her."  
  
Chloe ignored that. "Lex has invited us to Metropolis for an exhibit opening at the museum and to see 'Phantom of the Opera'."  
  
Pete rolled his eyes. "Yeah. The guy isn't after anything."  
  
Flashing him a smile, Chloe climbed to her feet, slipping her bag over her shoulder. "Come on. I need to run over to the Post Office to check on a story lead."  
  
Groaning as he got up to follow her out, Pete found he couldn't decide what was worse: worrying about Hudson's relationship with Lex Luthor or following Chloe on yet another meteor mutant hunt. At the moment, his friend's relationship with a Luthor was still the frontrunner. If Chloe's lead turned out to be anything other than the mundane, he might have to change his mind before the day was out.  
  
***  
  
Hudson put off asking her father about the trip to Metropolis for two more days. It was Thursday night and after dinner, Jonathon had gone out to the barn to do some work on the tractor. She had watched her father walk out the door before getting up and helping her mother clear the table. She was stalling, and she knew it. Her mother obviously knew it, too.  
  
"It's not going to get any easier, H.C.," Martha commented as she began washing off the dishes. She nodded toward the window. "Go on. Ask him now, after he's had a full belly and a good day."  
  
Figuring she should follow her mother's advice, Hudson made her way out the door and into the chill night air. The walk from the back porch to the barn seemed like the longest of her life, or maybe she was just walking slower than usual on purpose. One of the male barn cats was hanging out by the door as she approached. His green eyes watched her warily until she called out to him. Then he skittered away into the darkness. Hudson gave a mental shrug at his behavior; Tiger had never liked her much anyway.  
  
Stepping inside the barn, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans and wandered over to the stall where their mare, Lady, stuck her head over the stall for a pat. She nickered softly and Hudson stroked her muzzle for a moment, casting a furtive glance at her father who was lying beneath the tractor.  
  
"You know I could have helped you with that," she called out.  
  
"It isn't anything I couldn't get to myself," her father replied, a grunt following as he worked at one of the bolts. "But since you're here, would you mind grabbing me a rag? There's so much oil caked on this thing, I can't see if there's a crack in the pipe or not."  
  
"Sure." Patting Lady once more on her neck, Hudson walked over to the work bench and grabbed one of the rags before kneeling down beside the tractor and holding it out to her father. "You know, dad, if you need me to pick up - "  
  
"You're not always going to be around to hold up the farm equipment, honey," came the reply and she could sense her father's smile. "I need to occasionally depend on myself."  
  
She sat on the ground, folding her legs beneath her as she picked at a piece of leather coming off of her ropers. "When's the Shark's game this week?"  
  
"Sunday night. they're playing Dallas."  
  
"That'll be an easy win."  
  
Jonathon chuckled. "America's team." Tucking the rag into his pocket, he peered upwards with a frown. "Honey, could you hand me the flashlight?"  
  
Leaning over, Hudson dug through the toolbox until she found the small flashlight he used when working on the equipment and passed it back to him. "Did you get any time to play 'Fling the Cow' today?"  
  
"Nope. By the time I got done repairing the fence in the south pasture, your mother needed to go into town to run some errands. We ran into the Fordman's and talked for awhile. Then your mother wanted to take some pies to Mrs. Wellerby. We barely made it home before you."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Jonathon scooted out from under the tractor and sat up, regarding her for a moment. He could tell she was making small-talk and that wasn't like Hudson. "Something you want to talk about, H.C.?"  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"Because you just bent the handle of my best wrench."  
  
Hudson glanced down at the tool in her hand and her eyes widened. She glanced up at her father sheepishly. "Sorry, dad."  
  
Not replying, he watched as she quickly bent it back into place and slipped it into the toolbox, safe from her nervous hands. It still amazed him to see a fifteen year old girl perform feats of strength that were mind- boggling - and she was his daughter! The same little girl he had rocked to sleep at night those first few years after they had found her; the one who Martha used to sit behind on the couch and brush her hair in front of the television each morning. She looked human, behaved no differently than other teenagers her age - especially when it came to the moodiness - and yet, from the moment she had lifted their bed over her head, he had known there were more differences in their daughter than simply how she had arrived.  
  
And that knowledge still terrified him.  
  
Hooking his arm over his knee, Jonathon glanced over at Hudson and commented, "We used to be able to talk, H.C."  
  
Hudson dropped her gaze back to her boot, which she continued to pick at. She finally shrugged. "Things change."  
  
"You have nothing to talk about with your old man anymore, you mean?" Jonathon smiled a little. "You've grown up that much in two years? That you share nothing in common with me anymore?"  
  
"No, dad." She glanced up at him quickly. "It's not that. It's just. Sometimes things are easier to discuss with mom, I guess."  
  
Jonathon nodded a little, turning his gaze to the interior of the barn, upwards to the loft, his daughter's Fortress of Solitude. "I can understand that. You can't blame me for missing some of our chats though." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the oil-covered rag and tossed it into the toolbox. "Remember how we would spend hours looking at the stars together?"  
  
Hudson frowned. "And all of those years I always thought it was just because you had an interest in astronomy."  
  
"Honey - "  
  
"No. I'm sorry." She smiled a little at her father. "That wasn't fair. I know I was too young to tell the truth to. It's just. sometimes I feel like I wish you had never told me, you know? I wish I could just be. normal."  
  
"Being from another world doesn't have to define who you are, H.C.," Jonathon told her. "Don't expect it to do so. As far as anyone outside this family knows, you are simply Hudson Clark Kent, and nothing is going to change that."  
  
Hudson climbed to her feet and wandered over to the stall again, leaning on the door to watch Lady. She considered her father's words for a moment, then asked, "So does that mean you trust me? That you believe I am aware enough of who I am to not make a mistake?"  
  
"Trusting you isn't an issue, H.C.," Jonathon replied with a frown. "It's the rest of the world."  
  
"The rest of the world." Hudson turned around to face her father, resting her back against the stall door. "You mean like Lex."  
  
Jonathon rubbed a hand over his eyes. Lately, it always came back to Lex. Martha told him that their daughter had a crush and he was just going to have to deal with it. He was certain there had to be something else he could do beside 'deal with it'. "Hudson, my opposition to Lex Luthor has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him and his father. Even if you were as human as any of us, I would still not like the idea of your being friends with him."  
  
"But why? We're just friends, dad," Hudson pleaded. "We watch movies and play pool and I talk to him about school and sometimes he helps me with my homework. Is there anything wrong in that?"  
  
"No, but - "  
  
"Then I don't understand where your objection comes from." She moved forward and dropped to her knees in front of him. "Daddy, you and mom should know of all people, that if he ever made an advance that I didn't want, I'd be able to take care of myself."  
  
"At the cost of exposing your abilities?"  
  
Hudson shook her head. "You know I wouldn't." Not that she believed Lex would ever harm her, but the fears of what could happen to her were instilled long ago.  
  
Jonathon sighed. "I don't understand, H.C. Okay? I don't understand what a fifteen year old girl from Smallville and twenty-one year old son of a billionaire could possibly have in common. You have good friends in Chloe and Pete. Lana has been making overtures of friendship with you lately. Why Lex?"  
  
"Because he understands me, dad," Hudson told him quietly, dropping her gaze to her hands in her lap. "He knows what its like to be different, to feel like you're always on the outside looking in. He may not have any idea why I feel that way, but he can empathize in some ways. Sure, he's no. alien. but understands what it's like to not be like everyone else, to not be able to do the same things they do or expect the same life that everyone else gets the chance to lead.  
  
"We don't discuss these things but just being with him, just spending time together, having simple conversations. I know that there is someone who could possibly understand just an inkling of how out of place I can feel at times. And just knowing that. just understanding that in my head. it makes things better."  
  
Jonathon didn't like hearing that his daughter believed the only person in the world who could understand her happened to be Lex Luthor. That was a horror that he couldn't begin to allow himself to contemplate. "You and Lex Luthor are nothing alike - "  
  
"See?" Hudson held out her hands. "You never listen to me! I try to explain something to you and you get all angry and stuff."  
  
"I'm not angry, Hudson!" Jonathon snapped, then realized his voice had been raised, and forced himself to calm.  
  
His daughter was flashing him a disbelieving look and he knew he was very quickly losing any ground that might have been gained with her. Running a hand through his hair, Jonathon climbed to his feet and picked up his toolbox, carrying it over to the work bench. Silence stretched between them as he cleaned up. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard Hudson take the steps two at a time up to the loft. He knew that if he didn't do something about this situation now, she would only continue to move further away from him. And Martha had already warned him regarding those consequences.  
  
Sighing heavily, Jonathon turned out the work light and made his way up to the loft where he found his daughter sitting beside the telescope, staring up at the sky. He stopped behind her, setting his hand on her shoulder and saying nothing.  
  
"Lex invited Chloe and me to Metropolis on Saturday. There's a new exhibit at the Luthor Hall, and he wanted to take us to see 'Phantom of the Opera'. " Hudson confessed quietly.  
  
Jonathon clenched his jaw for a moment. The things he had always wanted to give to his daughter but could never afford, Lex Luthor could hand to her with little effort. How did a parent compete with that?  
  
Hudson turned to look up at him. "I want to go, Daddy.."  
  
And how was he supposed to say no? Hudson was a good girl, the best a parent could hope for.  
  
"Chloe will be there. " She put her hand over his.  
  
As long as they kept an eye on her, warned her, reminded her that not everything in life was as it seemed, then maybe everything would be all right.  
  
"Please, Daddy?"  
  
Jonathon met his daughter's gaze and found himself smiling just a little as he reached out and touched her hair. "Can you blame me for worrying, H.C.? You mean everything to your mother and me."  
  
"I know. And I'll try to never let you down."  
  
"You never could, honey."  
  
Hudson smiled, her eyes expectant, waiting.  
  
What else could he do? "You can go - "  
  
"Yay!" She bounded out of her chair and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!"  
  
"But I want you home by midnight, understood? And no haunted houses this time." He smiled as he hugged her back.  
  
Hudson laughed. "No haunted houses. I promise." She pulled back and smiled hugely at him. "Thank you, dad."  
  
Jonathon continued to return her smile, but inside, the fear for her grew. She was growing up, and someday he was going to have to let go, but he wasn't ready to do so yet.  
  
And sure as hell not into the arms of a Luthor.  
  
***  
  
"Ummm. the sound of falling rain. Especially when I'm out in the loft and can hear it falling on the roof of the barn and against the ground outside. You?"  
  
"Silence."  
  
"Silence doesn't have a sound."  
  
"Have you ever listened to it?" Lex smiled a little at the furrow that creased Hudson's forehead. "Sometimes silence is preferable to the sounds we can be subjected to in life. It's peaceful. And it belongs to you completely."  
  
"You really have a way of putting a damper on a simple conversation, Lex," Hudson commented not unkindly, shifting in her seat to tuck her leg beneath her. She glanced over at him for a moment with a smirk, watching as he leaned back into the corner of the limousine, waiting for the next question.  
  
It had been an interesting morning. Chores had been done quickly, even though her father had given her extra, as if it had been some kind of test. Though a few of them had required her to do them at regular speed because they involved the animals, Hudson had still finished all with time to shower and change. And her father had even commented that she had done an excellent job with the gate repairs. The fact that he was letting her go was enough for her to decide that she couldn't leave anything undone or half-done.  
  
And then, in an uncharacteristic display of girlishness, Hudson fretted over what to wear to Metropolis. They hadn't had the money for her to purchase anything new, and even though her mother assured her that the tan skirt and black fitted sweater she had chosen to wear would look fine, Hudson was still worried that she wouldn't be dressed properly.  
  
"Honey, I grew up in Metropolis. It's a city in the Midwest," Martha had commented in a completely logical and calm tone. "Yes, there will be women there dressed in their finest. There will also be people in jeans and tennis shoes. You will look very nice."  
  
"But mommmmm," Hudson had whined with typical teenage angst, as if the entire world were coming to an end. "I'm going with Lex Luthor!"  
  
The whining hadn't worked. Martha had threatened to tell Jonathon that his daughter was being difficult and maybe she shouldn't be allowed to go on Saturday. Hudson had replied that the skirt and sweater would be perfect.  
  
She hadn't been done with her hair when Lex had appeared at the door, and she had unfortunately left him with her parents for a full ten minutes. By the tense line of his jaw when she had finally come downstairs, they had obviously given him an earful. After a quick kiss on her father's cheek and a hug to her mother, Hudson had followed him out the door and down the porch steps.  
  
"So what did they say?"  
  
Lex glanced over at her, reached up to rub the back of his neck and flash her a tight smile. "Nothing. usual parent stuff. They just worry about you, Hudson. And they have every reason to."  
  
"They didn't tell you that after today you were never allowed near the farm again, did they?"  
  
"No." Lex stopped at the door to the limo and looked back at the house for a moment before bringing his eyes back to Hudson's. "Will they?"  
  
"I don't think so." She shrugged. "So, it's all good."  
  
Things had not gone anymore smoothly at Chloe's house. Hudson was standing at the door, waiting for an answer to her knock, when it was finally open - only to reveal that she still wasn't dressed.  
  
"Chloe." Hudson gaped at her friend's fluffy red robe, bunny slippers and mussed hair. "You're not ready to go!"  
  
"I - "Chloe broke off to sneeze into a tissue and then rubbed frantically at her redden nose. "I don't think I'm going to be able to make it, H.C."  
  
"But. " Hudson motioned helplessly toward the limousine. "You promised. and it's 'Phantom'."  
  
"I'm sorry, H.C. Really - achoo!" She sniffed. "But I feel like crap. Oh, hey, Mr. Luthor."  
  
"Chloe." Lex stopped beside Hudson, glancing at the young blonde in amusement. "I don't usually point out fashion faux pas, but I don't know how well the blue bunny slippers will go over among the theatre crowd."  
  
"Is he always this funny?" Chloe asked Hudson, then sneezed before she could cover her mouth, straight at Lex.  
  
Flashing her a glare, Lex brushed at the front of his white dress shirt before looking over at Hudson, who was staring in dismay at both of them.  
  
"She's sick," Hudson commented blankly.  
  
"I noticed." Lex turned back to Chloe and would have sworn he saw a sparkle in her eyes, along with a happy smile, before she quickly turned her face into one of misery. "Then I take it you will not be accompanying us to Metropolis?"  
  
Chloe shook her head and leaned against the doorframe weakly. "I wish I could. It sounds like a lot of fun but. " She shrugged. "I'm even running a temperature. Wanna see?" She leaned toward Lex.  
  
"No." He stepped back quickly. "I believe you."  
  
"Chloe." Hudson looked as if she were a about to stamp her foot. "My parents - "  
  
"I promise, if they ask, I had a great time!" Chloe told her with a nod. She grabbed the handle of the door and began to close it. "You kids have fun! Bye!"  
  
Hudson stared at the door with a slight frown before looking at Lex who was caught between amusement and annoyance. "Did she really look sick to you?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "I don't know. I don't get sick. Come on. I promise you'll have as much fun without Chloe as you would have with her."  
  
Hudson smiled a little as they moved down the steps, not so much worried about having fun as she was about what her parents would say should they ever learn that Chloe stayed home.  
  
One thing was certain; Hudson found that not having Chloe there afforded her and Lex the chance to spend time getting to know one another even better. With three hours in the car together, they had time to watch a few episodes of The Simpsons, race a few games of 'Project Gotham' on the Xbox and talk.  
  
Scratching the tip of her nose, she finally asked, "Favorite song?"  
  
"Mozart's Requiem, specifically the Confutatis," Lex lied.  
  
"Lexxxxxxx."  
  
He tried to hide his smile at her whine and failed miserably. "You asked."  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes. "Certainly there is something peppy and upbeat that you like to listen to?"  
  
"What? Like the Backstreet Boys?" Lex teased, chuckling when she threw her hands up in despair. "What about you - favorite song?"  
  
"You'll laugh. "  
  
"Probably."  
  
She grinned. "Very well. 'Someone's Waiting for You'."  
  
Lex shook his head blankly. "I'm not familiar with it."  
  
"It's from a Disney movie." She noticed the raise of his eyebrows. "'The Rescuers'. It always makes me cry."  
  
"Your favorite song makes you cry and you're picking on me for putting a damper on things?"  
  
"Oh. shut up," Hudson replied with a wave of her hand, unable to think of a better retort. At least she received another chuckle for her efforts.  
  
"My turn." Lex leaned forward to the bar and pulled out a Coke to toss to her and a bottle of water for himself. Resting back against the leather seat, he eyed her for a moment and asked with a wicked grin, "Favorite movie."  
  
"Oh, now see, that's unfair," Hudson protested. "You know I can't decide."  
  
"You've watched what, fifteen or so movies at my place so far? I've never heard you refer to any of them as your absolute favorite yet. Or did I just miss that?"  
  
"But I love so many. "  
  
Lex shook his head. "I didn't make the rules, you did. You have to choose one."  
  
She gave a loud huff that Lex thought was completely adorable, and stared off across the cabin for a moment. "I guess I would have to say, based on the amount of times I have watched it since I was a child, and the fact that it still makes me cry at the end, 'Gone With the Wind'."  
  
"A romantic at heart."  
  
Hudson shrugged, her gaze dropping to her skirt as she picked off a piece of imaginary lint. "I guess I was always fascinated by their relationship - how Rhett always wanted to just spoil her and make her happy, and she never realized that she had what she truly needed until it was too late."  
  
"Now who is trying to damper the mood?" Lex teased gently leaning his head down to catch her eyes.  
  
Their gazes met, and he smiled a little, prompting her to do the same. "Sorry. How about you?"  
  
"'Apocalypse Now'."  
  
Hudson's nose scrunched up a little. "I've never seen it. Mr. Matheson played it in the Social Studies class last year and was suspended for it. It was like a huge deal in the community - parents not wanting their kids to watch it and stuff. Is it really that bad?"  
  
"I don't think so." Lex shrugged, turning to gaze out the window for a moment before glancing back at Hudson's expression of curiosity. "Although I can see why some people might object to it. It doesn't pull any punches on the realities of war, and I'm certain the aspects of good and evil covered in it aren't really accepted among people like the denizens of Smallville."  
  
"You mean like my dad."  
  
Lex didn't reply.  
  
She shifted again and took a sip of her Coke before asking, "Can I come over and watch it sometime?"  
  
"You know you don't have to ask."  
  
Hudson smiled. "I guess it's my turn then. Your favorite book."  
  
"'Idylls of the King' by Lord Tennyson." At the shake of Hudson's head, he added, "It's about Arthur, written in poetry form. I'll lend it to you sometime if you'd like. What about you? Is there a book you tend to read over and over again?"  
  
"'Strait is the Gate' -"  
  
"By Andre Gide," Lex cut her off, the surprise evident in his voice. "I'm curious as to why that particular text won your approval above any other?"  
  
Hudson shook her head. "I don't know. We were forced to read it in the eighth grade and I hated most of it."  
  
"But?" Lex gave her a small smile of encouragement. "Certainly you know the reason that draws you to it."  
  
"Alissa's journal at the end. I cried through most of it." Her cheeks colored at the admission. "That the entire time she loved Jerome more than he loved her - but loved herself more than him. She made this sacrifice of herself to God in some effort to make herself even better than Jerome envisioned her. And then, when it was too late, when she was dying, she realizes it wasn't what she wanted. Not only did she truly wish to be with Jerome, and the sacrifice she made was now killing her before she was ready, but that her own vanity was beyond that which would be accepted by God. She missed out on both love and the Afterlife."  
  
"It disturbs you," Lex commented quietly. "The thought of making a sacrifice and not knowing, in the end, if it was the right choice."  
  
Hudson glanced up at him, pleased beyond measure that he seemed to understand. "Nothing terrifies me more. Thinking that I always know what is best for me and those around me; basing my own vision of myself off of the biased opinions of others. How do we know what's right? How do I know that the decisions I make aren't what I perceive myself to want, as opposed to what's best?"  
  
"Humans are, by nature, self-serving creatures, Hudson," Lex told her with a smirk. "As long as you can remember that, you'll remember to temper your choices."  
  
"I just don't want to regret it all someday," she replied softly, dropping her gaze to the floor.  
  
"You're too young to be worrying about such things," Lex commented. At the pained expression she shot him, he offered an understanding smile. "You'll never regret your decisions in life, Hudson. I won't let you."  
  
***  
  
The music swelled up around them as Christine made her big debut, singing 'Think of Me' to the audience. Hudson leaned forward, her elbows resting on the edge of the private box as she stared down onto the stage below at the beautiful woman with the beautiful voice. The audience applauded and Raoul sang of remembering her, and Hudson found herself tensing in anticipation of the scenes to come.  
  
Beside her, Lex found himself watching his companion much more than the musical on the stage. He had seen it before and had never considered it particularly interesting. And now, it paled in comparison to Hudson's expressions: the excitement that thrummed through her, the widening of her eyes, how her lips occasionally moved as she silently sang along with the words. His gaze strayed to her hands as she gripped the rim of the box and leaned forward even further, her fingers stroking over the polished wood.  
  
Lex cherished each and every moment. For just a while, he was able to forget about the secrets between them, the mystery that surrounded her. For now, she was just a young woman experiencing her first live musical, and the joy on her face from the moment they had entered the Theatre had been something to behold.  
  
As he had guided her through the lobby, his hand at her back, she had grown quiet, and Lex had worried something was wrong, until he had glimpsed her face. Hudson had seemed determined to take in everything with just one glance, her eyes sweeping over every corner of the rooms they passed through and the people around them. She had poured through the program the moment the usher handed it to her and Lex was forced to make certain she didn't walk into any walls or trip up any steps on the way to the box. Seeing it through her eyes, through her enjoyment, was like being there for the first time, and he silently reminded himself to thank her for that later. Even though he knew he never would.  
  
As the words to 'Angel of Music' drifted up from the stage, Lex felt that they had come full circle. He smiled a little as Hudson's mouth moved to the words once more, softly singing along in a voice that wasn't really meant for singing. For some reason, the simple act made him happy. And he couldn't explain it.  
  
Catching him watching her, Hudson felt her cheeks grow warm as she turned to meet his gaze. They smiled a little at each other for a moment, then she leaned toward him, and he brought his head closer to her.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear.  
  
Lex smiled and straightened up, shrugging as if to say it was nothing. Deep down, he knew that if he couldn't give her a new car or help her family's farm or be a bigger part of her life, at least he had given her this: Simple joy at finally being a part of something she had loved for years.  
  
Returning her attention to the stage, Hudson was thrilled to see the Phantom leading Christine down into his labyrinth as the familiar music echoed through the auditorium.  
  
In all your fantasy You always knew That man and mystery  
  
Are both in you  
  
And in this labyrinth Where night is blind The Phantom of the Opera Is here Inside my mind  
  
As if of its own will, her hand reached out and found Lex's hand and she felt his fingers curl around hers in return.  
  
***  
  
While seeing 'Phantom of the Opera' with Hudson had been an experience Lex would never forget - from her megawatt smile as the lights had dimmed, to the tears in her eyes as the cast had taken their bows - there was another experience Lex enjoyed every time he shared it with Hudson.  
  
Watching her eat.  
  
"So what made you decide to bring me here?" Hudson popped another greasy onion ring into her mouth before washing it down with a swallow of her strawberry milkshake.  
  
Lex glanced up, taking in for the moment the realization that she was almost finished with her bacon double cheeseburger, and he had barely started his. He knew he shouldn't have ordered it, maybe gone for something a little lighter but no one walked into 'Town Topic' without gorging themselves on the burgers. And when Hudson had ordered hers, he couldn't stop himself from the getting the same. Though the onion rings and shake had been a little much.  
  
"I thought you would enjoy it more," he responded with a slight smile, his gaze dropping to his burger once more in slight dismay before he lifted it back into his hands.  
  
Hudson raised her eyebrows and took another bite of her onion ring. "I didn't think that you would even know of a place like this."  
  
Remaining silent until he finished the bite he had just taken, Lex finally replied, "My mother used to bring me here. When dad was out of town on business, she would come by the school sometimes and pick me up for lunch." He turned his gaze out the window for a moment, unable to meet Hudson's. "She always said that every child needed the occasional hamburger and French fries or when they grew up, they would forget what childhood was all about."  
  
"She sounds like a wonderful mother."  
  
Lex turned back to find Hudson watching him, her meal momentarily forgotten. "She was the best," he replied, his smile returning. He tilted his head to the side a little. "She was no Martha Kent. But she managed with my father and I, and I think that's some kind of feat."  
  
"You were probably a great kid," Hudson commented, taking another bite of her burger and licking a drop of mayonnaise from her thumb.  
  
Still waiting for her to end up dropping any part of that mess onto her top - Lex had yet to see Hudson eat a meal and not end up with a good part of it on her instead of in her - he flashed her a look of mock horror. "Me? You're kidding, right?" Shaking his head, he continued, "You know the movie 'The Omen'? They wrote that in anticipation of my birth. Only they changed the name to Damien to protect the innocent."  
  
Hudson half-choked on her sandwich, grabbing for the milkshake to wash it down before erupting into laughter. Sometimes Lex surprised the hell out of her. "Damien." She rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt that."  
  
Lex smiled a little at her disbelief. "I wasn't in the running for Child of the Year. That much is certain." He paused, playing with one of the onion rings on his plate. "Sometimes I find myself wondering what I would be like today if the meteor shower hadn't occurred."  
  
Wincing a little, Hudson leaned back in her seat, settling her hands in her lap as her appetite quickly disintegrated. The last time they had spoken of the meteor shower was when she had discovered that she had been the one responsible for the loss of Lex's hair. If she hadn't come to Earth, if she hadn't landed in Smallville, Lex wouldn't have had to suffer through the trials of being so different. Hudson knew she was different - more different than anyone else, actually - but her parents were the only other people who knew it with her. Outwardly, she was the same as everyone around her. Lex couldn't hide his differences, unless he wore a wig, but she knew there was too much pride involved to do something like that. More than likely, he had been told by his father when it occurred that he would have to accept what had happened and make it a part of him. While she knew it likely made Lex stronger, it also forced him to be alone. The older Hudson got, the more she realized that people didn't seem to like those who were different. It was that fact which caused her to become more and more fearful of the truth of her origins coming out.  
  
What would Lex do if he knew she was responsible for his pain?  
  
"It's weird how some things seem to happen for a reason, huh?" Hudson commented, glancing up at Lex hesitantly.  
  
He met her gaze. "Like what?"  
  
"Your father purchasing the creamed corn factory, sending you to Smallville. I never would have met you otherwise."  
  
"Some people would call that a good thing." Lex gave her a smile.  
  
"Yeah. I suppose they would." Hudson shrugged, remembering her conversation with Pete and Chloe at the Beanery. She stared at her plate for a moment before bringing her eyes back to his. "You know what though? I don't care what they think. You've taught me that. Being a cheerleader and dating the most popular guy in school and being important in Smallville used to mean something to me. but it doesn't now. You've taught me not to care what others think, as long as I am happy."  
  
"Going against the status quo?" Lex smirked. "One more reason for your father to hate me."  
  
"He doesn't hate you, Lex," Hudson replied with a frown. At least, she hoped he didn't. "If he hated you, I wouldn't be here tonight. Right?"  
  
She had a point. Lex considered it very near a miracle that she had been allowed to attend. And he was more than certain that if Jonathon Kent knew Chloe had suddenly become 'ill', Hudson wouldn't be here.  
  
"It's not easy, is it?"  
  
Lex knew what she meant. He smiled a little. "Nothing worth having ever is."  
  
Pausing, he watched silently as she finished off her milkshake, a trace of the pink-colored ice cream hovering on her bottom lip. Her tongue snaked out to swipe it away, and Lex quickly brought his gaze up to her eyes. She was staring out the window at the passing traffic thoughtfully. The expression on her face made him want to ask her 'Penny for your thoughts?' no matter how cliché it might be. Of course, he would rather offer her a lot more than a penny. Guilt stabbed him once more for allowing this friendship to continue. His presence in her life had already changed so much about her - she had just admitted as much - that to continue to be there would only add further damage.  
  
"What was she like?"  
  
The question started him from his thoughts and Lex blinked at Hudson for a moment before he realized what she was asking. His brow furrowed a little(,) and he glanced over at the counter and the waitress who was leaning against it, shouting back at the cook about an order he had prepared incorrectly. Only, she didn't say so in such nice terms.  
  
"I'm sorry." Hudson's voice was contrite. "I shouldn't have asked."  
  
Lex turned back to her and shook his head. "No. It's all right. You have every right to ask. We're friends, right?"  
  
She smiled a little.  
  
Lowering his gaze to where his hands rested folded against the table, he considered what he wanted to say. The truth was, he hadn't really spoken to anyone about his mother in so long that a part of him rejoiced at the idea of doing so. Sharing some of the happier times in his life was almost like becoming a part of the happiness that Hudson lived. And it was that which caused him to hesitate. Lex horded those memories of his mother as if they were a lifeline, his one and only way of holding on to her, of not losing her completely. If he shared, they might no longer be his alone. Ridicule from his father for being too soft, too emotional, had kept them from discussing his mother for years. Lex had learned that lesson within a few months of her death. He knew that Hudson would never react to him the way that his father had but that knowledge didn't make it any easier to take the first few steps.  
  
He opened his mouth twice to begin before closing it, still uncertain of what to say. Finally, he began, "She was very beautiful. ethereal almost, like if you touched her, she might disappear. But for all that she seemed fragile, she knew how to handle my father. I think she was the only person he ever respected." Lex glanced up, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "She never raised her voice to me though. If I was in trouble, I always knew by her inflection. And I always felt guilty when I did something that caused her to use it."  
  
"She sounds very sweet."  
  
Lex chuckled and shook his head. "No. Don't get the wrong impression. My mother was a redhead - she had the temper of one, too. My father felt the brunt of it a lot. Somehow she taught herself not to use it on me, I guess. Not that I didn't deserve it more often than not." His hands pulled apart and he began playing with the saltshaker.  
  
Hudson remained silent, watching his fidgeting which seemed out of character but then, so was this moment of sharing. She didn't want it to end. "What else?" She prodded curiously.  
  
Tapping the edge of the shaker against the table for a moment, he told her, "She loved music, and when dad was out of the house, she would turn up the stereo and sing along. Sometimes, when she was feeling strong and well, she would take my hands and we would dance. She loved Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday. Elton John's 'Your Song'. She used to sing that to me a lot. Her favorite though was 'Chances Are' by Johnny Mathis." He looked across the table. "I lied earlier, when you asked my favorite song. I heard it so much as a child and now when I hear it, I think of her and her singing and dancing with me in the garden. "  
  
"I think I can forgive you just this once," she replied with a smile.  
  
He glanced up at her but said nothing.  
  
Feeling the need to share with him as well, Hudson told him, "My dad's favorite song is that 'Proud to be an American' by Lee Greenwood. He sings along with it -- at the top of his lungs. It is so embarrassing." She rolled her eyes. "He cranks up the stereo when we're in the truck and gets all emotional. " She trailed off when she realized Lex looked as if he were going to explode. "What?"  
  
Unable to contain it any longer, his laughter broke through. "Oh hell, Hudson. Thanks for completely destroying the image I've had of your father since the day I met him."  
  
Her nose wrinkled for a moment then she laughed along with him. "You're not the one who has to live with it."  
  
Lex finally calmed his mirth down to a soft chuckle. "I'll never be able to look him in the eye again."  
  
"Kind of like telling someone to picture the audience in their underwear, huh?" Hudson asked with a smirk.  
  
"You have no idea," Lex laughed again, shaking his head in amusement.  
  
Pleased that Lex was smiling and relaxed again, Hudson returned to her onion rings, finishing them up before she realized her milkshake was empty. Watching her dilemma in amusement, Lex said nothing at first, wondering if she would order another drink or force herself to go without. It only took a few moments for him to realize she had chose the latter decision and he mentally shook his head.  
  
"Hudson, you can order something else to drink, you know."  
  
"Oh. Well, I doubt I would finish it."  
  
Lex eyed her a moment longer then nodded toward his mostly untouched milkshake. "Have some of mine then."  
  
"I don't want to - "  
  
He sighed. "Hudson. "  
  
Smiling, she reached out for his glass, holding the straw up to her lips and sipping at it contentedly. Lex was certain she ate more than any human being he had ever met. Knowing he wouldn't be able to finish his own meal, he wiped his hands one last time on the napkin (had this food been so greasy when his mother brought him here?) and waited until his friend had finished off his shake before he stood.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
Nodding, Hudson slid out of the booth and moved ahead of him to the door. Stepping outside, she took in the noise of the city around her, her curious gaze sweeping over the street from one side to the other. She could feel Lex stop just to the side of her, his hand automatically going to the small of her back, as if about to guide her somewhere. He had been doing that a lot during the day and Hudson couldn't find a reason to complain about it.  
  
Turning to look at him, she asked, "When does the reception thingy start?"  
  
Lex glanced at his watch. "An hour from now."  
  
"Didn't you say the museum was somewhere close by?" Hudson looked back down the street.  
  
Pointing in the opposite direction, Lex replied, "About six blocks north."  
  
"Well then, let's walk." Hudson flashed him a smile before waving goodbye to the limousine driver and starting down the sidewalk.  
  
Lex stared after her for a moment, rubbed at the corner of his eyelid then told the driver that he could meet them at the museum. Starting after her, he finally caught up to her long-legged stride about half a block from 'Town Topic'. Glancing at her with a slightly furrowed brow, it was on the tip of his tongue to point out that he would be expected to arrive in a limousine in front of the museum. Not on foot. But then, very little he had done today could be considered his normal course of events, especially the company.  
  
And Lex was discovering that he didn't mind it one bit.  
  
***  
  
Hudson stared at the breastplate through the glass, marveling at the amount of jewels that covered it. It amused her that the snake was curved into an 'S', very much like the Smallville Crows symbol. Everything in the Luthor Exhibit was impressive, but there was something about this piece that fascinated her. She continually came back to it, between the hors d'oeuvre's and punch and polite mingling with people she didn't know. They all knew Lex, though. Apparently, most of them came here to Luthor Hall for every new exhibit that opened. And because Lex had an obligation to meet and greet every single one of them, Hudson had spent most of the evening wandering around, bored out of her mind. It was undeniably selfish of her, but she couldn't help wanting him all to herself.  
  
"You know it belonged to Alexander the Great?"  
  
Lex's voice caused her to turn, a smile breaking out across her face as he approached. Hudson hoped she wasn't too obvious.  
  
"They said the design symbolizes strength and courage." He glanced at the young woman beside him, knowing by the expression on her face that she was pleased with his appearance. She would be horrible at poker.  
  
"I can't imagine anyone going into battle with that on their chest," Hudson commented, nodding toward the case.  
  
"Darker times call for darker methods," Lex replied with a small shrug. "His opponents thought he was invincible."  
  
She glanced back over at him. "I didn't know you were such a history buff." Science fanatic, yes. Closest sci-fi fan, check. Collector of expensive cars, definitely. Hudson couldn't imagine adding another hobby to the list.  
  
"I'm not." Lex flashed her a smile. "I'm just interested in people who ruled the world before they were thirty."  
  
"Don't worry, Lex. You still have a few years to go."  
  
Lex and Hudson both turned to see Lana walk up and stand between them, smiling in greeting. Hudson's brow furrowed a little as she looked at her.  
  
"Lana, I didn't know you were going to be here," she commented.  
  
Lana glanced over her shoulder into the crowd as if looking for someone. "Aunt Nell had an invitation from Lionel." She turned back to Hudson and gave her a half-smile. "She thought it would be a nice event for Whitney and I to attend with her. He's over in the corner." She pointed and rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Miserable."  
  
Hudson joined in her laughter. "I can only imagine."  
  
"Why don't you join us?" Lana suggested, her gaze turning up to Hudson, almost completely ignoring Lex's presence. "We were just going to get something to eat. Get off of our feet for awhile."  
  
"Uh. sure." Hudson shifted a little uncomfortably as Lana smiled.  
  
"Great! I'll go pull Aunt Nell away from the jewelry exhibit and we'll meet you by Whitney." She turned and hurried off, disappearing quickly into the crowd.  
  
An evening with Whitney and Lana. Hudson glanced over her shoulder in the opposite direction of the quarterback, as if looking for an escape route. Lex watched her, smirking a little at the expected behavior before he reached out and touched her arm.  
  
"What are you afraid of?"  
  
Hudson turned to look at him, blinked. "Huh? I'm not. afraid of anything."  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow. "You could have fooled me. Every time that Lana attempts to make an overture of friendship, you appear hesitant at accepting it. And I can't seem to figure out why. I thought you wanted to be a part of the 'in' crowd?"  
  
"Maybe. I don't know." Hudson shrugged and blew out a soft breath. "I just. I can't help feeling a little responsible for her dismissal from the cheerleading squad." She glanced at Lex when she said this.  
  
He continued to regard her, his expression unchanged. "Why? I thought you said she was dismissed because of her own personal issues with the coach? It had nothing to do with you, Hudson. Besides, she seems to think it was one of the best things that could have happened to her."  
  
"I guess." Hudson shifted under his gaze, realizing that wearing heels for hours on end wasn't in the least bit comfortable. "I can't help feeling guilty, though."  
  
Lex offered a half-smile. "Maybe you should give it a chance, Hudson."  
  
"Why do you suddenly seem so interested in my developing a friendship with Lana?" Hudson's brow furrowed.  
  
"I'm not." Lex shrugged. "It's just a suggestion."  
  
The truth was that after spending a day in her company, confiding in her about memories and personal secrets that Lex never thought of sharing with anyone, he knew for a certainty that this relationship had to end. She needed to spend time with people her age, from her hometown, who understood and shared the same life-experiences. Hudson was far too young and impressionable to be allowed into his world, and however much he enjoyed her company, her kindness, her friendship, it wasn't fair to her to take what she was offering. She simply didn't understand what was at stake. She didn't have any idea that he would want more - already wanted more - and she was too young and it couldn't happen. Even in a perfect world where he was accepted by her parents and the town, Lex wouldn't allow himself to destroy the innocence of the young woman who was the closest friend he'd ever had. He cared about her too much.  
  
In what Lex considered to be a strange turn of events, the perfect excuse to pull away from Hudson walked up at that moment, in all her polished and brittle glory.  
  
"Hello, Lex."  
  
"Victoria?" Lex cast her what for him was an expression of surprise.  
  
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" She cast a quick glance at Hudson before flashing another smile at Lex.  
  
"Not at all." Lex returned the smile. "Hudson Kent, this is Victoria Hardwick, a very old friend."  
  
Hudson tried very hard to keep from fidgeting again, especially in front of the obviously wealthy and beautiful woman in front of her. "Hi," she greeted Lex's friend a little lamely.  
  
Victoria eyed her for a moment then returned her attention fully to Lex. "It's been a long time, Lex. I thought we could. catch up."  
  
What Lex wanted to say was that he was here with Hudson and maybe some other time, but he was never one to pass up an opportunity. This was easier than trying to convince his friend that she couldn't fill that role anymore. Maybe it was the coward's way out but he believed it would be easier for both of them in the end.  
  
Not even glancing at Hudson, he told her, "I'll catch up with you later, Hudson."  
  
She opened her mouth to say something but Lex held out his arm to Victoria, and she slid hers through it, and they walked off. Hudson took a step after them, shock and hurt filling her that Lex would dismiss her so quickly. Especially after the day they had spent together. Of course, it was completely understandable that he would rather spend the evening with someone his age. Someone that was beautiful and wore flashy clothes and probably knew which fork to use at the appropriate time. But that didn't make it any easier to accept.  
  
Telling herself that the night had only just begun, and there was still the drive back to Smallville, and she doubted this Victoria woman would ever step foot in her town, Hudson turned and made her way out of the museum. She needed some air and wanted to collect her thoughts, especially the ones concerning the belief that she somehow owned Lex Luthor. Somewhere throughout the theatre and dinner, she had started to believe that this was a date, that Lex was interested in being more than friends. It was stupid and childish to pretend such a thing, but she refused to believe that it was her fault it had felt that way more than once. While she doubted that Lex had ever meant for her to feel that way, the thoughts had crept in all the same.  
  
Sighing, Hudson smoothed her skirt and sat down on the top step, staring out at the street and the park across from it. She gazed around for a moment, noting the homeless man sleeping in the bus stop, and the bus that was slowly turning the corner at the end of the street, heading towards the museum. Wondering how much longer they would have to stay, Hudson rested her chin on her hand and waited for the evening to end. 


	4. Vignette 1 Pictures of You

Vignette #1  
  
Pictures of You: Amy  
  
November 10, 2001  
  
Lex went to Metropolis today - he was taking Hudson to see 'Phantom of the Opera'. Not that she deserves it. Doesn't he understand that she doesn't care about him the way that I do? She's just using him so she can be popular at school and in town. Ever since people started hearing about her and Lex being friends, they all talk about her now and people want to be friends with her, thinking they can get something out of it because of who she knows. And she's so righteous, thinking she's All That because Lex calls her a friend.  
  
I hope when he watches POTO today he sees the connection between Hudson and Christine. She'll use him for her popularity and then cast him aside for some stupid farm boy. In all of the years that my parents have worked for Lex, I've seen it over and over again. Women come and go in his life and they all treat him like dirt and never see how special he really is. I'm the only one that knows. Why can't he understand that? He needs me. It's so obvious.  
  
It's not fair. I've known Lex longer than any of them. I help my mother prepare some of his meals and make his bed and clean his house and I see and hear things that the rest don't get to because I've been here longer - and yet I'm not the one he calls girlfriend. Or even friend.  
  
Hudson is so full of herself because she is friends with Lex, sharing Sunday afternoons with him watching movies and playing pool. I helped mom one Sunday by taking them their lunch.  
  
"Make it special." Lex had smiled to my mother in the kitchen. "Hudson will be over. She likes tacos. With white corn shells and everything on them."  
  
I brought the tray with their plates, and a Coke for Hudson, to them. They were watching 'Return of the Jedi', and she was stretched out on her stomach on the floor in front of the couch where Lex was sitting. I set the tray down on the buffet behind the couch and watched them for a moment. He kept tapping her in the side with his foot, and she squirmed, and told him to stop, and he would deny doing anything, saying it was her fault for laying where she was. I hated her more than ever at that moment.  
  
Lex, why can't you see that I'm the only one who will ever love you the way that you deserve? I know we could make this work if you would just give us a chance!  
  
November 12, 2001  
  
Today Troy grabbed my diary and read it. The troll. He'll probably tell everyone in school about my love for Lex but I don't care. They don't understand. They can't. Lex and I were meant to be and nothing is going to stand in the way of that - not even the Tramp.  
  
I just met her. I think she's British or something. I should be used to the line of sluts that move in and out of Lex's life but I just can't be. Doesn't he see how much it hurts me? One day, Lex will realize and he will be so sorry and he'll hold me and apologize and kiss me and take me somewhere exotic where the two of us can be alone so he can make it all up to me.  
  
I did get a little revenge in, though. I dumped the tea I was bringing them all over her pants. Her name's Victoria but I would prefer to refer to her as She Who Cannot Be Named, like in that movie 'The Mummy' with Brendan Fraser, who is almost as cute as Lex but not quite. Anyway, I think she is the Bringer of Death and Destruction and Doom and all of that just like Imhotep. Lex said she is going to be staying awhile. It sucks. Though maybe this will mean I don't have to see as much as Hudson. Ha! See how she likes it for once!  
  
When I was helping mom clean last night, I found one of Lex's watches. It was sitting out in the study. I took it. Maybe it's wrong of me but it's a little part of him that I can now keep close. He wears it a lot and the band kind of smells like the bottle of cologne I lifted from his bathroom the other day. I'm going to wear it and then it'll be just like we're dating! He has so many watches, I don't think he'll miss it.  
  
Mom got a little mad that I was in the house. She doesn't understand, either. She told me that I had to 'know my place'. I do know my place! It's beside Lex, as his confidant. And one day I'll be there, she'll see, and then she can move in too, and Jeff and dad and we'll all live in the castle, instead of the servant's quarters, and Lex and I will be so happy!  
  
November 13, 2001  
  
Hudson was back last night. Making a delivery though. Sometimes I tell myself she's just the 'help', like mom and dad. She's not really so important to Lex. Well, at least right now, since the tramp moved in. He's been ordering all of these white tulips for She Who Cannot Be Named. I think they're hideous - just like she is! If there is one good thing about Hudson, it's that I don't have to watch her and Lex kissing.  
  
They're kissing all of the time. And they don't even notice when I'm there. Or don't care. She Who Cannot Be Named doesn't like me at all. It could be because she knew I spilled that tea on her on purpose. Not that I care. I wish it had been scalding hot and that I had spilled it on her face! That would teach her. She acts as if she owns Lex or something. I HATE HER!!  
  
There is no way that either of them could ever understand what a special person he is. They don't watch him late at night when he is sitting alone in the study, thinking no one is around. They don't see how sad he looks, how lonely. When I watch him, I think how happy I could make him if he would just give me the chance. Maybe I'm young now, but one day, when I'm older, Lex will notice me, and he'll realize I've always been here for him, when all of the rest simply forgot. Then he will understand how much I love him and have always loved him. And he's always loved me too.  
  
PS - Mom and I just got back from cleaning the room of She Who Cannot Be Named. Someone went in there and totally destroyed it, painted glow in the dark paint on it and stuff. I was laughing. Mom thought it was vandals. Considering it is a castle, I think it might be a ghost. Like Lex's mom. She probably hates She Who Cannot Be Named too and wants her to go away. Maybe Lex will see that soon.  
  
November 14, 2001  
  
I just caught She Who Cannot Be Named listening at the door to the Weapon's Room. Mom said that Lex's dad was here and she was preparing dinner and I wanted to go be near Lex because he's always so sad when Mr. Luthor comes by. But then I saw her standing outside the door, listening! I knew she was a total bitch! I just knew it!! I was so angry I wanted to scream at her and hit her and tell her to get out and leave Lex alone but I couldn't so I just left. Jeff knows what a horrible person she is. He is the only one who seems to understand that Lex and I belong together.  
  
Oh, Lex. Why can't you see it, too? I love you so much!!  
  
November 15, 2001  
  
I saw Hudson in the Beanery today and I actually stopped to talk to her. I don't think she likes She Who Cannot Be Named anymore than I do but she won't admit it. I asked her what she thought of her and she used some lame excuse about not knowing her very well. She probably doesn't want me to see how jealous she is or something. I told her that I had been helping my mom clean last night in Lex's room when actually I had been looking through his clothes in his closet. I love it in there. It smells just like him and his clothes feel so nice. I was thinking about taking one of his purple shirts to keep, he has a lot anyway. But then She Who Cannot Be Named walked in and I hid. She was going through his drawers and stuff. I told Hudson about it, thinking she might know something more. She just seemed to want to know what I was doing there. Her jealousy knows no bounds. Now that She Who Cannot Be Named is around, Lex doesn't invite Hudson over. He doesn't go to her farm. So I get to see Lex more than Hudson does. Ha! Now if only the other one would leave.  
  
PS - I was in the house again and Lex and She Who Cannot Be Named were out. So I went into his room to look around again, see if maybe I could discover what the tramp was after. I found the weirdest thing. There's a case under Lex's bed and I found the key to open it. Inside were all of these pictures of Hudson, including articles of her in the paper with some of the things she had done around town like when she saved his life and junk. And a ticket stub from 'Phantom of the Opera' was in there. There were also some movie ticket stubs from the past few months. Isn't that weird? I mean, I know she's his friend and all but what is it that Lex sees in Hudson? She's not that great. She doesn't love him. She's using him. Just like all of the rest.  
  
What do I need to do to make him understand? He just keeps hurting himself. I could make him so happy. He loves me. I know he does. He just hasn't come to terms with it yet. When he talks to me, it's like I'm the only person that matters in the world. He makes me feel special. No one else notices me but Lex does. Proof that he loves me.  
  
November 16, 2001  
  
Last night someone tried to drown She Who Cannot Be Named!! I still say it's the ghost of Lex's mother. Hudson had to be her typical heroic self and save her though. What is her issue?? That's proof enough that she doesn't care about what happens to Lex. I've told her the tramp is up to no good but instead she seems to want to see Lex get hurt.  
  
PS - Lex and Hudson are here in the Beanery. Earlier I said that I think Hudson wants to see Lex get hurt. Now I wonder. Maybe she is just trying to secure her spot in his life or something. Saving She Who Cannot Be Named makes her seem all sweet and caring and junk. But certainly Lex sees through that?? It's just B.S.  
  
God, he is so cute. I said hi to him and he said hi back and acted really surprised and happy to see me. He's wearing a pale blue shirt today and his usual black coat and pants. He's smiling a lot. I think it is because the tramp is gone. He said she would be back in a few days though and that sucks. He tried to tell me she wasn't that bad but he doesn't know that she is going to hurt him just like all of the others. He seems to want love so badly he ignores the fact that most people don't really care.  
  
I wonder if I can snatch his coffee cup after he leaves.  
  
November 20, 2001  
  
I miss him terribly. It hurts to write anymore because I look back at all of the previous pages and realize how much I took for granted living there, seeing him everyday. Now all I have are the Metropolis papers and the hopes that they will continue to print his picture and stories about him. I wonder if, in a few months, he would mind if I wrote to him? Certainly, Lex will begin to miss me soon. We'll start writing and then visiting and everything will be better.  
  
He found out about the watch. I think Hudson tipped him off somehow, though I don't know how she knew. Maybe she saw it at school. I hate her. I hate her so much. She did it just to send me away, to have Lex all to herself so she can hurt him and I won't be able to warn him. And he doesn't see. He can't see that she is no different from the rest. Now he'll be at the mercy of the tramp and Hudson and there will be no one there to save him.  
  
Something is wrong with Jeff. Mom and dad won't tell me the details but something happened after we left and now Jeff is in the hospital. They don't know when he will be coming home. I hope he didn't hurt Lex. I know my brother was angry that we were being sent away - he's always understood my love for Lex - but hopefully he didn't hurt Lex. After all, Lex doesn't understand what's best for him. He fights against it. Someday, when I graduate, maybe I can get a job for LuthorCorp and Lex and I will be reunited. He'll have missed my understanding and he'll see my love for him. Everything will be better.  
  
And by then, Hudson will have moved on and left him hurting and, as always, I will be there to pick up the pieces. Until then, I will simply have to watch over him from afar and never let him forget how much he is loved. 


	5. My First Taste: Frailty

SMALLVILLE: AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE  
EPISODE 4  
  
"FRAILTY"  
  
It's odd that you can get so anesthetized by your own pain or your own problem that you don't quite fully share the hell of someone close to you. ~ Lady Bird Johnson  
  
"I can't believe each one of these bruises was a bullet," Martha commented in disbelief as she pressed a cold cloth against Hudson's shoulder.  
  
"Oww!" Hudson winced and reflexively moved away from the touch.  
  
"Sorry." Martha pulled the cloth away and moved to another, touching her daughter's skin a little more gently.  
  
Hudson looked up as her father tossed the paper he had been reading onto the table, the page folded to show Bob Rickman's picture and an article regarding his suicide. "Guess that answers that question." He frowned.  
  
When her mother was finished tending to the bruises, Hudson slipped her shirt back over her shoulders and secured the last few buttons. Last night's events were still in the realm of stunned disbelief for her. She glanced down at the table, her brow furrowing. "It's weird. I get shot at and the bullets are fired by my best friend."  
  
Her parents exchanged a glance. They had discussed what had happened briefly late last night when their daughter had finally come home. She'd been shaken up - worse than they had ever seen her. When she admitted that Lex had shot at her, Jonathon lost his temper but Martha quickly calmed him. The only reason Martha could claim for her daughter's silence during her father's diatribe against Lex had been that she doubted he would have listened to reason at that moment anyway. Truthfully, it could have been anyone. The identity of the shooter mattered little compared to the fact of it happening. That it had been Lex though, only provided Jonathon with more fuel for his anger. After they went to bed, Martha finally convinced her husband to understand that Lex had no idea what he was doing. It could have just as easily been one of them shooting at their daughter.  
  
"What do you think happened to Kyle?" Jonathon asked, preferring to ignore the comment about Lex being her best friend.  
  
Hudson scratched at an eyebrow for a moment. "I don't know. But I think he's out in the world making a difference now."  
  
Out in the world, knowing what he knows about her. He didn't know the complete truth but it was enough to worry Hudson -- that someone besides her parents was out there, walking around, with the knowledge of what she could do. Sometimes, it was awfully tempting to see who else she could hope to trust with her secret.  
  
A knock at the screen door drew the family's attention and they turned to see Lana push it open and peer in. "Hi." She smiled a little nervously, her gaze flitting over Hudson before looking to Martha and Jonathon. "I. uh. hope I'm not interrupting."  
  
All Hudson could wonder at the moment was when she would ever be given a break. Forcing a smile, she stood. "No. Come on in."  
  
Lana shuffled in, casting another nervous glance in Hudson's direction before dropping her gaze to the floor.  
  
Noting that her parents didn't seem too interested in giving them a moment to talk, as they both walked over to the sink to begin doing dishes, Hudson waved her hand toward the porch. "Why don't we. uh. go outside?"  
  
Lana seemed relieved to get out of there and hurried back out the door, Hudson following behind her. Once they were safely on the porch, Lana tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans and finally focused her gaze on Hudson without looking away. She still appeared unable to think of much to say though, or maybe was too afraid to speak. She did find another tremulous smile though.  
  
Hudson returned it before continuing down the steps into the yard. She should have grabbed a coat; it couldn't have been over thirty-five degrees out. Hopefully, Lana wouldn't think about it. They had enough to discuss; though Hudson would have preferred they ignore it.  
  
Yesterday had just been. strange.  
  
When it had been discovered that Kyle had escaped from the room he had been recuperating in at Lex's castle, Hudson knew that he had likely gone back to his place to pack up and leave town. She had headed that direction only to find Lana following her. When asked why, Lana had replied that she had the right to hear from Kyle Tippet that he hadn't meant to attack her, and if Hudson were right in all of her proclamations, then he would say so and apologize. Barely restraining herself from throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation, Hudson had finally agreed to let her tag along.  
  
Kyle told an incredible story of how he and Bob Rickman had been able to 'persuade' people, through the touch of their hands, to get them to do anything that they wanted, ever since the meteor shower. Trying very hard not to consider the fact that her arrival was directly responsible for the sale of her parent's farm, Hudson had looked on in amusement as Lana had flat out rejected Kyle's claim. She wanted proof. Hudson hadn't thought that was very safe but Kyle had assured her that he didn't plan on having Lana run out and kill anybody or anything. Then he had taken Lana's hand and asked her to show Hudson her true feelings. Having absolutely no idea what would happen, the last thing that she had expected was for Lana to grab the front of her shirt and pull her down for a kiss.  
  
A kiss! Lana Lang had kissed her! When did the universe suddenly decide that the life of its lone alien female on Earth had become a great cosmic joke?  
  
The worst of it was when Lana had realized what had happened; Hudson's minty mouthwash had given it away.  
  
"H.C.. "  
  
Hudson pulled from her thoughts to glance down at the petite girl beside her as they both came to a stop. "Yeah?"  
  
"About yesterday. " Lana stopped and wrapped her arms around her waist defensively. "That wasn't. I mean. "  
  
"Don't worry about it," Hudson interrupted, flashing a quick smile. "I mean, Kyle was just trying to prove a point."  
  
Lana nodded, not appearing in the least relieved.  
  
"I mean, he could make you do anything, right? So you had no control over it," Hudson assured her.  
  
Lana made a face and looked away. "Yeah," she replied softly. "I just. I wanted to make sure you knew that."  
  
Shrugging, Hudson gave her another smile. "Of course. No big deal."  
  
Nodding a little, Lana finally brought her gaze back to Hudson and returned the smile. "Good. I was hoping you wouldn't. well, I mean, that we could still be friends." She unwrapped her arms, as if uncertain what to do with them, and finally just dropped them to her sides. "I never got to tell you how much it meant to me when you helped out with the blood drive. You did a lot more than just lie back and let someone poke you with a needle. I hadn't realized what a task it was that I had taken on. You were a lifesaver."  
  
"I wouldn't say that." Hudson felt her cheeks redden at the praise. She turned and continued out of the yard, stopping only when she reached the fence to the west pasture. "I just felt bad that I'm so. you know, afraid of needles." She tried to laugh it off.  
  
Lana shrugged as she stood beside her. "Lots of people are afraid of needles. Michelle Parker passed out at the sight of her own blood."  
  
Now that Hudson considered it, she would probably do the same, considering she had never seen her own blood before. What if it was green, like a Vulcan's? She glanced down at her skin, peering at the veins for a moment. Maybe purple. Or blue. She really needed to stop thinking about this.  
  
"Ready for our field trip through the woods tomorrow?" Hudson asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Rock collecting." Lana nodded a little and smiled. "Never really pictured myself as the rock collecting type."  
  
Hudson's gaze moved to Lana's neck at the comment, bringing to mind another kind of rock. Again, the necklace made of the piece of meteor that killed her parents was missing. She found herself wondering at it. Lana used to never go without it. And now, Hudson rarely saw her with it.  
  
When she glanced back up, Lana was regarding her in return. It prompted Hudson to blurt out, "Why don't you wear your necklace anymore?"  
  
Lana's hand reached up to touch her neck, her fingers grazing against the neck of her pink sweater a moment before she shrugged. "I don't know. I guess. I've been searching for who I really am, you know? And I feel that if I hold on to the past, if I keep trying to be that person I was before, I'll never discover who it is I really want to be. I don't always want to be the tragic fairy princess on a magazine cover."  
  
Hudson smiled a little. She didn't know if she would ever have the chance to be anything other than who, or what, she already was.  
  
After Lana left, Hudson went up to the loft, picking the loft up a little and then glancing over her homework, which she really didn't feel like doing. Deciding she could put it off until the evening, she settled gingerly onto the couch where she picked up the copy of 'Idylls of the King' Lex had lent to her. Turning to the page she was on, she began reading of 'Geraint and Enid':  
  
And ever in her mind she cast about  
  
For that unnoticed failing in herself,  
  
Which made him look so cloudy and so cold;  
  
Till the great plover's human whistle amazed  
  
Her heart, and glancing round the waste she feared  
  
In every wavering brake an ambuscade.  
  
Then thought again, 'If there be such in me,  
  
I might amend it by the grace of Heaven,  
  
If he would only speak and tell me of it.'  
  
Hudson sighed and squinted at the page a little. Really, Lex read some of the most boring books. Sure, it was pretty and all, but it made her feel that her attention span to seem shorter than she had ever believed it truly was. It couldn't be her; this book was really just that yawn-inducing. And she was fairly positive that if she could get headaches from anything other than her x-ray vision, the books Lex had her read would be the cause. Tossing it down beside her, she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, and stared out across the barn.  
  
She missed Lex. Ever since Victoria had come to town, it was as if he were purposely pushing Hudson away. At first she had thought it was because of the day she had yelled at him when Lex had offered to try to help with Detective Phalen. Hudson hadn't meant to jump all over him like that, but she had been terrified of Lex learning the truth. It seemed everyone was finding out lately, between Phalen and Kyle Tippet. Her parents were becoming increasingly worried about her and, while Hudson believed she could take care of herself, there was the added fear of not being able to take care of those around her. Phalen's actions against her family and his death had taught her one important lesson - those who knew the truth of her origins were inherently in more danger than she was. If, by chance, one day she were to end up on a dissection table in some dingy lab, it would be her own fault. But she wasn't going to allow those around her to end up similarly harmed. Keeping Lex in the dark regarding the truth was no longer about the fear her parents had instilled in her; it was all about his protection. She couldn't always be there, especially when he insisted on pushing her away. Or shooting at her.  
  
Wincing at the memory of the night before, Hudson lifted her blue flannel shirt up and glanced over the bruises on her stomach, brushing her fingers over them lightly. At least she knew exactly how vulnerable her skin was now. Like, she couldn't be shot at point blank range with an automatic weapon without suffering at least some damage. Fortunately, they didn't so much hurt as make her feel uncomfortable. The mere thought of their presence forced her to contemplate what had happened - and what could have happened had she been someone else. Lex would have been responsible for murder. Not to mention the fact that she would be dead instead of sitting there, remembering.  
  
The problem was she had begun to feel the urge to tell Lex the truth, all of it. Hudson knew her parents would have been angry with her for doing so, but she was tired of lying, and she trusted him. She didn't want to be alone with the knowledge anymore; she wanted to be able to talk about it with someone other than her mom and dad.  
  
Phalen had changed everything.  
  
Everything she had experienced in that week had opened her eyes to how the world really worked, and why her parents were so afraid for her. The only police officers that Hudson had ever been exposed to were those like Sheriff Ethan and his deputies; generally good guys who enforced the law and spent most of their time harassing the high school students, especially as they attempted to cruise Main Street on Friday night. They were men and women who had attended high school with her father; they said 'hi' to you at the county fair and somehow always knew how you were doing in school and what fellow student you had a crush on. They offered you rides home from school when it was raining or snowing and they sometimes watched football games with her father on Sundays.  
  
With Phalen's attempt to destroy her family with blackmail to get what he wanted, Hudson's outlook on how the world worked came crashing to a very disappointing end. Everyone close to her was in danger of being hurt by those who might learn her secret. It was enough to make Hudson consider never allowing anyone close to her again, but she knew she would be too lonely to consider such a thing. So she just had to be careful; she had to guard her secret zealously. As much as she wanted to share it with people like Lex and Chloe, she knew that they would be safer, easier to protect, as long as they didn't know.  
  
The situation with Kyle Tippet and Bob Rickman had only cemented that decision in her heart.  
  
"Hudson."  
  
Hudson was so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't heard Lex pull up. Lifting her head, she flashed him a quick smile. "Hey." She rose as he approached, watching as he moved to stand beside her.  
  
"You can tell your dad that I talked to my lawyers," Lex informed her, glancing at her with a half-smile. "Because of Rickman's. untimely demise, they're not expanding. They ripped up the contract."  
  
"Thanks." Hudson flashed him another smile. "Your help is really appreciated, Lex."  
  
Lex shrugged. "Hey. What are friends for?"  
  
Hudson's smile faded a little as she remembered the rain of bullets from the night before. Forcing the memory from her mind, she glanced toward the back of Lex's head, searching for any signs of bruising or swelling. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Two concussions in about as many weeks. " Lex grinned over at her. "Luckily I have a hard head or they might not let me play with you anymore."  
  
Hudson laughed softly at the comment, finding the situation humorous in it's own sick way. She hadn't meant to throw him as far as she had last night but he had been shooting at her!  
  
"I still don't remember what happened," Lex continued, watching her closely.  
  
"I knocked into you, hoping to push you out of the way so you wouldn't hurt Kyle." Hudson shrugged. "I just hadn't realized how close the shelves were. I'm sorry."  
  
Lex didn't reply for a moment, still gazing at her. Finally, he asked, "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?"  
  
Hudson patted her chest, held her arms out wide to indicate that she was fine. Her expression clearly said she wouldn't have been standing there if he had. Lex smiled a little at her assurance then moved forward, gazing out of the loft at the pasture beyond.  
  
"Through the ample open door of the peaceful country barn."  
  
"What?" Hudson looked over at him, frowning a little at his strange comment.  
  
Lex smiled at her then looked back out once more. "It's something Walt Whitman wrote: Through the ample open door of the peaceful country barn a sun-lit pasture field, with cattle and horses feeding; and haze, and vista and the far horizon, fading away. I always think of it when I'm here." He glanced over at Hudson. "I wonder where Kyle is now?"  
  
She blinked for a moment at the abrupt change in topic. "I don't know." A pause. Bullets and suspicion and more lies. "It's still strange to think that he and Rickman were once best friends." Hudson turned to Lex, worry creasing her brow. "Do you think we'll end up like that?"  
  
"Trust me, Hudson," Lex replied, turning to her. "Our friendship is going to be the stuff of legends." He gave her a smile.  
  
Hudson tried to imagine anything that had to do with her being considered a legend and returned the smile out of humor at the thought. Maybe he meant that a Luthor being friends with a farm girl was what would become legend. Returning her gaze out the window, she found herself marveling over the easy companionability that she and Lex were able to share. They were so different from one another, far apart in age and upbringing, and yet they could just stand here and feel comfortable. They could say a thousand things to one another with a simple 'hello'. If only she were a few years older.  
  
Lex turned and walked over to the couch but didn't sit down, just stood there, glancing around the loft as if he had never seen it before. It had been a few weeks since he had last been there, ever since Victoria had arrived. At first, it had appeared that he was successful in his mission to put some space between himself and Hudson, but that had quickly failed as circumstances and events continued to throw them together. When he had needed her during Jeff Palmer's attack, she had been there, just as she had been there earlier for Victoria. Lex knew that Hudson didn't like Victoria Hardwick for a multitude of reasons, and when she had rescued her from drowning in the tub, he hadn't really been surprised. Hudson didn't judge people the way that others did. It was as if there was some innate inability to do so that was born within her. While Lex knew that some of it came from her upbringing - at least where Martha Kent was concerned since Jonathon Kent had judged him from the moment he'd come to town - he still believed that the larger part was simply Hudson's nature. It was what made her so unique.  
  
"So. How're things with Victoria?"  
  
Glancing over his shoulder, Lex caught Hudson watching him closely, her expression too easily discernable. It was amazing to him, the mixture of jealousy and acceptance that his friend displayed. Sometimes he wondered if she wasn't really just two different people.  
  
Nodding, Lex replied, "Very well. Thank you for asking." He paused for a moment, noting how her mouth tightened just a bit. He added, "She's not a bad person, Hudson. I think you'd like her if you got to know her."  
  
He didn't really believe that. Not that he thought Hudson wouldn't find anything to like about Victoria but simply because they were too different. And Victoria wouldn't like Hudson, and wouldn't allow herself to be liked in return. It was a problem with people of his social class - you couldn't allow yourself to actually enjoy the company of someone who might be beneath you in status. It didn't matter what they were like inside or how they treated you. Victoria harbored an innate dislike for Hudson simply because she lived on a farm. She hadn't even thanked her when she saved her life.  
  
But that didn't stop Lex from pressing the subject. Maybe he enjoyed the idea of Hudson feeling such jealousy over him. Maybe he wanted her to feel as miserable as he did deep down - he was forcing this separation between them but it didn't mean he enjoyed it. He wanted Hudson to feel the pain. Then maybe she would make the choice for him; end the friendship before the pain cut too deep. He'd already discovered he wasn't strong enough to just walk away.  
  
Hudson hadn't replied and Lex found a strange sense of regret building inside of him. Before he could stop himself, he told her, "I've missed you, Hudson."  
  
The smile that spread across her face was unmistakable and made his words worth the sacrifice. "I've missed you, too, Lex. I was afraid. well, it seemed like you didn't want to be friends anymore. Like you had replaced me with Victoria."  
  
Lex chuckled softly. "That would be impossible. You're irreplaceable."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that." She walked up to him, still smiling. Cocking her head slightly, she asked, "The stuff of legends, huh?"  
  
Reaching out, Lex brushed his fingers over her cheek and nodded. "Something like that, yeah."  
  
***  
  
Well, that answered that question.  
  
Her blood was red. And not green, like a Vulcan.  
  
After yesterday's field trip with her science class, Hudson had believed that the worst that could happen to her had already occurred. She'd been struck by lightning and felt a little weak afterwards. But this morning, she was either feeling the repercussions from that strike or something was seriously wrong with her. A simple task - the truck had been stuck in the mud and her father asked her to pull it out. It was nothing. She had been helping him with such tasks for years. But this time, her strength hadn't been there. She hadn't been able to remove the truck, and developed a bloody nose for her trouble.  
  
Hudson stared down at the cloth, watching in fascination as the blood from her nose slowly dried, growing darker. Beside her, her father occasionally reached out and stroked her back soothingly, not speaking, likely because he was as confused as she. It wasn't just the fact that she suddenly couldn't lift the truck up; a momentary lapse in her strength wasn't enough to send any of them into a panic. But the blood. That was something none of them had seen before and it was sufficiently shocking enough to settle a brief pall over all of them.  
  
The screen to the front door opened with a screech and her mother exited to join them on the porch. "Here's a clean coat, honey," she said softly, laying it over the railing beside Hudson. The blue one she had been wearing that morning was covered in mud, as her jeans had been. Hudson had changed into a pair of khakis but the coat was the only winter one she owned. The red one now lying beside her belonged to her mom.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" Martha asked, brushing her daughter's bangs from her forehead.  
  
Hudson didn't reply for a moment as she continued to stare down at the blood. "I just don't understand what's wrong with me." She lifted her gaze to her mother's. "Why am I bleeding?"  
  
"Maybe it's just part of your development, like X-ray vision," her mother offered, her brow furrowed as she looked up at her husband beside her. "Or maybe the lightning had something to do with it. I don't know."  
  
Making a face, Hudson returned her gaze to the cloth. She had saved Eric Summer's life the day before during their geology field trip. He'd been on the dam when lightning had struck, causing him to fall. When she reached for his bag, the pain caused by nearness to the meteor rocks swept over her. She completely forgot that some of the students had collected them for the science project. Fighting to forget the pain as she pulled Eric to safety, lighting struck again, only this time it had hit her. Hudson physically felt the shock move through her, and the sudden absence of her strength; luckily she already pulled Eric up enough to grab the railing and help her get him to safety. The biggest concern on her mind at that moment had been getting away from the meteor rocks. She hadn't even considered what part the lightning might have played in it, or if there would be ramifications to follow.  
  
"I am going to be okay. Right?" Hudson glanced up for confirmation from her parents.  
  
Her mother offered a small smile but no words of encouragement. Her father looked away, concentrating over her shoulder for a moment before telling her, "What you ought to do right now is go to school." He nodded toward the bus that was pulling up at the end of the drive. "And if anything else happens or it gets worse, give us a call."  
  
Hudson noticed that her father didn't appear to believe it was anything to worry about. Maybe it was just part of her development, as her mother had suggested, or maybe it was just a bad day. Or something. Picking up the coat, she stood and kissed her father on the cheek before hugging her mother and moving down the steps.  
  
Turning as she slid the coat on, Hudson commented, "You know, it's weird. I've never worried about being sick before." Secretly, she thought it was kind of cool, as well as frightening. Now she had a better understanding of those around her.  
  
"You're not sick, H.C.," her mother insisted. She smiled. "You're just. not yourself."  
  
"You just missed your bus." Looking down from his perch on the railing, her father told her, "You'd better hurry."  
  
Maybe she was worrying about nothing. Nodding once, Hudson shouldered her backpack and turned, breaking in to a run to head to school. She waited for the moment when everything around her would seem to come to a stop as she sped past at speeds she didn't really want to comprehend.  
  
Instead, nothing happened.  
  
Shock and fear swept over her and Hudson stopped beside the fence, turning a worried gaze to her parents.  
  
"Something wrong?" Her father called out.  
  
"My speed," Hudson replied. "It's gone, too."  
  
This time, both of her parents glanced at one another in concern and Hudson began to worry that this might not just be a stage of development.  
  
"I'll drive you to school," her father offered before leaning over to kiss her mother's cheek and then move down the steps to join Hudson beside the fence. He laid his hand on her shoulder and held her gaze for a moment. "Everything will be fine, honey. I promise."  
  
She wanted to believe him.  
  
Unfortunately, the day continued to get worse.  
  
Hudson had always been mystified as to why anyone would want to spend their day walking back and forth to their locker. It was much easier to simply carry all of your textbooks in your book bag from class to class. Whatever you didn't need at the end of the day, you could put in your locker before you headed home.  
  
Textbooks were a lot heavier than she had imagined.  
  
By third period, Hudson made the ultimate sacrifice and stopped by her locker, dumping any books she knew she didn't need and reducing her load to two. She would be back before her last period to grab her science book because she just wasn't going to allow herself to lug three around. Two still seemed too heavy.  
  
Lunch was no better. With a backpack on one arm and a tray laden with enough food to fill her stomach, Hudson finally gave in and stopped at the nearest table to set her load down, even though she preferred to eat at the table in the back. Pete and Chloe followed behind, glancing in confusion for a moment at the fact that she had stopped in the midst of tables filled with jocks, before they finally joined her.  
  
Hudson was certain she had pulled something.  
  
"Are you all right?" Chloe asked as she opened the bottle of Green tea on her tray. "You've been abnormally quiet today."  
  
"Fine," Hudson lied. "Just. freaked out from what happened yesterday or something."  
  
Pete grunted. "You'd think you would be used to playing the 'hero'."  
  
"I'm not a hero," she replied. What kind of hero can't even carry textbooks?  
  
"Hey guys."  
  
They glanced up to see Lana standing at the end of the table, flashing them all a hesitant smile before focusing her gaze on Hudson.  
  
"Hi, Lana." Hudson smiled back. "Want to join us?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, thanks. I have an Adopt-a-Child committee meeting to go to. I was just wondering if you wanted to go riding this afternoon? Donatello has been restless this week."  
  
"Sure." Hudson shrugged. "Give me a call."  
  
"Great! See ya."  
  
As Lana hurried away, Chloe turned to regard Hudson for a moment before replying, "You're getting awfully chummy."  
  
"She's not bad once you get to know her."  
  
Chloe frowned but didn't reply.  
  
PE was torture. Usually, it was Hudson's favorite class. Even though she had to hold back and carefully gauge her participation in the events - never throw a ball to hard or too far, never swing the bat with all of her strength, never run much beyond a slow jog - she still enjoyed using her strengths. She could run lap after lap without breaking a sweat, typically felt more energy after class was over than before and occasionally loved hitting a ball out of the field. She'd only done so a few times in her school career, but each had been worth the reactions from the boys.  
  
That day, though, sucked. One lap and Hudson was certain her heart was going to burst through her chest. And maybe her blood wasn't green, but what if her heart was? Or it could be shaped really funny or too big or too small and then, even if she was dead, they would still dissect her body into many different pieces in the name of science. What a crummy end to an otherwise only nominally exciting existence.  
  
At the end of the fifth lap, Hudson came to a stop, leaning over with her hands against her knees as she attempted to catch her breath. She felt a hand on her back and then Chloe's face appeared upside down beneath her.  
  
"Are you sick or something?"  
  
Hudson tried to shake her head as she gulped in air. God, she felt hot and sticky and just. yuck.  
  
"Well, you'd better finish the next lap or Coach Eppley will have you doing four more."  
  
Hudson thought she would die first.  
  
Chloe continued on while Hudson straightened and attempted to move her feet forward but they didn't want to budge. A few more of her classmates passed by before she noticed Eric running by himself. Curious to know if the lightning had affected him at all, Hudson forced herself back into a run to catch up with him.  
  
"Hey, Eric."  
  
"Oh, hey Hudson." He glanced over at her with a brief smile.  
  
There was a time when Hudson had developed a crush on Eric. It had been in the second grade, during a time when he had always waited at the bus stop with her after school was over and they had played together during recess. That blissful attraction had ended one day when he had proclaimed to her that he thought the Power Rangers were dumb. He was still one of the cuter guys in school in her opinion, even if he did fall under the category of 'geek', like herself.  
  
"We didn't really get a chance. to talk. after what happened yesterday," Hudson gasped out. Okay, running and talking at the same time. Not a good thing.  
  
Eric glanced over at her. "Yeah. Thanks for grabbing me. That was a pretty stupid move on my part."  
  
Hudson didn't really want a 'thank you'. What she wanted to hear him say was that he woke up this morning with all of these strange new abilities and he figured they must have come from her and would she like them back now because she really looked like she was going to pass out at any minute.  
  
In the hopes that she would receive just such a response, she gathered her breath and asked, "So, you feeling all right?"  
  
The boy beside her glanced ahead for a minute and then smiled. "Actually, I feel great."  
  
Compared to her at the moment, Han Solo probably felt great when they dipped him in carbonate. Her lungs were going to burst. She just knew it. Giving up on subtlety, she pressed, "But. there's nothing different. about you?"  
  
Eric shook his head, still smiling. "Why? Should there be?"  
  
"Uh. " Gasp. "No. I'm just. " Pant. "Glad you're okay."  
  
Hudson slowed, her legs turning to jelly beneath her as Eric continued on. Sniffling, she reached up to wipe her nose, only to pull her hand away and discover blood once more on her finger. Swallowing back the fear that crept its way over her again, she turned and made her way to the locker room.  
  
Chores, she was to discover, were no easier than running. What normally took her five minutes to do, now took over two hours. She was forced to decline Lana's invitation to go riding, which she'd felt guilty over because Lana had sounded extremely upset over something on the phone.  
  
All around, her day sucked.  
  
***  
  
"This could make one hell of a story."  
  
Lex felt something switch in the back of his mind as he imagined Hudson's face plastered all over the front of the Daily Planet and people traveling from all over to touch the girl who could survive being hit by a car. He shook his head, trying not to show amusement at Nixon's audacity.  
  
"No one's ever going to know about this," he told the reporter in a tone that suggested he was speaking to a slow child. "And if this story is 'accidentally' leaked, you and I are going to have a serious trust issue." He returned to his chair, fixing Nixon with a steely gaze.  
  
Nixon appeared amused. "As opposed to the close, personal relationship we enjoy now."  
  
Lex allowed a hint of a smile. He didn't trust Roger Nixon. Not one bit. But so far, the man had come through for him with all of the information he needed. Still, he would have to watch him closely, for Hudson's sake.  
  
Lex returned his gaze to the monitors in front of him as Nixon walked out of the study. Over and over again he watched as the animation before him proved what he had already known - he had hit Hudson that day on the bridge. Beyond the telling dent in the hood of the car that could only be made by a body, there was the memory. The flash of surprised green eyes staring into his; the brief regret that he would be taking the life of someone so beautiful with him. Before the car had careened off of the bridge, Lex had known that he was slamming into the young girl at the railing. The problem was he had awakened only to find her there, saving his life.  
  
Memory conflicted with fact.  
  
While he still planned on double-checking Nixon's sources, he knew the truth was in front of him. There was no other explanation, not for everything he had seen since meeting Hudson. Certainly not for the number of times she had saved his life, her ability to appear out of nowhere, the secrets he knew she was harboring.  
  
So what was her secret? That she was affected by meteor rocks in the same manner as half the town of Smallville seemed to be? Lex had difficulty understanding why she was so protective of the fact. After all, it wasn't as if no one had seen such a thing before. Maybe the Kent's were afraid that scientists would want to conduct tests on her, take her away to some hospital where they would never see her again. Lex frowned. Not while he had a breath in his body. That much was certain.  
  
As fascinated as he was by the idea that the meteors had affected her so much that she could be hit by a car and survive, Hudson meant a lot more to him than just some science experiment. It certainly wasn't important enough to destroy her life, not when there was plenty of other research out there that could be done.  
  
There were questions; Lex could admit that much. So many questions that needed answering, but when he asked, he would promise Hudson that everything would be kept between them. He just had to know. He had to hear the truth; he wanted explanations for. well, everything. And he would protect her. He'd guard her secret as closely as her parents did, and never allow anyone to cause her or her family harm.  
  
But first, he had to hear her say it.  
  
Climbing to his feet, he grabbed his keys from the edge of the desk, glancing for a moment at the folder beneath the keyboard. The Hardwicks. He had a meeting in Metropolis with Victoria and her father in the morning. The charade would finally be coming to an end and once more, the Luthors would be on top. Victoria would be out of his life - likely for good this time - and that would mean no more buffer zone between him and Hudson. No more excuses. He would either have to face up to the fact that he wanted an underage high school girl who just happened to be his closest friend, or tell her that they simply couldn't be friends anymore because it was inappropriate and move on. Neither option seemed particularly appealing.  
  
It was late when he pulled into the Kent drive and Lex found himself wondering if Hudson would be available to talk when the lights of the Jaguar flashed over her kneeling beside the fence of one of the paddocks. She was shaking her hand with a frown and cast another at the lights, wincing a little, which caused him to feel guilty for not being a little more careful. Pulling to a stop a few feet away, he climbed out of the car to find her rising to her feet, hammer and work gloves in hand, regarding him curiously.  
  
"Lex." She flashed him a smile. "What brings you all the way out here?"  
  
"I needed to talk," he replied as he approached, his gaze moving over her. It was amazing to think that this young woman, who appeared no stronger than any other girl her age, could withstand being hit by a car. And could then rip the roof off like it was a can of sardines. "Got a minute?"  
  
Hudson's expression said she had anything but, though she was still smiling and her eyes were welcoming. "If you want to help me with this fence." She reached down to pick up one of the two by fours.  
  
It was actually amusing. Lex had watched her haul around crates filled with produce like they weighed no more than cartons of eggs, toss hay bales into the back of her father's pick up and. well, there was the whole ripping the roof off of his Porsche and pulling him to the shore thing. And now she was asking for his help with a board. Either she was so used to the lie that she now lived it, or she suspected he was on to something.  
  
He couldn't help but ask, "You can't lift that by yourself?"  
  
Irritation flashed in her eyes as she glanced over at him, appearing to struggle a little beneath the weight. "Look, I've been baling hay for the last two hours," she explained with another frown as she half-lifted the board. "I can barely lift my own arms."  
  
Not believing her, Lex stepped forward with a smile and offered assistance, helping her to set the board in place while she reached into the pocket of her coat for a nail.  
  
"So what's up?" She asked.  
  
Lex took a breath, contemplating his words for a moment before beginning with, "We're friends, right?"  
  
Hudson was examining her thumb intently before glancing over at him with his question. Her eyes mirrored her confusion but she smiled and laughed a little as she nodded. "Yeah. Last time I checked." She hammered away at the nail a few seconds before flashing another look in his direction. "Why?"  
  
The direct approach was always best, that's what his mother had taught him. "I want you to tell me what really happened the day my car went off that bridge."  
  
The hammer stopped in mid-stroke and Lex watched Hudson closely, searching for any tell-tale signs that she might be preparing herself for another lie. Irritation swept over her expression again and she rolled her eyes. When she turned her gaze to him, Lex knew instantly that she was getting sick of hearing about that day and his rescue. It hurt a little that something which mattered so much to him meant so little to her.  
  
"I dove in and I pulled you out," she replied, as if she had recited those words a hundred times over. Maybe more.  
  
"And that's it?" Lex wanted more. He wanted her to offer the information freely. To trust him.  
  
"Lex." She smiled a little and leaned against the fence. "Seriously, what's wrong?"  
  
"I don't think you're being completely honest," he replied, moving past her to stare through the darkness at the cows in the next paddock over. He couldn't exactly look her in the eye while he accused her of lying. "And I think I know why."  
  
"All right," Hudson commented behind him, her tone hinting at exasperation. "Well then, you tell me what happened."  
  
A flash of green eyes, a look of fear and surprise. The deep regret that had filled him and then. Green eyes hovering over him. A promise of Heaven.  
  
"I think I hit you at sixty miles an hour." Lex turned to find Hudson rolling her eyes again, shaking her head in disbelief. He didn't let her reaction stop him. "Then, you ripped open my roof, pulled me out and saved my life."  
  
Gave him another chance, a better chance, a better future.  
  
Hudson didn't say anything. Her eyebrows still raised in incredulity, she glanced over his shoulder at the herd.  
  
He had to make her understand, make her trust him enough to open up. "You're the closest I've had to a real friend my whole life," he told her softly, fearing that he might appear pathetic by opening up like this. Not caring anymore; realizing that it was all because of Hudson, her belief in him. Lex tried not to consider that he was almost pleading with her. "You don't have to hide anything from me."  
  
Hudson's head shot up at that. Her voice was quiet, concerned, "You think I'm hiding something from you?"  
  
Lex didn't reply, he wasn't sure how to reply. How many times could you accuse a friend of lying to you before they turned away from you completely? He didn't know what it would take, what he should say to Hudson to make her understand. She meant so much to him, more than. He had to have a reason to continue to believe in her, in them.  
  
He didn't receive the answer he was looking for as Hudson promptly burst into tears. Lex regarded her in shock, having never seen her appear quite so vulnerable before. For a moment he just stood there, watching as the hammer fell to the ground and she buried her face in her hands and just. cried. He made her do that. His words, his accusations, and here she was standing in front of him like any other young woman confronted with being called a liar by her friend, just crying.  
  
Moving forward, Lex reached out to her, pulling her against him and holding her soothingly. "Shhhh," he whispered against her hair, the scent of apples surrounding him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry to. I didn't. " He sighed, unable to think of the appropriate words. He asked quietly, "What is it?"  
  
"This has been the most awful week!" Hudson wailed against his shoulder, a few tears brushing against his neck. "A classmate almost died, I got a C on my History exam, Lana kissed me, I'm tired and achy and now my best friend thinks I'm a liar!"  
  
Lex blinked. "Lana kissed you?"  
  
Hudson sniffled. "Lex."  
  
"Sorry. It's just. " Filing that information away for future inspection, he returned his attention to the matter at hand. "I'm not calling you a liar, Hudson," he assured her, squeezing her gently. "I just. It seems that there is some big secret you can't trust me with, that you're afraid to tell me, and I want you to know that you don't have to be. I care about you. I would never let anything happen to you."  
  
"Then trust me." Hudson lifted her head to meet his gaze. "You have to trust me, Lex. Or we're going to end up just like Kyle Tippet and Bob Rickman. And I don't want that to happen."  
  
"I don't either, angel," Lex replied, brushing some of her tears away with his fingertips before the backs of his fingers swept over her cheek. Her skin was like silk. "Sometimes it's. it's hard for me to trust. This is new. I can't. go off of blind faith here, Hudson. Everything. everything points to something remarkable happening that day at the bridge."  
  
Hudson reached up to take his hand into hers, threading their fingers together. "Something remarkable did happen, Lex. We met."  
  
Lex shook his head, fixing his gaze past her shoulder. There was a sinking feeling within him that he would never hear the truth from her, that there was no future between them. Like anyone else in his life, she would be untrustworthy, never really caring that their friendship was built on lies.  
  
"What will it take, Lex?"  
  
He returned his gaze to hers. "Tell me the truth, Hudson. "  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment then reopened them, staring intently into his. "The truth is, Lex, that if you were to hit me with your car right now, at 60 miles per hour, I would die like anyone else."  
  
Lex could see that she was telling him the truth; it was evident in her eyes. It left so many questions unanswered. What did that mean? That maybe his father had been wrong - there really wasn't an answer for everything out there. Or his father was right.  
  
And not even your closest friend could truly be trusted.  
  
***  
  
Hudson pulled open the door to the old Talon movie theatre, peering through the dim lighting into the lobby. Covered in dust and scattered boxes, the wallpaper peeling, the ceiling tiles crumbling above, the theatre was far from the glory that she remembered as a child. Her parents had brought her to see Jurassic Park on opening night and Hudson could still recall the way she'd trembled with fear at the sight of the gigantic dinosaurs on the screen above her, the screaming of the Velociraptors that caused her to bury her face deep in the safety of her father's jacket. Of course, with technology the way it was, especially to those who could afford it, she could enjoy the experience just as much in the comfort of Lex's theatre, instead of having to drive to Grandville and pay seven dollars.  
  
Stepping inside, she found she was grateful for the moment just to get out of the chilled air that had set in the night before. Hearing footsteps, she moved past the ragged curtains to find Lana descending one of the staircases that led to the tiny balconies located in the back of the theatre. Hudson smiled.  
  
"Trying to score the last box of Jujubes before this place is sold?"  
  
Lana glanced over and returned her smile. "Those things could probably survive a nuclear winter."  
  
Hudson's smile broadened and she moved further inside. "Your aunt said I'd find you here. I was worried about you when you called the other night and we haven't had a chance to talk. You okay?"  
  
Shrugging a little, Lana dropped her gaze to the floor. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just. When I heard my aunt was selling the building, I kind of freaked out." She paused and looked up. "My parents met here. My father worked the concession stand during college and my mom came to see 'Close Encounters'. She got bored. "  
  
"How do you get bored watching 'Close Encounters'?" Hudson queried, deeply mystified by the idea that anyone could do so.  
  
Lana smiled at the question. "I don't know. Maybe she had a thing against aliens."  
  
Hudson ignored the irony of the comment, making herself comfortable on an old bench as Lana continued:  
  
"She hung out in the lobby and spent the entire night talking to my dad. They'd only been a few years apart in high school but they'd never really noticed each other and that night. they just clicked." She glanced away, her gaze sweeping over the lobby. "I know it sounds crazy but I feel that whatever tangible evidence I have of my parent's existence is slowly being chipped away."  
  
"I thought you were the one who wanted to put your past behind you?" Hudson asked, regarding Lana thoughtfully. "Maybe this is just another step that you have to take in order to let go?"  
  
"Maybe." Lana sat down beside her, meeting her gaze for a moment. Finally she asked, "I'm surprised you didn't wait to talk to me at school."  
  
Hudson shrugged. "I thought we could walk together. " Her face reddened a bit. "And, I was wondering if I could borrow your English notes? I kind of dozed off in class yesterday."  
  
Lana laughed and reached for her binder. "Sure." She pulling them from the pocket and handed the paper over, asking as she did, "Have you been feeling okay lately?"  
  
"Yeah. Great. Why?"  
  
"Nothing." She shook her head. "You're just less. Hudson Kent-like. It's kind of nice. You seem more relaxed. Like you haven't got the weight of the world on your shoulders."  
  
Hudson smiled at the comment, feeling exactly like Lana had just described. "I think I've finally realized that I can't control everything, that maybe I just need to act like a teenager for awhile."  
  
"This change of heart wouldn't have anything to do with a certain strikingly handsome billionaire's son, would it?" Lana teased.  
  
Feeling her smile dissolve a little, Hudson stared intently at the notes in her hand. After Lex had left the farm the other night, her anger had grown a little at his inability to simply let things go. She hadn't spoken to him since.  
  
"I'm sorry," Lana said, apparently noticing the change. "Did I say something wrong?"  
  
"No." Hudson shook her head and forced a small smile. "Lex and I, we just. well, we've had our problems recently."  
  
"I'm sure you'll work it out. I think the two of you share a very special relationship."  
  
Hudson glanced over at the girl beside her. "Lana, we're just friends."  
  
She shrugged. "So? Who says it can't become more? I've seen the way you two look at each other. Everyone has. It's only a matter of time."  
  
"Don't tell my father that."  
  
"He's protective of you," Lana commented wistfully. "I guess that's expected."  
  
"I suppose." Hudson slipped the notes into her backpack and leaned against the counter behind her. "How's Whitney?"  
  
"Busy. Even though his father should be resting, he is insisting on getting caught up on all of the work he is getting behind in. He's running Whitney ragged."  
  
"You don't get to see him as much lately?"  
  
Lana shook her head. "No. Not really."  
  
Hudson flashed her a sympathetic expression, considering how all of their lives seemed to be changing lately. Then she smiled as an idea formed. "You know what? You and I and Chloe should get together one of these weekends and have a slumber party. We can eat like pigs, do weird things to our hair, paint our nails and watch gorgeous guys on the TV screen. What do you say?"  
  
Laughing, Lana nodded in agreement. "That sounds like the perfect plan!"  
  
"And then, when it gets really late, we can crank call the Luthor castle. "  
  
"H.C.!" Lana's eyes flew open in shock but she laughed harder. "You're horrible!"  
  
"No, I just want to see what Lex would do to a crank caller. Do you think he has tracers to find out where you're calling from?" Standing up, Hudson slung her backpack over and her shoulder and nodded toward the door. "Come on. I've been late to school enough recently. "  
  
***  
  
Hudson was quickly learning her lesson about sticking her nose into other people's business. Sure, it had always worked for her in the past, but then she had been the one doing the tossing, not the one being tossed.  
  
The strangest part was discovering that she was just as fragile as anyone else. Bruised ribs and a concussion were really the last things on earth that Hudson ever really wanted to experience again. Waking up on top of the roof of a car had been disconcerting - the ride to the hospital even more so. And trying to keep the nurses from taking x-rays, fearful of whatever strange difference that might appear, had taken every ounce of persuasion Hudson had within her. Too bad she hadn't been quite as persuasive with Eric.  
  
She could understand where he was coming from. If her powers had just been handed to her this year, she probably would have made the most of their appearance - using them to gain the popularity and respect that she had longed for. But even she could see where this destructive behavior could lead him if she was unable to convince him that he needed to keep those abilities in check, hide them. Unfortunately, after what had happened in the high school parking lot, it was likely too late.  
  
The day before, she and her parents had seen the news story regaling Eric's amazing fight with a purse-snatcher who had claimed Chloe as his victim. The entire account had been written from Chloe's perspective of the attack, and was newsworthy enough to be featured in the Ledger. Something of which Chloe had been extremely proud of, bragging about all that day in school. While Hudson had been happy for her success, she really wished it had been about something other than 'Superboy', as Chloe had named him. What had irked her more than anything was the fact that everyone in town seemed 'okay' with it. Here she and her parents had been spending every ounce of energy within them to keep her abilities a secret from everyone, when apparently, it just wasn't necessary. Hudson was beginning to wonder if Smallville wasn't much different from the town of Sunnydale on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', where people just accepted what they saw and moved on with their lives. So, did that make her Buffy? Or, at least, she had been Buffy, before Eric got a hold of her powers and now she was just. an alien who seemed human.  
  
At first, it had been a bit of a relief to know that she could be normal, that she might never have to worry about pulling back when playing sports or hugging someone or running or jumping or. anything. She had even been able to participate in her first game of friendly volleyball against Lana and Whitney that afternoon. Sure, she and Pete had gotten their asses kicked but the point was, Hudson had been able to hit the ball as hard as she could - and it didn't go very far. It certainly didn't explode into little bits of rubber. And she had fallen and scraped her elbows and knees and it had hurt - and felt wonderful. Hudson couldn't imagine the last time she had felt so alive, so a part of everything and everyone around her. She wouldn't have to be alone anymore. She wouldn't have to harbor secrets and feel like a horrible person because she was constantly lying to her closest friends.  
  
She was free.  
  
But at what cost? Eric was out of control and Hudson knew there was no one who would be able to stop him. Her parents had been lucky; she'd had time to grow in to her abilities, becoming comfortable with the most destructive of them as a child. Sure, she had broken furniture and dishes and punched a few holes in the walls, but it had all been easily replaceable and her parents had taught her, early on, how to be careful. Eric didn't have that luxury and there was no one around to teach him control.  
  
"Just a little higher."  
  
Hudson winced a little at Doctor Davis' request. She'd already been holding her arms up for what seemed like centuries and every time she lifted them just a bit more, sharp pain surged through her insides. It was like someone was continually stabbing her in the side with a sharp knife.  
  
"How much longer is it going to hurt like this?" She asked, hoping to hear him reply 'Oh, another five minutes or so'.  
  
"Oh, you'll be fine in a couple of weeks."  
  
Not five minutes. Hudson was certain the doctor had to be wrong. Or lying to her. Or something. "A couple of weeks?" Total disbelief.  
  
"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."  
  
Okay, so the good doctor needed to be shot for that remark. Drawn and quartered. Dropped in a vat of acid. Forced to watch 'Barney' for the rest of his life. Whatever. Hudson really hoped her expression conveyed that to him. His amused smirk in response said it had.  
  
"H.C.!"  
  
Hudson turned to be enveloped in her mother's embrace and the pain shot through her once again. "Easy on the ribs, mom!" She protested, wondering if she was truly as much of a wimp as she sounded.  
  
Looking up, she saw her father move up behind her mom, worry creasing his brow. Hudson was glad she was wearing her sports bra that day, and not the little lacy lavender thing she had recently purchased on the off chance that she would have to strip in front of Lex for whatever reason someday.  
  
"How's she doing, doc?" Her father asked.  
  
"Well, nothing seems to be broken," Doctor Davis replied, turning his attention to her parents. "We could get an x-ray just to be safe. Hudson has been insisting it wasn't necessary so I thought I would ask you?"  
  
Hudson glanced in panic at her parents.  
  
"Umm, I think we'll just take her on home," Jonathon replied with a nod.  
  
"It's your choice but I want to see her back again in a week," the doctor instructed.  
  
They nodded and Hudson offered her thanks as Doctor Davis walked out of the room. Her mother had already picked up her sweater and was carefully attempting to slip her arms into it, one at a time. Hudson winced at the movements and wished she had worn something simpler that day, like a burlap sack or something.  
  
"You help her get dressed and I'll go take care of the paperwork." Her father looked at her for a moment before reaching out and touching her chin. "You sure you're all right, honey?"  
  
Hudson met his gaze and nodded. "Yeah. But I could definitely do without the whole 'pain' thing. I don't think I'll be taking up extreme sports or anything soon."  
  
He smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek before turning and exiting the room.  
  
Martha moved around to the other arm, gently helping Hudson slip it into the sleeve before gathering the neckline into her hands and stretching it wider to lift it over her head. "What happened?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Eric just flipped out," Hudson replied, wincing again as she ducked her head to put the sweater on. She reached up to pull it down around her waist and her mother helped her to her feet. "It was kind of scary."  
  
"I wish you hadn't gotten in his way." Martha frowned a little as she placed her hand at Hudson's back, helping her from the room.  
  
Yeah, Hudson was thinking that same thing. "I don't know what it is." She shook her head and glanced at her mother. "Even though Eric has my abilities, I still think of them as my responsibility."  
  
Her mother gave her a small smile as they moved from the room.  
  
"Hudson?"  
  
Hudson and her mother turned to find Lex moving down the hall toward them, his gaze sweeping over her quickly as if assuring himself that she was all right. He stopped beside her, dressed in a dark suit and long black coat, looking more like he should be in a boardroom in Metropolis than a hospital.  
  
"I just heard."  
  
"Hi, Lex," Martha greeted with a small smile before glancing back up at her daughter. "I'll go see if you dad needs anything." She said goodbye to Lex then hurried away.  
  
Hudson hadn't told her parents about Lex's visit the other night, and while they had parted on good terms, she still felt the gap that had appeared between them. During the past few days, she hadn't bothered calling him or stopping by. She really didn't want to deal with more of his questions at the moment. There was enough going on in her life. So his sudden appearance after her injury was a little too much. It made her angry - not at him but at herself for her continual lies. Now that her abilities were gone, it felt as if she were lying to cover up the lies from before. Lying about lying, or something like that.  
  
Turning to start down the hall, Hudson asked, "So did you come by to make sure I was hurt?" It was low blow but she couldn't stop the words from forming.  
  
"I wanted to make sure you were all right," Lex replied quietly behind her.  
  
"Yeah," she responded with heavy sarcasm. "Never better. Maybe we can go out in the parking lot and you can hit me with your car."  
  
Lex touched her elbow, bringing her to a halt. Hudson turned to face him and saw nothing but regret in his eyes. She immediately felt guilty for mouthing off.  
  
"Hudson," he began softly. "What I said about you the other day -- I'm sorry." He sighed and looked away, shrugging a little. "Nothing appears to be what it seems lately."  
  
He had no idea. Hudson blinked for a moment then brought her gaze up to meet his. "Does that mean you're going to stop snooping around my back now?" She asked hopefully. She was trying to imagine a friendship that existed between them were there were no lies to cover up, no secrets to hide, no private investigations.  
  
"I had no right to question your honesty," Lex told her, his hand moving up to brush her hair back from her shoulder, his fingers lightly grazing her neck. "All I can do is plead temporary insanity and hope that we can find a way to put this behind us."  
  
She wanted that. To just forget all of this had happened and move on with her life and maybe be normal. Of course, that meant figuring out some way to bring Eric under control, to help him understand the responsibilities that came with being so powerful. Until she found the answers, Hudson had more important things to take care of - like salvaging her friendship with Lex.  
  
Smiling in a completely wicked manner, she asked, "Only temporary?"  
  
Lex smiled and half-rolled his eyes, obviously both non-appreciative of her comment and pleased that she was comfortable enough to joke with him. "Do you need some help?" He offered.  
  
Hudson nodded and Lex took her arm, allowing her to lean on him a little as he guided her down the corridor. His black coat was cashmere and she enjoyed the feel of it beneath her fingers as she laid her hand over his forearm. He smelled wonderful - a combination of soap and cologne and silk. She glanced over at him surreptitiously, taking in the purple tie and crisp white shirt. Lex was dressed more formally than she was used to seeing for Smallville.  
  
"Do you have an important meeting or something today?"  
  
Lex looked at her for a moment then nodded. "I was in Metropolis this morning." He glanced at his watch. "I have to be back this evening to close a deal."  
  
Hudson frowned a little and stopped. "You. you drove all of the way back here because of me?"  
  
"You're important to me, Hudson," Lex replied, squeezing her arm a little as their eyes met. "I. After my behavior the other day, I didn't want to lose you. I thought I needed to prove what you mean to me."  
  
"I. " Hudson trailed off, uncertain of what to say. Then, she couldn't help asking, "Wait. How did you know?"  
  
More suspicion. Lex obviously noticed because his expression became shuttered and he looked away. "I do have friends at the school, you know. As well as in the Sheriff's office."  
  
Shifting a little, Hudson regretted the implied accusation. "I'm sorry. I just. It just means a lot to me that you would drive so far to check on me. You could have just. called." She shrugged and winced at the movement.  
  
"I know." Lex began guiding her down the hall once more. "But I was worried." He paused for a moment as they neared the reception desk, then added, "Victoria is gone."  
  
Hudson stopped, turning to look at him. "Oh. Why?"  
  
Lex dropped his hand when he saw her parents looking in their direction. "Family obligations." He smiled a little. "The Luthors and the Hardwicks were never meant to join forces."  
  
If she had been feeling better, she might have done cartwheels down the hall. "I'm. sorry." For lack of a better word.  
  
"No, you're not." Lex flashed her a knowing smile. "I need to get back to the city but, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to call. All right?"  
  
Hudson nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Lex."  
  
"I'm glad you're okay, angel." Leaning in, Lex kissed her cheek gently then moved off down the hall.  
  
"What was he doing here?"  
  
Hudson stared after Lex's disappearing form, her cheek tingling just a little where he had kissed her before she turned to answer her father. "He wanted to make certain I was all right."  
  
Jonathon frowned a little but didn't reply.  
  
"Come on, honey." Martha took her daughter's hand and squeezed it gently. "Let's get you home. You're probably starving."  
  
Hudson smiled a little, deciding it wouldn't hurt to milk the injury for all it was worth. She nodded. "I am." Then added a wince for good measure. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole pot roast all by myself."  
  
Jonathon chuckled. "That sounds like a request."  
  
"But only if said pot roast came minus the cooked carrots but with extra potatoes and lots of gravy," Hudson continued, much to her parent's amusement. "And fresh baked rolls. With honey butter. "  
  
***  
  
"This is who I am, whether I have my powers or not."  
  
Hudson knew she was going to regret those words the moment she had said them. And now, here she sat, her powers apparently returned to her, Eric laying beside her, in pain, confused. She reached out and touched his cheek, trying to give him a little comfort.  
  
"It's all right, Eric. Help will be here soon. You'll be okay. I promise."  
  
Of course, she had no idea if he was going to be okay or not. But it seemed like the right thing to say. Luckily, he'd had a cell phone in his coat pocket and she had been able to call for an ambulance. She had also called to let her parents know she was all right and everything had been taken care of.  
  
When they returned from the hospital, her mother received a call from Maggie Sanders, Smallville's biggest gossip, telling her all about the police cars and fight that occurred at the Summer's home. That was when Hudson had understood that no matter if she had her abilities or not, it was still her responsibility to try to help Eric, to stop him from hurting more people. Her parents protested, saying she was injured, and obviously worried that she could receive further injuries. It was then Hudson had wondered if Eric would have the same weaknesses as her since he had her same powers.  
  
Hurrying off to the nearby creek where one of the meteor strikes was known to have occurred, Hudson searched until she found a small gathering of meteor rocks. Making a mental note to tell her father about this place so he could dispose of the things, she slipped the rock into her pocket and went off in search of Eric, hoping that her hunch was correct.  
  
By the time she found him at the dam, Eric had discovered exactly how indestructible he was. The knowledge seemed to knock him a little more off- balance and Hudson knew for certain that if she wasn't able to stop him now, a lot more damage would occur. He almost succeeded in knocking her unconscious before she could do much, but somehow she had pulled through, and with the help of the rock and the substation they were at, she had managed to get her powers transferred back to their rightful body. Her attempt at 'humanity' was short lived.  
  
At least her ribs didn't hurt anymore.  
  
It was Eric she worried about now. Likely he would be tested, and he would have to face the consequences of his actions, and then there were his parents, who had been completely freaked out over the whole experience. Hudson couldn't help but feel plenty of guilt over her own part in all of this. If she had just been a regular person, none of this would have happened. None of this. If she had been a regular person, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold Eric when he had fallen from the dam in the first place. And he would have been dead.  
  
"Hudson?"  
  
Snapping out of her reverie, Hudson glanced down at Eric, laying her hand on his shoulder. "I'm here."  
  
He opened his eyes a little and looked up at her and she found herself wishing this hadn't happened to someone so nice, with so much potential. Then again, had it been one of the jocks, Smallville would likely be in ruins.  
  
"I don't understand. what happened to me?"  
  
Hudson frowned a little and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm not certain, hon. Maybe it had something to do with the lightning strike?"  
  
"I'm so cold." His eyes fluttered closed again.  
  
Slipping off her coat, Hudson laid it over him. "You'll be okay."  
  
"They're going to run tests on me, aren't they?" Eric opened his eyes once more, focused on Hudson. "My dad wanted to. now I can't get away."  
  
"I don't see any reason for them to do something like that," Hudson replied with more hope than she felt. "You're just. a normal guy."  
  
Eric was silent for a long moment. Hudson could hear sirens in the distance.  
  
"I'm sorry I hurt you," he told her softly.  
  
"It's all right," she assured him. "I'll heal."  
  
He stared up at her and Hudson forced herself not to shift, not to falter beneath his regard or give anything away. Finally, Eric nodded a little and closed his eyes again as the ambulance and two police cars pulled up alongside the substation.  
  
Grabbing her coat, Hudson stood as the medics arrived, answering the few questions they fired at her before she stepped out of the way. Sheriff Ethan caught her before she could get very far and demanded to know what was going on. More lies, and this time she had to think fast because she hadn't really considered what her story was going to be. She had no idea how much of the events Eric would remember or even feel like telling.  
  
"Eric was a friend. I felt like I should try to help him, get him to calm down and give himself up to the authorities."  
  
The sheriff stared at her as if he clearly didn't believe a word she had just said. "What happened?"  
  
Hudson shrugged and glanced toward the medics. "He flipped out. Said he wasn't going back and I couldn't make him. Then he ripped one of the wires from the substation and. I guess it electrocuted him or something. I knocked him to the ground and found his phone. Called you guys."  
  
Sheriff Ethan nodded as he wrote some notes on the pad in his hand. "We may be calling you if we need more information."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"H.C.!"  
  
Turning, Hudson saw her father hurrying over to her, his brow furrowed in concern. He glanced once toward Eric as he reached her, then nodded to the sheriff who moved off to talk with the medics.  
  
"Are you all right?" He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked over her closely.  
  
"I'm fine." Hudson nodded, holding his gaze. "More than fine. Like. back to normal."  
  
She thought her father winced. His expression definitely became more grim and Hudson felt the guilt stab at her. Life was easier when they didn't have to pretend she was just like everyone else. When a future free from lying and secrets seemed possible. She knew her parents worried about her; she knew they worried about the whole family. And it was all because of her.  
  
"That's good," Jonathon commented, pulling her in for a quick hug. Stepping back, he looked towards the ambulance. "How's Eric?"  
  
"Confused."  
  
Hudson followed his gaze. Eric's father had arrived and was standing with Sheriff Ethan and one of his deputies. Mr. Summers looked angry, and continually cast that expression toward his son. Poor Eric.  
  
"What do you think is going to happen to them now?" She asked quietly as her father took her arm and began leading her toward the truck.  
  
"Not sure," her father replied. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "They had problems long before he had your abilities, you know."  
  
Hudson nodded a little in reply. When they were younger, Eric used to come by the farm to play and he seemed to never want to go home.  
  
Pulling her to a halt, Jonathon turned her to face him, reaching up to cup her chin. "Honey, I know you were hopeful that you could be 'normal' from now on but. I want you to understand, your gifts might be a part of you but they don't define who you are."  
  
"I know." Hudson glanced away for a moment before returning her gaze to her father's. "But they complicate all of our lives."  
  
Jonathon sighed, squeezed her hand again. "You know, seeing how destructive Eric got. it just reminded me how special you really are, Hudson."  
  
She watched her father for a long moment, then smiled softly. "That's because Eric didn't get my two strongest gifts. You and mom."  
  
Her father smiled at that and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment, pretending that it really didn't matter if she had her abilities or not.  
  
***  
  
The day was beyond cold.  
  
When Lex climbed out of the Ferrari at the Kent Farm and breathed in, his nose hairs instantly froze and tickled. He frowned at the sensation, hoping he could make it from the car to the back porch without his lungs freezing before he got there. For as long as he could remember, Lex hated cold weather. He knew it stemmed from the asthma he'd had as a child, the memories of how the cold affected him, the bronchial spasms that the loss of heat and moisture from his airways would cause. His nannies were always smothering him in scarves and masks to protect him and he'd positively hated being so confined. He spent his winters cooped up in the house, staring out the window while the other children played in the snow, sledding and having snowball fights. By the time the asthma went away, he couldn't find a friend to play in the snow with. His father had waved his tears away with his typical logic, "Playing in snow is highly over-rated, Lex. Read a book. Learn something."  
  
Shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat, Lex pulled it tighter around him, forcing the memories away as he started toward the house. He wished that he could forsake pride enough just once to wear a stocking cap - his ears were freezing. The scents of autumn assailed his senses as he followed the path to the porch - smoke from the chimney, a hint of snow, decaying leaves on the wet ground. Moving up the steps, Lex was greeted by even more smells as he reached out to knock - the baked goods of the Kent kitchen.  
  
Hudson opened the door and Lex was surprised to see her. After all, he was pretty sure it was a school day, no matter how evil it might be to send anyone out in weather this cold. She gave him one of those mega-watt smiles and he realized he wasn't quite so cold anymore.  
  
"Lex. Come in." She pushed the door open and stood to the side as he stepped into the kitchen. "What brings you by?"  
  
"I was just out for a drive when I remembered that Dodd wanted to change the produce order for the week so I thought I would stop in."  
  
His gaze swept over the kitchen, which was invitingly warm and appeared as if a tornado had come through, piles of plates and bowls and pots covering the counter space. There was food everywhere, lending an explanation to the myriad smells that had hit him outside the door. Half a dozen pies sat cooling on the island counter beside a huge bowl of salad, a Jell-o mold, unshucked ears of corn and a strainer of fresh peas.  
  
"Your ears are bright red." Hudson reached up and cupped her hand over one of them.  
  
Lex started a little at how warm her touch was but didn't move away. "It's cold out there."  
  
"Mom makes me wear earmuffs on days like this." She made a face and pulled her hand away.  
  
"I'm not exactly the earmuff type," Lex replied with a half-smile. He turned his gaze back to the food. "Is there a Bake Sale or something that I didn't hear about?"  
  
Hudson stared up at him for a moment before she shook her head and laughed. "Lex, it's Thanksgiving."  
  
"Oh." Lex ran a hand over his scalp as he looked around.  
  
He hadn't really paid attention to the week because he was supposed to be in Metropolis meeting with his father anyway. But Susan, his father's secretary, had called that morning to inform him that Lionel had cancelled due to an unexpected meeting with shareholders in Paris.  
  
Thanksgiving. The last time he had celebrated this holiday had been the year his mother had died. His father had insisted that they would still observe the holidays like a family and forced him to sit down to a silent meal of goose and stuffing. They had both been so miserable without his mother's easy conversation and airy laughter that Thanksgiving had never occurred within the Luthor household again.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said finally, glancing over at Hudson. "I didn't mean to intrude."  
  
She grinned. "Seriously, Lex. When have you ever 'intruded'?"  
  
Lex was about to reply when Martha bustled into the kitchen, wearing an apron and oven mitts, carrying a baking sheet half-filled with cookies. Her face was slightly flush and her hair was a mess and she was beaming, and Lex thought he hadn't seen a woman so beautiful since his mother.  
  
"Your father is eating half the gingersnaps, H.C.," Martha commented before noticing Lex. "Oh, hi Lex. How are you?"  
  
"Fine, Mrs. Kent. Thank you," he answered as she slid the cookies on to a plate. "I just. I needed to change the produce order for this week."  
  
If she found his request on Thanksgiving a little strange, she didn't say so. Grabbing a notepad and pen from one of the drawers, she handed them over to him. "Just write what you need and we'll take care of it."  
  
Lex nodded and took the paper, following Hudson over to the table where he sat down beside her to write out the request. The chair creaked beneath him and he cherished the sound, knowing that nothing seemed so old and worn and used in that cold castle he called home. Not a single room in the mansion held the warmth and charm and love that could be felt inside the Kent kitchen. It was pathetic but he found himself taking his time writing out the order, just so he could stay there a little bit longer. He didn't want to interrupt the Kent's holiday but the smells and the sounds and Hudson's quiet presence beside him were things Lex found himself longing for more often. He could almost pretend that he was a part of a real family.  
  
"You should stay for dinner."  
  
At Hudson's whisper, Lex turned his head to look at her. She was leaning close to him, her eyes bright. "I shouldn't even be here now," he replied quietly. "I didn't realize. I had forgotten it was Thanksgiving."  
  
Hudson's eyes widened with shock as if he had just told her he ran over a few puppies on his drive to the farm. "How could you forget it was Thanksgiving? It's like the best day of the year - all-you-can-eat turkey! Well, aside from Christmas, when you get food and presents!"  
  
His smile was painful. "Not everyone has a family like yours, Hudson."  
  
She frowned and glanced down at the table for a moment. Lex watched her, thinking that he really needed to stop dragging her down into his own personal Hell. Her life was beautiful, and so what if she was a little naïve, a little sheltered from the real world. He wanted to keep her that way. Hudson didn't need to mire herself into the Luthor family pathos.  
  
Knowing he needed to hurry out of there, Lex finished the order and moved to stand when beside him, Hudson said very loudly, "You should join us for dinner, Lex."  
  
He turned to frown down at her, knowing she had spoken loudly on purpose. Behind him, he heard Martha Kent halt her preparations and knew she was looking at him.  
  
"I'm sure Lex has plans," Martha commented, though there was a question in her tone.  
  
Lex was about to lie and say that he did, but Hudson beat him to it.  
  
"No. He doesn't. He didn't even realize today was Thanksgiving."  
  
Now he was beginning to feel embarrassment and he hated that, and he wanted to tell Hudson to shut her mouth but she was looking up at him, challenging him. Her expression spoke volumes - he owed her his silence. Lex didn't appreciate it; he didn't like pity and he especially didn't want it from the Kents. Fortunately, he knew he wasn't exactly a favorite in the household and hopefully, that much would save him.  
  
"Well, you're certainly welcome to stay, Lex," Martha invited, pots once more resuming their clanging behind him. "We have plenty of food."  
  
Dammit.  
  
Lex turned and smiled at Hudson's mother. "I appreciate the offer, Mrs. Kent. But this is a family day and - "  
  
"Family and friends," Hudson corrected, standing behind him and snatching the order from his hand. She walked over to the bulletin board and pinned it near the top before turning back to face him. "You can't turn down the food, Lex. I even made a few of the pies."  
  
Martha laughed. "H.C., I thought you were trying to convince him to stay. Not chase him away with gastronomic-induced fear."  
  
Hudson stuck her tongue out at her mother who snapped the dishtowel in her direction in response. Lex looked on in bemusement at the easy affection between mother and daughter. A couple of hours of watching the warmth displayed among the Kent family would be extremely uncomfortable. He felt enough of an outsider as it was - prolonged exposure would only make it worse. Turning to Hudson, he was about to really leave this time, come up with a solid reason why he couldn't stay and walk out the door. But she was looking up at him hopefully, and he had come so close to almost destroying their friendship earlier that week that he realized he would do just about anything she asked of him at that moment, just to prove that he was sorry.  
  
"Please stay?" She asked quietly.  
  
He nodded just a little and looked away, wondering what Jonathon Kent would say when he learned of their dinner guest, and just how long would it be before the man asked him to leave.  
  
"Well, if you're going to stay, take your coat off and relax," Martha told him as she moved past him to the table, carrying an armload of plates.  
  
Lex began to remove his coat, which Hudson quickly took from him to hang on the coat rack near the door.  
  
"H.C., set the table, please." Martha hurried past once more, lifting the lid off a pot on the stove, which appeared to hold more than half a dozen large, boiling potatoes.  
  
"Is there something I can do?" Lex asked, feeling as if he were in the way.  
  
"Go tell my husband that the turkey will be ready to carve in about five minutes, please?"  
  
Lex stared at the woman as if she were insane.  
  
Martha caught his look and smiled. "He's not going to bite, Lex. It's Thanksgiving. Jonathon loves food almost as much as H.C."  
  
Lex glanced helplessly at Hudson, who had paused in the distribution of the silverware to listen to the conversation. She gave him an encouraging smile and shrugged before nodding her head towards the front room. He had a feeling this would be the shortest dinner invitation ever.  
  
There were times when Lex came over to the Kent household when he felt he had either walked into an episode of 'Little House on the Prairie' or a Norman Rockwell painting. He had a feeling that all holidays at the Kent's were spent as Norman Rockwell paintings, and he quickly discovered that his intuition had been correct. He entered the family room to find Jonathon stretched out in the recliner, a beer in one hand and bowl of potato chips beside him on the end table, the matching bowl of dip mostly empty. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace and the annual Thanksgiving Day football game blared from the 27-inch television. The only thing missing was an old hunting dog sleeping on the carpet by the fire.  
  
Jonathon glanced up when he entered, beer halfway to his lips, coming to an abrupt halt. A long stare between them began and Lex braced himself for the coming diatribe. He didn't think Hudson's father knew about their recent problems but he wasn't completely certain.  
  
"Lex," Jonathon began, setting the bottle of Coors down on the table. "What brings you by?"  
  
"I had to change the week's order with Mrs. Kent."  
  
The man in the chair nodded. "Joining us for dinner?"  
  
Just like that. He had stopped by, unannounced, likely unwanted, and yet everyone in the household expected him to stay, to join them in their Thanksgiving feast. Because it wasn't like anyone with the name Kent to ignore such an innate courtesy. Not even to someone they didn't particularly like.  
  
"I don't wish to intrude, Mr. Kent," Lex began.  
  
"It's Thanksgiving," Jonathon replied.  
  
And that was the end of that. Just as when Lincoln had declared it a holiday during the Civil War and each side had laid down their arms for one day, an armistice seemed to be called between himself and Mr. Kent as well. Lex didn't know how to respond. He glanced at the television as Dallas' new quarterback was sacked.  
  
Jonathon cursed good-naturedly from the chair. "That poor rookie's going to set a record for most sacks taken if he doesn't learn the fine art of scrambling."  
  
Lex didn't know how to reply to that. He finally announced, "Mrs. Kent said that the turkey would be ready to carve in a few minutes."  
  
"Good news. I'm starving." Jonathon rose from the chair, grabbing his beer in hand and walking past Lex toward the kitchen. "Been keeping up with the Sharks this season?"  
  
Following, trying not to think too hard about what a strange conversation this was, Lex shook his head. "Not really. I haven't even been to a game yet."  
  
Jonathon grunted as he headed over to the counter where Martha was removing the lid from the roaster. Lex glanced over into the dining area to see the table set, bowls and platters of food already crowding the surface. Stopping beside him, Hudson held up two glasses - one filled with an amber- colored liquid, the other champagne-colored.  
  
"Homemade cider or white wine?"  
  
"Water is fine."  
  
She looked a little disappointed but moved past the refrigerator. "Mom, can I have a glass of wine?"  
  
"No, H.C. We've discussed this."  
  
"Dad. "  
  
Lex smirked to himself at the slight whine in her voice. He waited for Jonathon to agree with his wife.  
  
"Now, Martha, maybe - "  
  
"Jonathon, we've already agreed not until she turns sixteen." Martha turned a sharp look to her daughter and Lex knew that if she had ever given him the same, he would have shrunk away in fear. "You aren't going to impress Lex by getting tipsy on Thanksgiving."  
  
Hudson turned an interesting shade of red at her mother's words and Lex politely found something very interesting about the back door to focus his attention on.  
  
When they sat down to dinner, Lex found himself seated across the table from Hudson, who still wouldn't look at him. He couldn't believe her mother's comment had embarrassed her so badly, especially when he had simply found it amusing. Of course, teens didn't like to be laughed at, and parents had this strange affliction of forgetting something that they themselves had gone through when they were younger.  
  
Jonathon set the turkey platter down in the center of the table then took his seat at the head. Clearing his throat, he said, "Martha, would you like to go first?"  
  
She smiled and nodded, and across the table, Hudson groaned. "We're not seriously going to put Lex through this, are we?"  
  
"H.C., this is a family tradition. We certainly aren't going to ignore it because of company," Martha replied, shaking her head. Looking over at Lex, she explained, "Grandpa Kent began the tradition of each family member giving thanks for at least one thing each year at the dinner table. Now, I am thankful for my wonderful husband and our beautiful daughter. "  
  
Eye-rolling from Hudson, who caught Lex's eye and mouthed the words 'She says that every year'. Lex smiled, thinking it was very sweet and at that moment, he would have traded. well, anything with Hudson to be in her place, to be loved so much by her parents, to be part of this family. He returned his gaze to Martha, and silently thanked his father for training him to keep his emotions buried.  
  
"And for the good response I've had to my small catering business. And for all of our friends." She flashed a quick smile at Lex before looking over at Hudson, "Honey?"  
  
Hudson sighed in resignation, staring for a moment in obvious hunger at the turkey before replying, "I'm thankful that we're going to get to eat in a few minutes - "  
  
"Hudson Clark. " Jonathon warned in a threatening tone but there was a smirk on his face.  
  
She smiled at her father, too charming for one so young, then lifted her gaze to Lex. Holding his gaze, she said, "I'm thankful I was on Loeb Bridge that day."  
  
Lex swallowed, glanced down at the glass of water sitting at the top of his plate, worked to get that hold back on his emotions that he had been so proud of only seconds ago. Simple words, and yet they somehow erased the small gap that had appeared between them that week, the one he had unwittingly created. It was an acceptance of his apology, a small acknowledgement that everything was okay between them, that nothing had changed. He was forgiven, and he hadn't destroyed something which had become so precious.  
  
"I'm thankful for the harvest we've had this Fall," Jonathon picked up, breaking the silence that had descended. "That we've made it through another storm season without a tornado, and that H.C. is passing history."  
  
There was a slight chuckle from the family at the last, then they all turned their gazes to Lex.  
  
They were looking at him, expectantly. He met each gaze, then shifted a little. They certainly didn't expect him to do it, too. Did they?  
  
"Your turn, Lex," Martha prompted.  
  
They did.  
  
"It's the penalty you get for accepting our invitation." Hudson grinned across from him and he wished the table would just open up and swallow him whole.  
  
They couldn't be serious. This was like a bad 'After-School Special'. Lex forced himself not to shift again, to sit there calmly and think of something, anything that he might be able to say. It didn't matter what it was. He just had to get through this.  
  
"We don't get to eat until you say something, Lex," Hudson commented impatiently.  
  
"H.C., give Lex a moment," Martha admonished quietly. "We threw this at him unexpectedly. You don't enjoy it and you do it every year." She turned her gaze to Lex and reached out, laying her hand over his forearm. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Lex. It's all right."  
  
Her touch was warm. It evoked memories he hadn't allowed to cross his mind in years. It gave him strength. Lifting his gaze, Lex looked across the table at Hudson. "I'm thankful. that my father exiled me to Smallville." Just a touch of arrogance that effectively hid the sincerity.  
  
Hudson grinned and Lex knew that she understood.  
  
***  
  
Six hours later, Lex led Hudson out to the car, their arms laden with plates and bowls of leftovers that Martha had refused to allow Lex to leave without. He could only imagine what his cook, Dodd, would do when the Tupperware containers from Martha Kent's kitchen took over the perfectly stocked refrigerator. Opening the trunk, Lex set his bundle inside while Hudson placed hers beside it.  
  
"No throwing this stuff away," Hudson commented as he slammed the trunk closed. "I'll be by tomorrow to make you some of my famous after- Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches."  
  
Lex smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."  
  
Reaching out, Hudson pulled the lapels of his coat a little tighter around him, protecting him from the cold. She flashed him a grin. "Admit it - you had fun today."  
  
He had. Once he got past the discomfort of the opening of the meal, Lex discovered that the food and the company more than made up for how out of place he felt. He had the pleasure of watching Hudson and her father compete for eating the most food, enjoyed the easy interaction between the family when they were relaxed and having fun and even found himself involved in a couple of conversations with Jonathon.  
  
After dinner, Lex helped Hudson with the dishes, walking away from it with more water and soap on his clothes than he thought ever touched the china. While no all-out water fight had occurred, Hudson still seemed to delight in splashing him at every opportunity. He hadn't bothered with retaliation - he thought it much more enjoyable to wait, let her worry about it for a while, and then get his revenge.  
  
Shrugging, Lex affected a bored expression and replied, "I guess it beats going over expense reports."  
  
"Uhn!" Hudson tugged gently on his coat. "Don't be a brat. Or I'll never bake another pie for you again!"  
  
"My luck is changing for the better already." Lex smirked as Hudson huffed in outrage.  
  
She had baked a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie. The pumpkin had been fantastic. With a large dollop of freshly whipped cream, Lex had finished it off much more quickly than he usually ate, and had complimented her on her baking abilities. Then she had insisted he have a piece of pecan as well. While the flavor and consistency had been fine, Lex's first bite consisted of a shell. Grimacing a little at the feel of biting into it, he'd sat there in silence, attempting to figure out how to dispose of the mouthful, when he glanced over to see Jonathon seemingly in the same quandary. Hudson's father had caught his gaze and smirked a little, as if they were sharing in some secret joke. Finally, Jonathon had shrugged and swallowed. Finding no other recourse, Lex had done the same, and then proceeded to finish off the slice of pie, shells and all.  
  
Minutes later, Hudson had taken her first bite of the pecan pie. The stricken expression on her face had sent both Lex and her father into instant assurance that it was great, really, and they both asked for another piece. Luckily, Martha saved them from their fate, laughingly informing them that all great cooks have a few mishaps and that maybe this would teach Hudson a valuable lesson about paying attention to the ingredients and not the football game. The rest of the pie was thrown out.  
  
"I'm glad you decided to stay, Lex."  
  
"Like I had a choice in the matter?" Lex met her gaze as she brought her eyes to his.  
  
"I believe Lex Luthor has a lot more say in what he chooses to do than he ever lets on," Hudson replied, still curling her fingers around his coat lapels.  
  
Smiling, Lex nodded before taking her hands in his and lifting them, kissing her knuckles lightly. "You'd better get inside. Before your ears get cold."  
  
Hudson laughed. "You too." She didn't move. "Don't forget about the interview you promised Chloe this weekend."  
  
"That's this weekend?" Lex frowned. "Oh. Wait. I think I have some out of town busin - "  
  
"I don't think so, Luthor," Hudson warned with a mock glare. "Besides, Chloe would probably kick your ass."  
  
"Knowing your friend. " Lex trailed off and gave her another smile before squeezing the hands he held. "See you tomorrow?"  
  
"Of course. We'll eat leftover dressing and turkey sandwiches with extra mayo and sit around watching Christmas movies. "  
  
"Christmas? Hudson, it's not even December yet."  
  
"I know." She laughed. "But it's what you do on the day after Thanksgiving!"  
  
"Well, at least my hypothesis has been proven correct."  
  
Hudson cocked her head. "What hypothesis?"  
  
"The Kent family really is insane."  
  
"One more crack like that and you won't be invited to Christmas," she warned.  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow. "What was that I said about my luck changing for the better?"  
  
Before she could react, Lex dropped her hands and stepped out of the way, moving over to the driver's side door. He turned just as she walked back up to him and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Only his aim was a little off and he caught the corner of her mouth instead. At least, that's what he told himself had happened.  
  
"Thank you for inviting me, angel," he told her as he met her gaze.  
  
Hudson was silent at first but then she nodded a little and gave him a smile. "Thank you for staying."  
  
Lex watched her a moment longer then slid into the seat of his Ferrari, slipping the keys into the ignition and bringing the engine to life. Bringing his eyes back to hers, he flashed her a parting smile, then closed the door and headed for home. 


	6. My First Taste: Propinquity

SMALLVILLE: AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE  
EPISODE 5  
  
"PROPINQUITY"  
  
Whoever you are, holding me now in hand, Without one thing, all will be useless, I give you fair warning, before you attempt me further, I am not what you supposed, but far different. ~ Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass  
  
Lex handed Hudson another tissue, which made it over a dozen if he were counting, and he wasn't. Well, not out loud, anyway. At the moment, it was taking all of his concentration not to laugh at the girl sobbing beside him, clinging to his arm and getting his shoulder impossibly wet. She hiccupped once and Lex shook his head.  
  
"That's it. That's the last Disney flick we watch." He gently pushed her back against the couch and then stood to retrieve the disk from the DVD player.  
  
Hudson sniffed and glared at his back. "B-but why?"  
  
"Because sixty percent of the time, you end up crying your eyes out on my shoulder." He switched off the projector and turned to flash her a grin. "You're really hopeless, you know that, don't you?"  
  
"Hey!" Hudson pouted. "You were wiping at your eyes once or twice, too, you know."  
  
"Allergies." Still grinning, Lex moved back over to the couch and sat down beside her, reaching up to brush her tears away from her cheeks. "You were sobbing, Hudson."  
  
She gestured helplessly towards the now-dark screen. "How could you not? Tod and Copper were best friends - they loved each other. And circumstances forced them apart. Outside forces dictated that they had to be enemies, when all that they wanted was to be friends, to share their lives with each other."  
  
Lex smiled, his thumb moving gently beneath her right eye to gather the last of her tears. "You're such a hopeless romantic, angel." He leaned back against the arm of the couch and regarded her a moment. "Nature dictated that they be enemies, from the time they were born, Hudson. No one forced them into it. It was inevitable that their lives take divergent paths."  
  
"It's not fair." Hudson sniffed again and pushed her hair back from her face before flashing a glare at the screen.  
  
"No, it isn't," Lex agreed quietly. "But then, neither is my tickling you."  
  
"You're not - "  
  
Hudson cut off her words as Lex's fingers attacked her, sending her into peals of laughter. She was careful not to struggle too much under the onslaught, a trick she had learned long ago when her father would wrestle with her when she was little. Always be gentle; never kick or hit; take the punishment while slowly attempting to get away. It wasn't very effective in her opinion; after all, she was forced to endure what anyone else could more quickly get away from. And while with most people she could turn the tables by tickling them in retaliation, Lex, unfortunately, was not ticklish.  
  
"Stoooopppp!" She squealed, squirming beneath his attack.  
  
"Say 'I'm a dork!'" Lex taunted.  
  
Hudson giggled. "You're a dork!"  
  
Lex made a sound very much like a growl and intensified the movement of his fingers, crawling his hands upwards just under her arms, which caused his victim to utter an interesting squeak.  
  
"All right! All right!" Hudson begged, her laughter alternating with near- sobs. "I'm a dork! I'm a dork!"  
  
Lex laughed as he ended the 'torture', dropping his hands to rest on either side of her. Their antics had spread them across the couch - Hudson lying on her back, Lex hovering just over her, resting slightly between her legs. Neither of them had noticed, and Lex found himself thinking how easy it would be to just lean in and kiss her. End the months of continuous debating in his mind as to the rights and wrongs of such an act and just get it over with. It was very possible that there would be nothing there. Sometimes, you find someone that you are beyond attracted to and you dream of touching them and feeling their mouth on yours and then you get the chance to make the dream reality - only to discover that the fantasy was far more pleasant. That could happen now. Lex could lean in and press his lips against hers and there could be. nothing.  
  
He realized he wasn't ready to give up the fantasy.  
  
Pushing himself up, he reached out to take Hudson's hands, helping her to her feet beside him as he stood, ignoring the flash of confusion in her eyes. "Let's go and see if Dodd has dinner ready. What was it you asked for this time? Spaghetti?"  
  
Hudson smiled a little as Lex pulled her along, out of the theatre and towards the kitchen. "Yes. He makes killer meatballs. And garlic bread. Although his sauce could use a little more oregano. I told him that when I got here."  
  
Lex glanced back at her, one brow raised in amusement. "You told Dodd that his sauce wasn't perfect? What did he reply?"  
  
"I'm not certain." She frowned. "I think it was in German. Or Russian. It certainly didn't sound very Italian."  
  
Lex chuckled.  
  
The sauce was better this time, at least according to Hudson as they chatted over dinner in the dining room. Lex hadn't noticed that much of a difference but Hudson had complimented Dodd over the change, and was lucky enough to receive a grunt of acknowledgment in reply. Only one glitch had occurred, and that had been when Lex was served a glass of merlot and Hudson a Coke. She felt it was only fair that if he drank wine, she should be able to have some as well. He had quickly pointed out that he had been there at Thanksgiving to hear her parent's position regarding her consumption of alcohol and he wasn't going to go against their wishes. In protest, Hudson had stubbornly refused to eat. Lex finally gave in, allowing her half a glass.  
  
He was very well aware of the fact that the fifteen year old girl/woman seated at his dining room table had him completely twisted around her little finger.  
  
"So how come you haven't started decorating?" Hudson plopped unceremoniously onto the leather couch, stretching her long legs out in front of her as she sipped cautiously at the last bit of her wine from dinner.  
  
Following her into the study, Lex stopped by the desk to check over his email before finally joining her. His brow furrowed a little. "Decorating? For what?"  
  
"Christmas, silly. Sometimes I think you're from another planet, Lex." She couldn't resist. And here she was the alien.  
  
"Hudson, I spend 364 days a year trying to think of a good excuse to miss the LuthorCorp Christmas party. Why would I then wish to decorate?"  
  
"Because you have to!" Hudson proclaimed, horrified. "It's Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year!" She paused, watching him silently for a moment before asking, "You are coming over to spend Christmas with us, right?"  
  
Lex made a face and looked away. Ever since spending Thanksgiving with the Kents, he had been expecting this question. And he had never really decided on an answer in all of the times he considered it. While a part of him longed to experience a real Christmas again - the kind of Christmas he hadn't known since his mother had died - the more realistic side of him knew that none of this would last. Why take the chance of becoming accustomed to a lifestyle he would never lead? Lex knew that Hudson's fascination with being his friend would likely wane over the next year and he would have little more than a passing memory of the brief period that he had been invited into her life. It would be more painful to lose it than to never experience it to begin with.  
  
"I know that look, Lex." Hudson set her glass down on the end table and leaned across the couch, catching his gaze.  
  
He gave her a half-smile. "And I know that one," he countered. "But batting your lashes at me isn't going to work this time."  
  
"I don't bat my lashes!" Hudson protested, reaching up to place her fingertips near her eyelashes in an attempt to see if they were moving any quicker than usual. "I'm not batting my lashes."  
  
Lex continued to watch in amusement as she went cross-eyed trying to gauge her lash movement. He reached out and took her hand, pulling it away from her face, holding it between them. When she finally focused her attention back on him, he told her, "I appreciate the invitation, angel. I do. But we both know your parents would rather celebrate the holiday with just the family - no. No protesting that one. I think we pushed your father enough when I stayed for Thanksgiving."  
  
"But they would - "  
  
"And you aren't going to ask them either, Hudson," he interrupted, his tone stern. "Do you understand? I don't want you cajoling them into feeling pity for me. I hate that. It's bad enough when you do it."  
  
Hudson opened her mouth to deny the accusation but just as quickly closed it. She dropped her gaze and her mouth puckered a little, pouting. It would have been adorable if this discussion weren't so serious. While he appreciated the way she tried to look after him, he couldn't stand being an emotional charity case. He knew he envied Hudson's family-life; he didn't need constant proof that she was aware of it as well.  
  
"I love Christmas," Hudson commented finally, her voice soft.  
  
"I know you do, angel." Lex smiled and placed a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes back to his. "And you can come over and watch as many Christmas movies as you want. Just don't expect me to share in your enthusiasm, okay?"  
  
She nodded a little, and then her eyes widened slightly. "I can still get you a present though, right? Because I found the perfect one and - "  
  
Lex was already shaking his head before he interrupted her. "If I can't buy you one, what's make you think I'm going to let you buy one for me?"  
  
"I. This. You can't. " Hudson trailed off, shook her head a moment, then stood and paced away from the couch before turning back and throwing her hands up in the air. "This sucks!"  
  
Leaning back against the couch, Lex shrugged a little as he glanced up at her. "I've been forced to do a lot of things that go against my nature since I met you, Hudson. Maybe it's time for you to do the same."  
  
It was apparent that she wanted to say more but, for the moment, she dropped the subject as she moved back over to the couch and sat beside him. Tucking her legs beneath her, Hudson angled herself to face Lex, staring at the floor before finally raising her gaze to his. He remained silent, waiting to see if his words had made any impact.  
  
"Are you excited about the opening of the Talon?"  
  
Change of subject. Lex didn't know if he should be impressed or suspicious. "I don't know if 'excited' is the term I would use. But I am curious to see what Miss Lang does with it."  
  
"I hope you know how much I appreciate your giving her the chance?" Hudson asked, laying her hand over his. "She's been so happy lately. Even with everything that has been happening with Whitney, it's been enough to keep her mind occupied."  
  
"I hope she knows what a good friend she has in Hudson Kent," Lex replied, turning his hand beneath hers to hold it. "I admit, I was a little surprised when you pleaded her case with me."  
  
Hudson shrugged, drawing shapes on the cushion between them with the fingertips of her free hand. "I think she needs a good friend. And she has been very nice to me lately."  
  
"Not to mention the kiss and all."  
  
Glancing up, Hudson threw him a frown. "I never should have told you about that. Is it true that men fantasize about two women together?"  
  
Lex smiled. "Who told you that?"  
  
"Chloe."  
  
"Should've known," Lex said with humor. "And only if there is the chance that the guy having the fantasy gets to picture himself eventually getting involved in the action."  
  
"That was far more information than I needed to hear, Lex."  
  
He chuckled. "You asked."  
  
She rolled her eyes before glancing at her watch. "Oops! If I don't get going, I'm going to be late and dad's going to kill me if I don't get at least a B on my biology exam tomorrow. Ugh! Two weeks until Christmas vacation starts. I'm not going to make it."  
  
Lex stood with her, walking out of the study towards the front door. "Wait until the day you no longer get Christmas vacation. Or summer vacation. Or spring break. "  
  
"Hush!" Hudson admonished, grinning. "That would make me old - like you. And that's never going to happen."  
  
"Old?" Lex reached over and pinched her. "Brat."  
  
Hudson flashed an effective wince and rubbed the spot. "I was teasing. Geez."  
  
"Be careful driving home," Lex told her when they reached the door. "No speeding."  
  
"In that old truck? Are you kidding?" She rolled her eyes and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Thank Dodd for dinner again. And thanks for the movie!"  
  
"You're welcome, angel," Lex called out as she bounded down the steps and followed the path to the drive where the Kent truck was parked.  
  
Leaning against the door jamb, Lex watched as she climbed into the vehicle, waiting as it roared to life, the lights flickering on and she was making her way down the driveway before he finally closed the door. Turning back down the hall, he found his gaze perusing the walls beside him, picturing them covered in pine boughs and red bows, the scent of Christmas filling the air. Knowing Hudson, she would demand mistletoe and holly and pine- scented candles and bowls of candy canes filling every room. He tried to imagine the front of the castle covered in lights and actually let a chuckle escape at the image.  
  
His father would never let him live that one down.  
  
***  
  
The day had passed much too quickly. Already the sun had long since disappeared below the horizon and soon Hudson would be expected at home. She blamed the day's events on the shortness that seemed to encapsulate it. School, weirdness at the Talon, the stupid class project, that she just knew Chloe was having a blast with. What a way to start a Monday. Yesterday spent with Lex, watching movies and eating spaghetti, had been much more pleasant.  
  
Turning her attention back to her companion, Hudson asked, "Ever hitchhiked?"  
  
Lana looked up at Hudson with a small frown. "What? When or why would I ever do that?"  
  
Hudson shrugged and glanced down the empty road behind them. On one side stood an empty cornfield, its stalks harvested and dying, and on the other side, barren woods, the normally thick shrubs and trees leafless and brown, adding to the desolation of the late autumn evening. It looked like the perfect place to film a horror movie. She and Lana knew this road by heart though, having grown up walking it to and from downtown. They had both probably walked it so often that they could tell by the approaching headlights of cars who was driving them.  
  
"It sounds like an adventure, you know? Besides, everyone knows everyone around here. It's not like you'd be kidnapped, murdered and dumped by the roadside."  
  
Lana shuddered at the mental image Hudson's words conjured. "That's such a pleasant thought. Thank you for sharing. I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight." She smiled.  
  
"Wait until you go camping with me this summer." Hudson nodded. "I know some great ghost stories."  
  
"Bugs and ghosts? I'll try not to burst with anticipation."  
  
Hudson grinned at Lana's less-than-enthusiastic response to her suggestion. It was a family tradition for the Kents to go camping out by Wilson Lake every summer on Memorial Weekend. Once, Chloe had gone with them. After she woke up to find a nest of Eastern Tent caterpillars, which had fallen onto her sleeping bag during the night, she never went again.  
  
Luckily, they didn't have to worry much about bugs at this time of year, especially since it was dark out, and in the summer they would have been eaten alive by mosquitoes by now. The girls had spent dinner at Lana's house where Hudson had plied her with questions for the latest class assignment, which was to write a paper on a random fellow classmate. Hudson had drawn Lana's name and already found it to be an excellent outlet for getting to know her. Her interview had consisted of questions they had never really discussed before, and now she knew the funny little tidbits about her nearest neighbor, like her favorite flavor ice cream was strawberry, her favorite time of year summer, her first crush Brad Pitt. Insignificant pieces of information, but things that friends should know about each other.  
  
The whole experience was much less uncomfortable than the one Hudson had walked into at home that afternoon, before heading to Lana's house. Chloe had drawn her name, and while Hudson had no major qualms about her friend writing a paper on her, she knew how Chloe could get. When she discovered her interviewing her parents, she hadn't been shocked so much as resigned. The interesting aspect of it had been her parents' nervousness over it. They had said they didn't want her to ask questions about the adoption, which left Hudson wondering what could be wrong with it.  
  
Scratching at her eyebrow that was itching as if a bug were crawling on it, Hudson commented, "I think we should try it sometime."  
  
"Camping?" Lana wrinkled her nose as she glanced up at her friend.  
  
"Hitchhiking."  
  
"H.C., your parents would kill you."  
  
She shook her head, knowing very well that they wouldn't. Okay, they might have some issues with it but they knew she could take care of herself. There weren't any dangers of being dumped by the roadside for dead. And the chances of being picked up by a scientist out scouting for aliens? Probably not very significant. The most she would get in trouble for would be taking Lana or anyone else with her. Besides, her parent's reactions would be nothing compared to Lex if he found out. Hudson mentally shuddered at the image of what he would have to say regarding such an experiment. There were times that he was more protective of her than her own parents, and that was just wrong.  
  
Hudson glanced over at Lana to find her brow furrowed, her gaze focused on nothing in particular ahead of them. The lights from town were just ahead, maybe another half mile from the edge of the cornfield. Lana wanted to do some more quick work at the Talon that night and Hudson had offered to help her. Work had been delayed earlier that afternoon when a man claiming to be an old friend of Lex's had shown up and frightened Lana with a comment he had made regarding staying away from Lex.  
  
Knowing that was where her friend's thoughts were now centered, she asked, "Still wondering about that friend of Lex's?"  
  
Lana nodded. "It was just kind of creepy is all. I mean, the guy seemed nice enough and sincere and stuff. I don't know. There are just so many questions about Lex and his past. We really don't know him." She flashed a pointed glance at Hudson.  
  
"What's there to know? He was a teenager with a very rich daddy." Hudson shrugged, kicking at a rock in the road. "Everyone around here behaves as if Lex was a serial killer in his previous life or something. He's just trying to fit in to a town that has a serious grudge against his last name. Give him a break."  
  
"I didn't mean to upset you." Lana reached out and touched her arm. "I just. well, I know how much he means to you and I don't want to see you get hurt."  
  
"I'm more worried about Lex right now," Hudson replied, glancing over her shoulder back towards downtown Smallville. "Whoever it was that got into his car and rigged that CD player. It had Lex freaked."  
  
"I guess I would be, too." Lana grew silent for a moment as they followed the bend in the road that led them east towards Main Street. She wrapped her arms around her waist protectively against the chilled wind that picked up suddenly. Chewing on her bottom lip, she asked, "Do you think I'm doing the right thing? I mean, going into business with him and all?"  
  
Hudson looked over at Lana. "I trust Lex. If there were a danger, he'd tell us. Everything will be fine. I promise."  
  
Lana met her eyes and they smiled at each other briefly before returning their attention to the road ahead, continuing on in silence.  
  
Mr. Tomlinson, who had a soy and wheat farm on the south side of town, pulled over in his big Ford to ask them if they needed a ride. They declined, saying they didn't have much further to go. A few minutes later, Mrs. Kaye, who was the produce manager at the Piggly Wiggly, pulled over and asked them the same thing. Again, they were grateful but told her it wasn't necessary. Ten minutes later, they crossed the street and stepped up the curb outside of the Talon.  
  
"Thanks for helping me out, H.C.," Lana said as she looked back at her. "Everything you've done. I really appreciate it."  
  
"How does it feel? To save this place from becoming a parking lot? Save a piece of history?"  
  
"Good." Lana nodded, smiled. "Like, maybe I am really accomplishing something, other than just shaking pompoms or taking a class poll."  
  
Hudson was about to reply when she heard, what was becoming a familiar sound of a sports car headed down the street at speeds exceeding the posted limits. An unfettered smile broke across her face as Lex pulled up alongside the curb next to them, the headlights winking off as he stepped out of the car.  
  
"Lex, what are you doing here?" Lana asked before Hudson could.  
  
"The contractor called, saying he had an estimate. Wanted me to meet him here." His eyes flashed over to Hudson and he gave her the barest hint of a smile.  
  
She knew he was probably concerned that she would ask him more questions about the incident this afternoon. Lex had told Hudson it didn't concern her, but in her opinion, if it concerned any hint of danger to her friend, then it did concern her. She had no proof that he was in any kind of danger but someone breaking into your car to pull a stunt like that was, at the very least, a minor threat. Not to mention, Hudson didn't like the fact that Lex was keeping something from her.  
  
Lana unlocked the front doors and they walked in together, Lex following behind. As the lights came on, they saw the contractor sprawled out on the floor.  
  
"What the hell?" Lex asked.  
  
Hudson and Lana hurried over to his side, Lana reaching him first. "Are you okay?"  
  
He sat up, rubbing at the back of his head and glancing around in a daze. There was a small stream of blood over his forehead. "Yeah. I-I came in the back door and some guy jumped me and forced me to let him in, then bashed me over the head."  
  
Frowning, Hudson asked, "Did you see his face?"  
  
"No."  
  
Rising to her feet, Hudson glanced around, searching for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. First there was the warning to Lana about working with Lex, then the music with the strange screams in Lex's car, now this. She wasn't certain which of her friends was in danger but she planned on making certain nothing happened to either of them. That was when she noticed the box on the bar counter. It looked like a big hatbox, with a fancy bow over the lid. It could have been anything. Blinking once, Hudson narrowed her gaze and scanned through the box to see what was inside, taking no chances at to whether or not it could be hazardous. Her eyes widened when she realized what it encased.  
  
"Look," Lana commented, pointing towards the box. "That wasn't there when I locked up."  
  
Hudson moved a little in front of her, so that she wouldn't go near it. "Maybe you should go call the police," she suggested.  
  
Lana nodded and hurried off.  
  
Moving a little closer, Hudson noticed a card attached to it, Lex's name scrawled across it. "Lex, your name's on it." She couldn't help but wonder if he knew who the contents inside of it belonged to.  
  
Lex walked over to the counter, lifting the envelope off of the box and opening it. Hudson stayed close beside him, noting the quick blanch in his expression.  
  
"Zero consequences," he muttered.  
  
Hudson made a face, leaning in to get a look at the card he held. It was blue with a big zero and the words 'zero consequences' written across it. She wasn't certain what it meant or what it had to do with the contents of the box. Worrying her lower lip, she continued to watch Lex silently as he lifted the lid, thankful for the moment of her x-ray vision so that she wasn't as shocked as he apparently was by the sight of the severed human hand lying amidst the tissue. Still, she had never seen anything quite like it, couldn't imagine anyone doing something like that outside of some mobster film and found that she had to look away quickly.  
  
Focusing on Lex, who she had never seen quite so shaken up before, she stepped closer to him, putting her hand against his back and pushing him a little away from the box. "Lana's calling the police," she reminded him quietly, mentally reiterating to herself not to look. "Let's just sit down and wait for them."  
  
Lex nodded a little, letting her guide him, running a hand over his scalp. She tried to steer him to sit down but he moved away, shook his head in a quick motion, signaling that she wasn't going to get him to do something he didn't feel like doing. Instead, he paced near the wall, his gaze occasionally flashing back over to the bar, his eyes dark, weary. Hudson had a million questions running through her mind but she knew now wasn't the time. Lex was worked up; his hands were twitching and clenching near his pockets. She knew he hated inaction as much as she did, though it was something they had never discussed. Patience and control were things to cherish, to be proud of; she knew she possessed neither. Deep inside, Lex possessed even less.  
  
"The sheriff is on his way," Lana announced as she reentered the room, her gaze sweeping over them for a moment before coming to rest on the opened box. "What's in - "  
  
"You don't want to know," Hudson warned her, shaking her head. "Trust me. Just. wait until the sheriff gets here."  
  
Lana frowned but nodded in understanding before sitting down to wait.  
  
By the time the sheriff and his deputies arrived, Lex had worked himself into quite a state. They all answered questions while the police filled out their reports. Lana had called her aunt to apprise her of the situation and Nell had driven in to town to pick Lana up and direct her own questions to Lex. As per usual, he was able to dance around the questions effectively, in such a way that Nell left believing she received the answers she had sought when really, he hadn't told her anything. Before her arrival, Hudson had gotten the answers she had needed -- all of which had done little more than create more questions.  
  
Even though she could have ridden home with Nell and Lana, Hudson chose to ride with Lex instead, hoping for more answers and maybe to calm him. She'd never seen him so upset before, which frightened her more than the appearance of the hand in the box or the words spoken to Lana by Jude Royce earlier that day. Generally, no matter what the situation, Lex rarely showed fear. Hudson could only remember two times that she had actually seen Lex so fearful - when he and Earl Jenkins had been hanging from the catwalk at the plant, and the day that Cassandra Carver had died. She hadn't enjoyed seeing him in such a state either of those times, and she didn't enjoy it now.  
  
Watching him surreptitiously in a sidelong glance, the dashboard lights casting a greenish glow over his skin, Hudson finally asked quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
Lex's brow furrowed, his gaze narrowing. "No." His response was clipped, quick.  
  
Hudson sighed, and kicked at the floorboard. "Lex, whatever you're involved in. there was a man's hand in that box! A man that you know - "  
  
"I'm very well aware of that, Hudson!" Lex snapped, shifting the gears angrily as the Porsche sped along the dark country road. "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want you asking about it. Just. stay out of it."  
  
Biting her cheek to keep from retorting back, Hudson turned her gaze out the window, staring at the reflection of the dashboard lights and her own eyes in the darkness. She tapped her teeth together for a few moments as the silence stretched between them, trying very hard to keep from begging Lex to let her in. She knew she had no right to demand anything from him, not when she kept so many secrets of her own, but that still didn't quell the desire.  
  
They reached the farm before Hudson could think to say any more to the man sitting tensely beside her. By the time he brought the car to a halt in front of the house, she had worked up the courage to turn her gaze back to him and try one more time.  
  
"Lex, I just want to help."  
  
His hands gripped the steering wheel for a moment before he finally brought his eyes around to meet hers. His expression softened just a bit. "I know you do, angel. But really, there's nothing you can do. I don't know what's going on but. don't worry about it, all right?" He nodded towards the house. "Go on. It's late."  
  
Knowing that was the best she was going to get out of him for the night, Hudson leaned over and kissed his cheek. "If you need anything - "  
  
Lex sighed but gave her a small smile. "I know."  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
Sliding out of the car, Hudson shut the door behind her, then watched as Lex backed down the drive, spun the car around and raced back onto the road and out of sight. Her thoughts traveled back to the conversation she'd had with Lana regarding knowing nothing about Lex's past. It occurred to her that there was a reason she didn't know much - he didn't want her to. And how was she not supposed to be suspicious when he was holding it all in like some great mystery?  
  
***  
  
Hudson was holding Lex.  
  
She was clutching him tightly in her arms as they sailed through the blue sky, attempting to protect him from the chill from being so far above the earth. He was silent and still against her, his body tense, his jaw clenching. It had been close this time. Very, very close.  
  
"You can end this, you know." His voice sounded loud in the stillness of the air around them. So demanding. "You can end this now."  
  
Hudson stared ahead, off into the distance where the spires of Metropolis awaited them.  
  
"I'm sick of this." He finally turned to look at her - really look at her like he hadn't done in years. "I'm tired. This pain. make it stop."  
  
"I can't. I won't do what you are asking. You know I won't."  
  
"Why?" Lex's eyes were pleading. "Why can't you just let go?"  
  
"It isn't that easy."  
  
"You're holding on too tight. Only you have the power to end it. Just let go. Please? For me, for what we once were, for what I once meant to you - let go!"  
  
And she did.  
  
Opened her arms and he fell away from her and she stopped and she hovered there, watching as Lex fell. Only silence drifted up to meet her. Lex would never concede defeat to her, not even in death, not even when he was plunging thousands of feet to the earth, would he give her that much. She could feel his eyes, feel him watching her as he fell, and knew that he thought this was victory. Perhaps his greatest yet. He knew he was killing her. Killing them.  
  
"Lex!"  
  
Hudson opened her eyes, expecting to see Lex falling beneath her but found only her bed. Beneath her. A few feet beneath her. She let out a screech just as she fell, hard enough against the mattress that she heard a snap and the foot half of the bed frame collapsed to the floor with a loud bang. Scrambling to hold on to the mattress so that she didn't slide to the floor, Hudson lay there for a moment, staring in disbelief at her pillow, wondering what the hell.  
  
"H.C.?" She heard her mother yell up from downstairs. "Is everything all right up there?"  
  
"Er. Yeah, mom. Just. knocked some books off the shelf. Sorry!"  
  
"Hurry up or you're going to miss the bus again!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Hudson continued to lie there for the next few minutes, trying to process both what the dream had meant and why she had been floating four feet above her bed. Lines from 'Ghostbusters' flitted through her mind and she mentally batted them away, reminding herself that she wasn't a demon. Just an alien.  
  
Who apparently floated.  
  
How was she supposed to explain this one to her parents?  
  
Finally climbing out of bed, she stood and stared at the broken frame for a full minute, figuring she would fix it when she got home and her parents were outside doing chores. Her mother usually never entered her bedroom without proper warning. Speeding through her shower and dressing, Hudson hurried downstairs, ate her breakfast, missed her bus and sped her way to school. It was already promising to be 'one of those days' and she hadn't even started her quest to discover what was going on with Lex yet.  
  
She suffered through her first two classes before she finally had a chance to sneak off to the Torch office and get on the internet. Typing the words 'zero consequences' into Google, she searched through the returns until she found one site linking to a club in Metropolis. Taking a chance, she clicked on it, reading all about a popular nightclub called Club Zero which had used 'Zero consequences' as it's slogan. Hudson found herself smiling; it was just the type of place she pictured Lex hanging out at.  
  
Changing her search terms in Google, she entered Club Zero and found article after article from both the Daily Planet and the Inquisitor on different happenings that had occurred at the nightclub. Narrowing her search, she entered Max Kasitch and Club Zero and finally found the name Jude Royce, which caused her to realize she found exactly what she had been looking for. Well, not exactly. She discovered that there were still holes to be filled as she read through the article. Hitting the print button, she closed down the window and waited for the paper to feed through the printer just as Pete and Chloe entered the office.  
  
"Now as kind as that sounds, Pete, I really don't think that falls into the 'something amazing' test."  
  
Hudson frowned at the strange conversation her friends appeared to be having. "What test?" Had she missed an upcoming test in one of their classes?  
  
Chloe just flashed her a smile.  
  
"I'm not finished," Pete told her. "H.C. didn't just push Brain Dead away, she put him through a door - as in splinters and broken hinges. How she did it, I still have no idea. That guy was at least twice our size."  
  
Hudson shifted uncomfortably as Chloe asked, "H.C., any comments?"  
  
Giving them both a small smile, she replied, "Uh. well, we were, you know, six years old. And girls grow faster. He was twice your size, Pete, which was like three feet tall. I was three feet and a half."  
  
Pete chuckled before turning back to Chloe. "If you need any more ancient history, ask the source. I've got an appointment at the student store." He made a face, his displeasure at being stuck with Stan Gibson, manager of the student store, readily apparent.  
  
Chloe made a sympathetic sound. "Have fun," she called out as he left. Turning her attention back to Hudson, she announced, "And so the mystery that isn't Hudson Clark Kent deepens."  
  
"Mystery?" Hudson frowned, fingering the article that had finished printing.  
  
"Yeah." Chloe nodded as she moved past Hudson. "Since you continue to play obstructionist, I've had to find information through other means." She picked up a blue green folder and flipped it open, her manner growing more excited as she continued to speak, "For instance, I found that your adoption was done through Metropolis United Charities. But this is the strange part. They were only in business for six months! And from what I can tell, yours is the only adoption they handled."  
  
So that was what her parents had meant yesterday when they told her they didn't want Chloe to begin asking questions about the adoption. As much as they said everything was legal and in order, there were obviously still loopholes that had been created to make certain Hudson was an actual person and not just a child they found in a cornfield.  
  
Why did Chloe have to be the one to write a biography on her? She adored her friend but she knew how tenacious she was when it came to a story. They could have been killed in that supposedly haunted house they had traipsed through on Halloween. Hudson knew that once Chloe caught the scent of a cover up, she wouldn't let go until she had all of the answers. And this story simply included answers she couldn't allow Chloe to find. Why were her friends so damn complicated? She had enough on her mind with whatever was happening to Lex without needing to run interference on her own little secrets from a student reporter. Not to mention that now she had her own questions she planned on posing to her parents.  
  
"I can't believe you did this, Chloe." Hudson glared at the folder in her hands, wishing she could just ignite it into flames.  
  
Chloe's enthusiasm evaporated as she stared up at Hudson. "You. didn't know? I just. assumed that your parents told you. I mean, weren't you interested?" She cocked her head to the side in confusion.  
  
Hudson bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming at her friend like she wanted to. Why couldn't things just be simple? Why did her life consist of one lie after another?  
  
"Why would I be?" She demanded. "My biological parents are either dead or didn't want me. The point is, you're prying into my private life."  
  
"I'm sorry, H.C. I was just trying to be thorough."  
  
"This is homework, nothing more!" Hudson snapped. "I spent an hour yesterday with Lana. That's it! That's all I needed." Ignoring the pained expression on Chloe's face, Hudson added, "I'm not some mystery for you to solve."  
  
"H.C., I just. "  
  
Ignoring her friend's attempted explanation, Hudson grabbed her coat and headed out of the office, focusing on the piece of paper in her hands, and not the questions building up in her mind regarding the legalities of her adoption.  
  
***  
  
Lex waited until Raines, the head of his security, disappeared out the back door of the gym before he returned to his workout. It was all he could do to keep his mind occupied, to keep from working over in his mind again and again what was going on around him. The appearance of someone referring to themselves as Jude Royce, Kasitch showing up claiming that Jude was stalking him, Kasitch's hand. Lex threw an uncontrolled punch into the bag in front of him, wincing a little as the shock of it echoed through to his elbow. What the fuck was going on?  
  
And where was Amanda? Usually his security was much better at tracking people down. Perhaps, after that night three years ago, Amanda had thought it best to change her identity, move far away just to protect herself. Lex had hoped she would have understood that he would have done anything to keep her safe. No one was going to come after her. No one was ever going to know the truth. Amanda deserved better than that. She deserved. better than what she had gone through. If only he could have done more for her. In the end, it had only been his father's money that had been able to protect her and apparently, that wasn't enough. Would whoever had been stalking Kasitch, and now Lex, go after Amanda next?  
  
Lex's thoughts returned to that night, after the shooting, when Phalen had shown up to take care of the situation. Still a little naïve to how far his father's influence stretched, Lex had been baffled as to how the detective could have kept his name and part in the shooting out of the papers. Luckily it had been dark, people had been too wrapped up in dancing and drinking and drugs and sex to witness what had truly occurred. Now that Kasitch was missing, and most likely dead, there were only two people left in this world who knew the truth of how the events had taken place. And Lex had to do whatever he could to make certain Amanda stayed safe.  
  
Of course, that was a difficult thing to do when one was dead. Which Lex was certain was about to happen the moment he felt the cool metal of a gun barrel placed against the back of his neck. He'd felt the sensation before; he knew it well. Sucking in a sharp breath, Lex turned around slowly to face his assailant, shock pulsing through him as he recognized the face. He was proud of how well he hid it, the calm he forced to settle over his nerves -- which were stretched taut, even with the gun that was pointed at him.  
  
"Nothing to say?" The man who wore Jude Royce's face smiled at him, stepped closer, gun aimed just below his chin. "I thought Lex Luthor had all of the answers."  
  
Lex swallowed as it pressed into his skin. "Look, you twisted son of a bitch." Bravado, Lex, that was the way to go! "I don't know what you want - "  
  
"I want to know what happened at Club Zero!" He demanded, pressing the gun more insistently. "The cover up."  
  
Lex thought maybe his heart would pound right through his chest. There was a crazy man holding a gun against his throat and he had only to twitch his finger against the trigger to end any speculation Lex might have as to where Amanda was. In fact, it would pretty much end anything. The problem was, Lex had no idea who this person was - Jude was dead, he saw it with his own eyes - or where any of this was going. He chose to remain silent, hoping it was the right course of action.  
  
The man who wasn't Jude Royce, but seemed to believe he was, stepped closer, almost caressing the gun against his neck, his gloved fingers moving over Lex's shoulder as he spoke. "You know the cop? Hmmm? The one on the report, Phelan. He's dead." He reached up and touched Lex's chin, stroking it too intimately, smiling while he did so. "It seems you were somehow involved in that, too. I find that very interesting."  
  
It was amazing what self-control could do for a person - Lex hated being pawed at. It angered him, set him on edge. Made him do stupid things like tell the man with a gun to his head, "Why don't you kill me now?"  
  
The impostor seemed to find a lack of a response at first, and Lex realized that maybe he shouldn't have taunted someone who very obviously appeared a little off kilter. "Because, uh, it's fun to watch you suffer?" His assailant finally replied, smiling as if pleased with his answer.  
  
If possible, Lex thought the beat of his heart was moving even faster.  
  
Getting even more involved in his role of tormentor, the false Jude continued, "Knowing that at any moment - bang!" He shouted, shoving the gun against Lex's temple.  
  
Lex winced. He tried to stop himself from doing so but it was very possible that the gun pointed at his head could go off at any moment. And there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
"Tell me," he continued as he took a step back, pointing the gun directly at Lex and cocking it. "What really happened."  
  
"Lex!"  
  
At the sound of Hudson's voice, Lex glanced toward the door, wondering how she always seemed to know when he needed her most. Was she psychic? Did she have him bugged? His father's security wasn't as accurate as she was. He was about to tell her to stay away, when he turned back to find Jude Royce's impostor nowhere in sight. Inwardly, he felt a sigh of relief move through him even as he scanned the gym, searching for his assailant.  
  
"Lex, are you all right?" Hudson asked, her tone one of concern.  
  
Finally certain that they were indeed alone, that no gun-toting maniac was going to jump out of the shadows and fire, Lex turned to face his visitor- cum-rescuer. "Hudson, what're you doing here?"  
  
She appeared confused for a moment, searching for a reply, shuffling her feet and the paper she held in her hands before she gave him a half-smile. "Your office told me you were here."  
  
Lex didn't say anything, was still trying to catch his breath, slow his heartbeat back to a normal rhythm. He hated feeling this out of control, knew he needed to be alone to regroup, think, figure out what was going on and who the hell was stalking him. Hudson's eyes moved over him and Lex thought she was probably a little surprised at his appearance, at least he hoped that was why she was staring at him. He'd never worn sweats around her before.  
  
"I thought I heard someone else," she commented.  
  
Fuck. Lex grasped at a level of calm, schooling his features into a mask of boredom. "No. I'm all by myself."  
  
Removing his gloves, he moved away from her, walking over to a bench beside the boxing ring and sat down. His chest still hurt from the pounding his heart had given it. Grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from his hands and face, Lex glanced up as Hudson walked over to stand in front of him.  
  
"I looked up Max Kasitch," she commented. "I know what happened at Club Zero."  
  
Lex felt his jaw clench.  
  
"He shot and killed Jude Royce. Everyone fits into this except for you. What's going on?"  
  
He wanted to snap at her for getting involved in something that was dangerous. As sweet as it was that she was trying to look out for him, it pissed Lex off to no end that she was involving herself where she shouldn't. Glancing up at her, he told her, "Please, angel. For our friendship, I'm asking you to stay out of this. Some secrets are better left alone."  
  
Hudson looked ready to argue and Lex wouldn't have been at all surprised had she done so. Surprisingly, she let it go, dropping her gaze for a moment to the paper she held in her hands before finally folding it and placing it in the back pocket of her jeans. Lex picked up his water bottle, taking a swallow while he watched her. She glanced around the gym, apparently stalling for time while she searched for something to say. Not letting her off the hook, Lex remained silent.  
  
"So, uh, you work out often?"  
  
Lex's gaze narrowed for a moment before he shrugged. "When I need to think, clear my head."  
  
She looked back over at him, grinned, nodding her head towards his shirt. "And get sweaty. I thought Luthors never sweat."  
  
"We don't." Lex stood back up and took a step closer to her. "We perspire."  
  
"Elegantly." She nodded, smiling, laughing at him with her eyes.  
  
Lex returned the smile. "Shouldn't you be at school?"  
  
Hudson shrugged, suddenly unable to meet his eyes, she scooted around him to the bench he had just vacated and slipped off her jacket. Apparently, she planned on staying awhile. She picked up one of his gloves, examining it as she answered, "I'm skipping sixth period. No biggie. It's just Agriculture. I could pass that in my sleep."  
  
"I'm sure your parents would be pleased to hear it," Lex commented ironically.  
  
"Oh, like they never skipped class." She looked up at him, as if about to say something else, then returned her attention to the glove, which she slipped her hand into. "What're we going to watch this Sunday?"  
  
"Not Disney."  
  
Hudson laughed, slipping on the other glove. She tapped the fists together for a moment in rhythm. "Okay then, you pick."  
  
Lex took another swig of his water while he watched her. "T2, Special Edition," he finally suggested.  
  
"In a destructive mood, are we?" She looked up at him and smiled before rising to her feet. She made a few very uncoordinated jabs in the air.  
  
"If you actually hit someone like that, you would more than likely hurt yourself worse than them, you know," Lex commented, frowning at her movements.  
  
Hudson flashed him what he could only interpret as a disbelieving expression. "Since when did you become Muhammad Ali?"  
  
Ignoring her sarcasm, Lex waved her over to the punching bag before grabbing the collar of his sweatshirt and lifting it up and over his head. Wiping the remaining sweat from his bare chest, he tossed the shirt aside and said, "I'm serious. C'mere."  
  
Hudson stared at him. "What're you doing?"  
  
"I'm hot." He waved at her impatiently.  
  
Watching him as if not quite certain whether or not she should trust him, Hudson finally moved over to join Lex by the punching bag. Placing his hands on her hips, and thinking to himself that there couldn't be a better way to momentarily forget about his problems, Lex pushed her into position just in front of it.  
  
"Space your feet apart." He kicked at the back of her heels until her feet were just where she wanted him, ignoring the look she gave him over her shoulder. Reaching out to grab her wrists, he lifted her arms up in front of her, holding them in place, one higher and closer to her, the other just in front and beneath it. "Always protect your face."  
  
Hudson hit the bag, again awkwardly, barely causing it to move. Her entire body had been tense and Lex thought she had to have felt that hit in her shoulder. Moving closer to her, his body against the back of hers, Lex wondered if this wasn't maybe the dumbest idea he'd had in a long time. He could only hope that there was enough on his mind at the moment to keep his body occupied and not respond to the tight ass his hips were pressing into or the soft, dark hair that was tickling his chin. He reached a hand up and gathered the strands together, pushing them over her right shoulder as he leaned his head closer to her left ear.  
  
"Put your body into it," Lex told her, noting that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye. He turned his own gaze back to the bag, his hands taking hold of her wrists once more, maneuvering the right arm forward slowly in the proper motion. "Turn your right hip into it," he instructed, pushing against her, his thigh guiding her. "Step into the punch. The strength should come from your whole body, not just your arm."  
  
"Ummm. okay."  
  
Stepping to the side, Lex watched quietly while she took a few more jabs, her motions and follow through much better but the strength still lacking. He caught her glancing over at him and he offered an encouraging smile, nodding for her to continue, even while he knew she shouldn't have been there, should be sitting safely in school or home on the farm. He told her to stay out of his business, for safety's sake, yet kept her close, kept her within harm's reach because he was too selfish not to. Lex tried to convince himself he was doing so because he could protect her better if she was nearby but in reality, that reasoning was a load of shit and he knew it. Besides, his track record for protecting people wasn't exactly stellar lately.  
  
Deep inside, Lex knew that he unconsciously compared Hudson to Amanda. Both were sweet, beautiful young women who saw too much good in people to ever see the bad. He had thought he could show Amanda that she couldn't trust people, even those she loved, and make her a stronger, better person for it. His own jaded outlook on the world around him had gotten in the way of his better judgment. In the end, someone like Amanda would have been better off continuing to view the world around her through blinders, happier not knowing, than ever knowing the truth. Now that he understood the difference, Lex planned on never letting Hudson see the world for the hurtful, dangerous place that it could truly be.  
  
"How was that?" Hudson stepped back from the bag, looking at him expectantly.  
  
Bringing himself back to the present, Lex shrugged. "There's still no force to it. Let's just hope you never have to actually hit anyone and mean it."  
  
Hudson frowned, her gaze dropping to his chest. She seemed to be staring for quite some time, until Lex was ready to tease her about having never seen a man's chest before, then she looked back up at him. "I can hit."  
  
"It's nothing to get defensive over." Lex gave her a small smile. "Let's just hope you never have to defend yourself."  
  
Turning back to the bag, Hudson took a few more jabs at it, this time causing it to move with a little more force than before. She glanced over at Lex for apparent approval. Realizing that nothing riled her more than being bad at something, Lex just kind of shrugged.  
  
"Maybe your heart isn't in it," he suggested teasingly.  
  
Returning to her, he pressed himself back into position against her, his hands settling at her waist. Her sweater was slightly rough against his skin but he found that teasing a teenage girl who wore her emotions for all to see, was much too fun to worry about discomfort. Lex rubbed against her a little, chest and stomach against her back, and he felt her body tense. Dropping his hands to her hips, he pushed forward with her once more toward the bag, sinking into the movement.  
  
"Put some force into it this time," he whispered into her ear. "Do it like you mean it."  
  
Hudson slammed her arm forward and the chain holding the bag snapped with a loud 'Chink!', the bag sailing into the shelf behind it, everything clattering to the floor - medicine balls, weights, gloves. Lex took a step back, staring in shock, his eyes drifting upwards to the ceiling where the bolts were half hanging out of the plaster. Slowly, he brought his gaze around to Hudson, who had already stripped the gloves from her hands and was glancing furtively at the bag and shelf.  
  
"Hudson - "  
  
"Must've been rusted." She nodded quickly, turning to grab her coat and backpack. "You should be more careful in a place like this. Whole building could come tumbling down around you or something. Holy cow! I didn't realize how late it was. My chores will never get done at this rate!"  
  
"Hudson - "  
  
"Talk to you later, Lex! Thanks for the boxing lesson!"  
  
Lex stared after her as she darted around the corner and out the door before turning his gaze back to the damage before him, his eyes moving from the bag to the dangling hook in the ceiling.  
  
Rusted, his ass!  
  
***  
  
They were just cows.  
  
But the problem was, they weren't. Not really. There wasn't an animal on the Kent farm that didn't have a name. Hudson knew them all by heart, could describe the distinct personality of each, what they looked like down to markings and scars. And in the spring they were supposed to have calves, babies that she would show at the State Fair and they would sell well, bringing in money for the farm. And a few they would keep and raise and Hudson would treat them like pets, just as she did all of the other animals - the horses, cats, chickens. And the cows. Except, now there weren't any cows.  
  
And it was really, really hard not to blame Lex.  
  
Maybe not Lex specifically but, in the end, it was because of him that this had happened. Hudson was just having trouble understanding the whys and hows of the entire situation. It was difficult to do when the person most deeply mired in the happenings wouldn't tell her a damn thing.  
  
"Hudson, this really doesn't concern you."  
  
Well, it did now. And Hudson planned on getting to the bottom of whatever happened at Club Zero with Jude Royce and how Lex was a part of it all.  
  
That was, once she was able to locate him.  
  
She hadn't been very understanding or nice when Lex had showed up at the farm to deal with the chemical waste that had been dumped on their land and killed the herd. Hudson had allowed her upset and anger to be directed at him and typically, such behavior only resulted in her friend closing up and becoming defensive, quiet and withdrawn. Sometimes she likened it to kicking a puppy repeatedly, though she would never admit as much to Lex. She doubted his pride could withstand such a comparison.  
  
"Please, Hudson, I'm asking you for our friendship to stay out of this."  
  
Only she couldn't. Because they were friends.  
  
"I'm sorry but Mr. Luthor hasn't been back to the office since he left to deal with the situation at your farm this morning, Miss Kent," Suzanne's voice was telling her over the phone. "He hasn't checked in. Have you tried his home?"  
  
"Three times," Hudson replied. "Isn't anyone there a little worried as to where he has disappeared to?"  
  
"Not really. This wouldn't be the first time Mr. Luthor has simply disappeared for the day. I'm sorry, Miss Kent, but you'll just have to leave him a message."  
  
Hudson sighed, glancing up as her mother walked into the kitchen. "All right. If you hear from him, have him call me, okay?"  
  
"I will. Have a nice day, Miss Kent." The phone clicked.  
  
Have a nice day? Hudson frowned at the phone in her hand, wondering when the last time was that Lex had checked his employees for drug use.  
  
"Who was that?" Martha asked as she moved over to the sink.  
  
"Lex's secretary. I've been trying to find him but no one seems to know where he is. He's not at the office, not at the mansion, his phone keeps going to voicemail. " Hudson sighed as she worried her lower lip and finally slipped the phone back into its cradle. "Where's dad?"  
  
"Still supervising the removal of the cows."  
  
"But I thought Mr. Sullivan said that LuthorCorp would take care of that."  
  
Martha shook her head as she leaned against the counter and glanced up at her daughter. "It's more than just who is going to take care of what, H.C. We don't know what kind of health risk this could pose to us or our neighbors. Your father wants to be a part of everything - and allow Lex and LuthorCorp as little hand in it as possible. They've done enough."  
  
"But this isn't Lex's fault," Hudson defended quickly. She moved across the kitchen to grab the article she had printed off at school. "I think someone is trying to set him up because of something that happened at this nightclub. Look."  
  
Martha took the sheet of paper from her daughter, her gaze scanning the headline, which read 'Death at Club Zero' above a picture of a smiling young man. She sighed and reached up to rub at a temple. "H.C, until this is cleared up, I don't think you should - "  
  
"Mom, Lex has always been a good friend to me," Hudson broke in, knowing what her mother was going to say. "He would never allow any harm to come to me."  
  
"I know that, H.C. I'm usually the one who defends him." Her mother looked back up at her. "But there are some things in his past that are a little shady."  
  
Hudson frowned and took the article from her, staring at it for a moment before raising her gaze back up. "I thought you always taught me not to judge a person by their past."  
  
Turning to fix a fresh pot of coffee, Martha replied, "H.C., I grew up in Metropolis. I know the Luthor world. It looks glamorous and fun but the kids grow up too fast and they can get into trouble. Whatever Lex is going through right now is starting to affect you and our family. Body parts in boxes and poisoned cows? This isn't normal."  
  
Smiling a little, Hudson commented, "What part of my life has ever been normal, mom? In fact, considering some of the things I've been witness to lately, I would say this all sounds a little more like an episode of 'Homicide' and a little less like an episode of 'Farscape'."  
  
Her mother found a small smile at that. "We don't want to see you get hurt, honey."  
  
"I won't cut him out of my life, mom."  
  
Martha nodded and glanced out the window. "I know. Just. be careful. I'm not so much worried about Lex as I am the people he could introduce to you."  
  
"Don't worry." Hudson leaned over and kissed her mom's cheek reassuringly before turning to head outside and get some of her chores done.  
  
"H.C.?"  
  
"Yeah?" She turned back to glance at her mother.  
  
"Your father. " She trailed off and looked back at the coffee pot before bringing her gaze back to her daughters. "I just think it would be best if Lex stayed away from the farm for a while. I know this isn't his fault but. just until your father cools down."  
  
Frowning, Hudson nodded and let the door close behind her as she moved down the steps toward the barn, article still in hand. She knew she would worry about Lex until she heard from him, which would make concentrating on chores difficult. Luckily, none of it could hurt her so she wasn't too worried about her mind wandering. Glancing down at the paper again, she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together but there were too many still missing. According to the article, the man in the picture was Jude Royce, and he had been killed by a gunshot fired by a security man at Club Zero. So if Jude Royce was dead, who was the guy who had shown up at the Talon and filled out the application for assistant manager as Jude Royce? Was he the same person who had cut off and sent the hand of Max Kasitch, who had apparently been the one who pulled the trigger and killed Jude? And just how the hell did Lex, who wasn't mentioned in the article at all, fit into it? Glancing up at the thunderclouds gathering in the sky above, Hudson thought the coming storm was perfectly appropriate for her mood.  
  
She worked in the barn for the next hour, tending to little projects that she had always put off because they seemed more like busy work than anything that took actual thought. Her mind was just too wired to concentrate on much more than oiling some of the machinery, changing light bulbs and separating screws into labeled jars. Twice she had to keep herself from going back into the house and trying to call Lex again. She had to remind herself that he would call her when he had the chance. He had a busy life and didn't need her constantly checking up on him.  
  
"Can I talk to you for a second?"  
  
At the sound of Chloe's voice, Hudson rolled her eyes. That was all she needed. Without answering, she stood and started up the loft, hoping her friend would catch a clue and leave her alone.  
  
Chloe's footsteps up the stairs behind her signaled that such a wish wasn't going to happen. "How're you doing?"  
  
"That depends if it's on the record or not," Hudson snapped, wondering for a moment if this was how Lex felt when she pried into his life.  
  
"Okay, I deserved that," Chloe conceded behind her. "I didn't mean to ambush you with the whole adoption agency thing.  
  
Hudson shrugged. "Hey, you saw a story and went right for it. That's what journalists do." She could only imagine what her friend would do if she knew why the adoption was so sketchy.  
  
"You're right." Chloe came to a stop beside Hudson and looked up at her. "I let my whole desire to be true to my future profession cloud my judgment without thinking how it might hurt you. H.C., your friendship to me is much more important than any of this. So, I'm dropping the whole thing, and asking you to forgive me, please?"  
  
Worrying her lower lip, Hudson turned her gaze to Chloe, seeing the sincerity in her friend's eyes. She smiled a little. "I forgive you, Chloe. And, thank you."  
  
The relief flashed across Chloe's face and she quickly threw her arms around Hudson. They hugged one another tightly and laughed a little before pulling back.  
  
"Wow, our first fight," Hudson commented. "And I hope our last."  
  
Chloe nodded, glancing between them. "Can I. can I ask you a question?" At Hudson's look she gave her a reassuring smile. "Totally off the record."  
  
Hudson returned her smile and nodded.  
  
"Do you ever. wonder about your biological parents?"  
  
The myriad of questions flew through Hudson's mind: who were they? Where were they from? Why did they send her here? Why didn't they want her? Were they coming for her some day?  
  
"Every day of my life," Hudson replied quietly.  
  
Chloe nodded and reached out to touch her arm, squeezing it a little, maybe in apology for asking, maybe in sympathy for answers she might never find. In an apparent attempt to change the subject, Chloe turned to the work desk, looking over some of the items Hudson had been fiddling with when she picked up the article on the shooting at Club Zero.  
  
She read it over briefly before commenting, "Looks like I'm not the only one doing some digging. What's Club Zero?"  
  
"Part of Lex's past he asked me to stay out of," Hudson replied with a wry smile.  
  
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Boy, the irony is so thick in here you could cut it with a knife."  
  
Hudson just grinned.  
  
"Oh, by the way!" Chloe set the article down and began digging through her bag. "I brought by some pictures for your parents. I figured they could use it for insurance purposes and stuff." She handed the bundle over to Hudson. "I'll see you later. I've got some stuff to finish up at the Torch."  
  
"See ya." Hudson began flipping through the photos when a picture caught her eye. "Chloe!" She called out before her friend could reach the steps. She grabbed the article with the picture of Jude Royce and held it up to the photo Chloe had just handed her. "It's the same guy."  
  
Chloe hurried back over to her side, peering at the matching photos. "What. but he's - "  
  
"Dead," Hudson finished, panic sweeping over her.  
  
Dammit, Lex, she thought. What have you gotten yourself into this time?  
  
***  
  
Hudson tried to remain calm as she sped towards Metropolis, carefully avoiding main roads and the very busy I-70. She'd made this trip a few times over the past few years and had become familiar with the safest route to take. She knew she had to do better with her concentration, or she was liable to run into a cow or a displaced combine, but her thoughts kept returning to Lex and the very real danger he could be in at that very moment.  
  
After discovering the matching pictures of Jude Royce, they had hurried to the Torch together to see what other information Chloe might be able to discover. Hudson had spent her time on the phone, checking in with Lex's office and his voicemail again, while her friend worked on the internet. Before long, the intrepid reporter had come through, complete with address and license plates for the mysterious CEP agent who was registered under the unimaginative name of John Smith. That had been enough to set alarms off in Hudson's head and she had instructed Chloe to call the Metropolis PD and send them to the address on the sheet as she hurried off to locate Lex.  
  
Truthfully, she had no idea where to begin.  
  
Not only was Metropolis enormous, Hudson knew very little of it except for the Plaza district where she went shopping each year at Christmas with her mom. It was raining by the time she reached the city limits, soaking through her clothes and she thought if she found Lex in some swanky restaurant, eating hot food and flirting with beautiful women, she would beat his head in. Right after she kissed him senseless. Slowing to a walk, she glanced around, searching for a gas station or somewhere she could ask about the address she remembered from the sheet Chloe had printed out. She finally approached an old man waiting at a bus stop, asking where she could find 3915 Cypress Street. He pointed and she listened, nodding encouragingly, wishing he would articulate the directions a little more quickly but not wanting to be rude. Finally, having all she needed to know, Hudson jogged away from him, rounding a corner where she glanced around to make certain no one was watching, then sped away once more, following the directions she had been given.  
  
When she reached Cypress, the police and a coroner's truck were parked out in front of the address, signaling that Chloe had made her call. Hudson frowned, wondering if they always worked this fast or if they simply knew she was coming. It made it difficult to do any investigating on her own, especially with the small crowd of onlookers that were gathered just beyond the barricade. Releasing a pent up breath, she glanced around the premises until her gaze lighted on the gurney that was slowly being wheeled out from the front door, a body bag resting over it. Refusing to panic, she focused her gaze in trepidation to search past the bag to the body inside. When she made note of the missing right hand, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief, mixed with pity for the poor man known as Max Kasitch.  
  
It wasn't Lex. Which meant he was still out there, needing to be found.  
  
Pulling back, Hudson caught the eye of a police officer who was moving past the barricade. She pushed through the crowd to talk to him. "Excuse me?" The officer turned to glance back at her and she took that as encouragement to continue. "Did you find anyone else in there?" The question was painful, beyond difficult to ask, but she had somehow got it out.  
  
The officer shook his head and Hudson sighed in relief before asking, "Do you know where I can find Club Zero?"  
  
"You're six months too late, miss," he replied, regarding her a little curiously.  
  
Hudson frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, it closed down," the officer informed her. "It was an old warehouse on 78th and Main."  
  
Okay. She knew where Main Street was. Stepping away from the crowd, Hudson broke into a sprint, disappearing between two buildings before she allowed herself to fall into her superspeed east toward Main.  
  
Unfortunately, she passed 78th and didn't notice until 85th that she had missed it. Slowing, she turned back around, glancing around at the abandoned warehouses and buildings surrounding her, realizing she wasn't far from the Bottoms where the haunted houses were located. Running back up Main, she found 78th, and discovered three of the four corners housed old warehouses. The fourth corner was just an empty lot. Hudson searched for any outward signs that she was in the right place, but each building looked the same - very little in the way of windows, the doors boarded up, plaster falling, paint peeling. Knowing she had no option left but to search each of them, she started towards the one closest to her when she heard the gunshot from across the street.  
  
Speeding towards the warehouse, she burst in through the door, coming to a halt when she saw Lex, bound securely in a straitjacket, falling from a second story loft. Spying the couch next to her, she pushed it towards him, hoping it would be enough to catch his fall before glancing up to find the man who had shot the gun.  
  
What the hell? It was the contractor from the Talon!  
  
Before he could see her, she raced up the steps and slammed him into the wall, knocking him out, then sped back out the door of the building. Turning, she forced herself into a normal run back into Club Zero and over towards Lex.  
  
"Lex!" She called out in surprise.  
  
"Get down!" He warned her. "There's a man with a gun up there!"  
  
Hudson knelt beside him at the couch, so pleased to see that he was all right, that he was alive, that she almost replied 'You mean the one I knocked out?' But she caught herself in time and looked up, feigning confusion when she saw the man unconscious on the floor.  
  
"You mean that guy?" She turned back to Lex, her hands moving over the fastenings on the straitjacket that had him bound. "What happened?"  
  
"I have no idea," Lex bit out, his gaze resting on her while he continued to attempt to catch his breath. "How'd you find me here?"  
  
Hudson flashed him a small smile. "With a little help from my friends."  
  
She had to admit, as much as she didn't appreciate Chloe's snooping around, the ability certainly came in handy.  
  
Lex stared at her silently, breathing hard, unmoving as she unfastened the jacket then carefully helped him to sit up while she pulled it off. Hudson then leaned over and removed the restraints around his ankles, wondering what the hell that crazy man had done to him. She moved to sit on the couch beside him, reaching out to take his hands in hers. They were freezing. She rubbed them gently, watching his face while he stared ahead, his expression a cross between shock and confusion. And just the tiniest hint of anger.  
  
"Can you tell me what this was about?" She asked quietly. "Isn't that the contractor?"  
  
Nodding a little, Lex replied, "He. he's Amanda's brother."  
  
"Amanda?" Hudson frowned, dropping her gaze to their hands while she continued to rub some warmth back into his. "She was mentioned in the article. Jude's fiancée."  
  
"Yes. Jude was. He had been lying to her. When he was supposed to be out of town, I brought Amanda here and we found him, partying with some other women. I tried to stop Amanda, to calm her down but then he attacked me, blaming me for bringing her there, for allowing her to find out what he was really like." Lex brought his gaze to Hudson's finally, regarding her silently before continuing, "Jude stabbed me, then moved in for more when Amanda picked up Kasitch's gun and shot him."  
  
Hudson's hands stilled against his.  
  
Lex dropped his eyes to the floor. "She didn't know what she was doing. She just. reacted to the situation. Maybe she meant to just fire a warning shot. I don't know. I never had the chance to ask her." He paused. "She's dead. Her brother said she killed herself."  
  
"Oh." Hudson didn't know what to say, not when she had absolutely no idea what was going on. Hopefully, Lex would make a little more sense and straighten this all up for her when he had calmed.  
  
Once she made certain he was safe, Hudson got up and located a pay phone just outside the building where she contacted the police to come and get Lex's assailant. When she returned to him, he hadn't moved. Slipping her hand into his, she sat once more beside him where they waited together.  
  
Minutes passed in silence before Lex asked, "How did you get here?"  
  
Hudson had been working on that one since she left Smallville. "The train. I realized this morning that something was wrong when it appeared you had left without saying anything to me. I called your office, but they hadn't seen you. No one could find you. So I got in touch with Chloe and we looked up some information and. well, here I am."  
  
"Again."  
  
There was accusation in the tone but Lex seemed content to let it go, and simply turned his gaze away from her, staring up at the landing where Amanda's brother still lay silent, and unmoving.  
  
***  
  
Hudson had never been in Lex's room before.  
  
While she waited for him to finish with his shower, so that she could make certain he was all right before returning home, she perused the bookshelves and items that they held. There really wasn't much to see in the enormous bedroom, not like her room which was plastered in posters and calendars and old dolls and stuffed animals that she refused to give up. Lex's room had a few paintings on the walls that seemed to have very little significance to anything - and there was an old tapestry hanging on the wall behind the bed, something Roman or Greek, Hudson really couldn't tell which, with curvaceous women wearing hardly any clothing. She made a face at it before wandering around the wide four-poster bed, covered in a dark burgundy duvet. The entire room was dark, even with the early evening sun streaming in through the balcony doors.  
  
Hudson stopped in front of them, peering out into the garden as her thoughts turned to the events of the day -- it had been a long one and she had been more than pleased when Lex had chartered a helicopter to bring them back from Metropolis instead of driving. After all, she couldn't have told him 'No thanks, Lex. I'll just run', and she doubted she would have had the patience for the three-hour drive. Besides, Lex needed to rest. He'd been so pale when she had found him and he really hadn't improved by the time they'd reached Smallville. Neither had he said much; he had just sat there in the helicopter, holding her hand. Hudson was worried about him, which was why she hadn't just dropped him off at the door and headed home.  
  
The door to the bathroom opened and Hudson quickly turned to see Lex exit wearing charcoal slacks and no shirt, his feet bare. She thought that maybe a sound escaped her at the sight - like a whimper or a sigh or something. But apparently she had been able to keep it soft enough that he didn't notice. It had been bad enough the day before when he had removed his shirt at the gym, and stood so close to her, as if he knew what he was doing to her, and enjoying every moment of it. Unfortunately, she had cracked under the pressure and hit the punching bag a little too hard. Better the bag than Lex, though.  
  
In an attempt to pull her gaze away from the pale, toned chest and arms, she raised her eyes to his face. There was a little more color to his complexion and inwardly, Hudson felt a sigh of relief at the sight.  
  
"Feeling better?" She asked.  
  
Lex nodded without speaking as he made his way over to the bed and sat down.  
  
Shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably, Hudson glanced toward the door and took a few steps toward it. "Well, I'd better head home then - "  
  
"Hudson, wait."  
  
She turned back to Lex who was looking up at her, his expression unreadable.  
  
"Stay." He paused, frowning a little before adding, "Just a while."  
  
"All right." Taking a deep breath, she nodded, her eyes dropping once more to his torso. When she noticed the discoloration over his ribs, the sight of shirtless Lex was quickly forgotten in concern. Hurrying over to crouch beside him, Hudson reached out and gingerly touched the area. "You're hurt. You should have let the medics exam you."  
  
Lex shook his head and pushed her hands away. "I'm fine. A few bruised ribs. Nothing I haven't experienced before."  
  
Hudson frowned, remembering exactly what bruised ribs felt like. She planned on staying away from lightning because she never wanted to know what it felt like to hurt to breathe again. "He did this to you."  
  
He nodded.  
  
The last time she had felt such anger, the Sheriff had arrested her father on trumped-up charges brought against him by Phalen. She silently reminded herself that anger wasn't a good thing and Lex was safe and nothing more could be done. Still, she could have lost him. And now he was injured. And Hudson was beginning to learn that trying to keep her friends safe at all times was impossible. Especially when they refused to let you in.  
  
Hesitating a moment, she reached up and touched his shoulder. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm sorry about the cows."  
  
Hudson hadn't expected that. After all, this wasn't about the herd; it was about what had happened to Lex and how close that insane man had come to seriously hurting him. Okay, killing him. If Hudson hadn't realized he was missing, if she had taken longer in her decision to apologize for what she had said. She might have been too late.  
  
"It wasn't your fault," she replied finally, as if she had forgotten the thread of their conversation. Moving to the bed beside him, she sat down and stared at the plush carpet.  
  
"Yes. Yes it was, Hudson," Lex countered, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "If I hadn't tried to ignore it, if I had gone to the authorities with the truth from the beginning. none of this would have happened."  
  
Hudson gave a small shrug, her shoulder brushing against his. "You made a judgment call, Lex."  
  
"What would you have done?" Lex turned to look at the girl beside him, willing her to do the same. When her eyes finally met his, he searched them for the accusation and blame he knew had to be there. He was more than surprised when he couldn't find it.  
  
"I don't know, Lex." Hudson shook her head. "I'll be the first to admit that there are times I don't tell the whole truth, when I think I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and everyone around me and that I think I always know what's right. I've told you before - I'm afraid of one day making the wrong decision."  
  
"You think I made the wrong decision."  
  
Hudson blinked at him for a moment as she considered her answer. Finally, she replied, "You did what you felt was best. It's not my place to judge."  
  
"You're hedging, Hudson," Lex accused, his gaze narrowing as he regarded her. "You want to blame me for what happened to your father's herd, for scaring Lana with that 'gift' that was sent to the Talon. Why don't you just do so?"  
  
"Because I think you're doing a good enough job all on your own." Hudson sighed and leaned back on her hands, meeting his eyes until he looked away.  
  
Lex stood and moved over to the dresser, staring at nothing, his hands shoved into his pockets. Silence grew between them. Hudson watched him closely, noting the telltale signs of exhaustion in his stance, the nervous sweep of his hand over the back of his head. Her eyes moved down the straight line of his back, to the discoloration at his left side. Focusing her gaze, she x-rayed past his skin, checking for any broken or cracked ribs. Finding none, she relaxed a little and returned her eyes to her friend.  
  
When he turned back around to face her, Hudson braced herself for the next stinging set down, wondering what excuse he would use to push her away this time. She knew it was coming, it was only a matter of time. Lex seemed to enjoy punishing himself; he seemed to enjoy punishing her. She still didn't understand why. She wanted to be his friend - what was wrong with that?  
  
"Your parents." He began and lifted his hand as if to conduct the words he planned to speak but he stopped suddenly and his hand dropped to his side. He stared at her as if expecting her to help him find the correct thing to say.  
  
Hudson knew what was coming. How her parents were right for not wanting her to be his friend. That it was dangerous. That they came from two different worlds. She could get hurt. Well, not really, but Lex didn't know that and that was the excuse her parents still tried to use. Her father was so angry after losing the herd that they couldn't even speak of Lex in the house at the moment. And maybe they were all right - maybe her life would be easier (and possibly a little safer) if Lex wasn't a part of it. But she wasn't willing to give him up.  
  
"Don't say it, Lex," Hudson told him as she stood and walked over to stand in front of him. "What would have happened today if I wasn't your friend? If I hadn't been out looking for you?"  
  
Shaking his head, Lex glanced away with a scowl. "Do you know how annoying it is to constantly be rescued by a fifteen year old girl?"  
  
Hudson grinned. "Do you know how annoying it is to constantly have to rescue your sorry ass?"  
  
The slightest smirk appeared at the corners of his mouth. Lex brought his gaze back around to hers and watched her quietly for a moment before reaching out and brushing the back of his fingers over her cheek. "Thank you, Hudson. Again."  
  
"You're welcome, Lex."  
  
Lex's fingers continued to brush over her skin, his thumb tracing her jaw line until he was cupping her cheek. Hudson felt her breath hitch in her lungs for a moment as he drew her closer. Their thighs were touching and she could feel his heart beating through his chest. Unable to tear her gaze from his, she simply stared at him in slight wonder as his breath fanned across her lips, his eyes darkening from bright blue to blue-grey.  
  
"Will you always be there?" Lex asked in a whisper, his eyes searching her face for the answer.  
  
Hudson was having difficulty thinking properly. She nodded slightly. "Yes." She wasn't certain if she had spoken the word or just thought it.  
  
"I want to believe. " He trailed off, his gaze dropping to her lips. His head angled slightly, mouth parting just a little. "I want. "  
  
"Lex - "  
  
"Don't," he cut her off before his mouth closed over hers, negating whatever words she might have spoken.  
  
She wasn't exactly experienced with the whole kissing thing, that much was certain, but she'd watched enough movies and practiced on enough pillows to believe that Lex had the kind of kiss to make anyone's knees turn to Jell- o. And here she thought she was invulnerable. Obviously not.  
  
The first thought that struck Hudson, when she was able to think, was that Lex's lips were warmer than she would have believed, and his kiss very gentle. It evoked images of lazy summer days, the warmth of a fire in January, the scent of Christmas morning, a July night sky ablaze with fireworks. His mouth slanted against hers, his tongue brushed across her lips -- velvet smooth and warm. Hudson's breath hitched at the contact and Lex took advantage of the small gasp, his tongue pressing inside, meeting her own, stroking against her palate. She attempted to match his movements, to follow his lead. He tasted like mint and some kind of alcohol, perhaps the scotch he usually drank, and another flavor that she attributed solely to him. It tasted like he smelled - just Lex. It was better than ice cream or lemonade on a hot summer's day or her mother's gingerbread on Christmas Eve.  
  
Her second thought consisted of the fact that she was afraid to touch him. To lose herself in the feelings of this kiss -- to allow the sensations to completely overtake her -- could mean losing her control. She could hurt him. She could hold him too tightly or puncture her fingers right through his skin. She wouldn't allow any of that to happen - couldn't allow it. Sadly, her arms remained at her sides, her hands clenching and unclenching into fists as they itched to reach up and hold him.  
  
Lex ended the kiss and Hudson felt like crying at the loss. But he didn't pull away; his cheek pressed against hers, his fingers curling in her hair. "Touch me, Hudson," he whispered. "I need. to feel. I need you."  
  
Unable to ignore his request, Hudson drew in a silent breath, reminded herself to be very careful, and slowly brought her hands up to his shoulders, his skin still damp from his shower, and warm. She wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her close, one hand moving from her cheek to the small of her back where he pressed her to him before his mouth covered hers once more. Their bodies were pressed together and she could feel. everything. Something deep inside of her quivered; her stomach ached. Lex's tongue moved past her lips again, touching her tongue, sweeping over it and under it and wrapping around it. The kiss was less gentle than the first but just as good, maybe better.  
  
There were intricacies to kissing that Hudson had never really considered before, like trying not to bump noses and that brief anticipation of what your partner was going to do, wanted you to do. She quickly realized that this wasn't a lesson; Lex had no intention of teaching anything at the moment, he simply wanted to feel. So it was kind of trial by fire and Hudson did what she could to try and keep up, which was little more than allow Lex to take what he seemed to need. She spent her own time memorizing every sensation, every touch, every scent, so that she could examine it all in closer detail later. As she became braver, she allowed her hands to roam over his skin, the span of his shoulders, the strength of his upper arms. A sound, very much like a sigh, escaped Lex's mouth against hers as her fingers moved over him. Hudson cherished the feel of his breath on her lips, the taste of his tongue.  
  
She whimpered a little when his mouth moved away from hers and she thought Lex might have shushed her, but she wasn't certain. His lips trailed over her jaw and down to her throat and he sucked her skin into his mouth and Hudson's breath escaped her at the feeling. Forcing herself to calm, flexing her fingers to relax, she moved her arms once more, resting them lightly over his shoulders. Lex continued to work at her neck before moving up to her ear, nuzzling his nose against it and then pulling the lobe between his teeth. Hudson wondered at what point she had died and gone to Heaven.  
  
Lex pushed her backwards gently, until she felt the backs of her knees hit the mattress. He guided her down onto the comforter, his body quickly covering her own, one leg slipping between hers, his hands pressed against the mattress on either side, raising him slightly. She marveled at everything she felt in this position, trying her best not to concentrate on exactly what that hardest part of him was which was pressing into her hip. If she allowed that to happen, she would grow too embarrassed to think of anything else. His mouth claimed hers once more and by then, Hudson had to remind herself to breathe. She drew in the breath he exhaled and relaxed beneath his kiss a little more, slowly learning to gauge his reactions by the movements of his hips against her and the way his hands clutched her arms and shoulders. Behaving more boldly, Hudson drew her tongue along his upper lip, pausing to trace the scar, causing Lex to moan into her mouth. It was the most unbelievable sound she had ever heard. And she wanted to hear it again.  
  
Gently, she moved her hands over his back, feeling the muscles tense and undulate beneath her touch. Her finger drew down his spine and she felt him thrust into her hip again. Again her attention wandered to where it shouldn't be, and Hudson forced her mind to focus on his lips. She met his tongue with her own again, this time taking his cue and stroking it over his, under his, twisting them together. She felt and heard Lex's breath hitch and then he broke the kiss, causing Hudson to open her eyes and stare up at him in confusion.  
  
Lex leaned his forehead on to hers, his hands moving up to cup her face. "What am I doing?" He whispered. His eyes were closed.  
  
Hudson stared up at him silently for an interminable moment before she replied softly, "Feeling." She could barely catch her breath.  
  
"No." Lex shook his head a little before opening his eyes. "Not like this." He kissed her lips briefly then moved off of her, rolling onto his back beside her.  
  
Her body felt cold and lonely the moment Lex moved away, and Hudson didn't like that. Her hands were all tingly. Her tummy felt. strange. She didn't think she was supposed to be feeling like this. Rolling on to her side, she regarded him while he stared up at the ceiling, before she whispered his name.  
  
Glancing over at her, Lex forced the barest hint of a smile. "Stay with me." It wasn't so much a request as an order.  
  
Nodding silently, Hudson scooted closer as Lex held his arm out, tucking her head against the crook of his shoulder and gingerly laying her hand over his stomach. Lex pulled the comforter up over them and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. He kissed the top of her head and she thought she heard him murmur something against her hair.  
  
It sounded very much like 'Forgive me'.  
  
***  
  
Apples.  
  
That was the scent that greeted Lex as he awoke the next morning. It was a scent he had come to associate with Hudson - her hair, her skin, she always smelled like apples. And he knew immediately what it meant, memories of the night before, and the mistake he had made, coming back to him. Hudson had been there, as always, and she had been warm and gentle and receptive, and he had needed her. Had needed something. Lex could only count himself lucky that he had stopped himself in time, before it had gone too far, before he couldn't undo the damage that he had already done. Hadn't he hurt her family enough?  
  
Opening his eyes, Lex found that Hudson was indeed still with him, curled on her side, her head tucked against his shoulder. He felt mild frustration at the fact that he was holding her, his arms securely wrapped around her, his fingers entwined around the folds of her sweater. If he moved, she would wake, and Lex knew he wasn't ready to face what was still to come. He would hurt her, he had to, because this couldn't happen. He understood that now, better than ever. He had destroyed Amanda's life, simply by doing what he thought might be best for her. And so many lives had been caught in between.  
  
Still, he wasn't ready to give up what he had at the moment. He could let her sleep, he could hold her, he could pretend this was right. It felt right.  
  
Lex moved slightly, just so that he could pull his head back and watch her. In sleep, it is said that people appear younger. This wasn't the case with Hudson. She seemed much older than her fifteen years suddenly, her brow slightly creased as if even in sleep she couldn't escape the demons she refused to share, the ones that Lex was certain haunted her, even if she would never admit as much. Her lashes fluttered slightly, perhaps she was dreaming, and Lex reached up to touch them lightly, his fingertips holding steady as he felt the feather-soft touch brush against them. Gently, he allowed the backs of his knuckles to move down her cheek to her mouth where the pad of his thumb moved like a whispered breath against her full lower lip. The lips he had kissed the night before, which had acquiesced beneath his own, opened to him, appeared to welcome him home. That was where the danger had stemmed from - losing himself in her kiss. In the warmth and comfort, the sheer acceptance it had provided. The past week had been fraught with his mistakes - costly mistakes - and yet, Hudson had forgiven, had accepted, hadn't judged. She was still here.  
  
Leaning in, Lex took the chance and brushed his mouth over hers, just the barest hint of what he truly wanted. His body ached with what it wished to take, what it needed. Groaning against the self-induced torture, he laid his cheek against hers, burying his face in the mantle of dark hair, and closed his eyes, just breathing. His hand moved over her back as he fought to keep himself from pressing against her. He felt like he was drowning; in her scent, in her warmth, in the knowledge that he couldn't have her.  
  
"Lex?" A whisper.  
  
He froze, heart thudding in his chest, breath fanning across her neck, his fingers curled a little tighter into her sweater, then he pushed himself back, away from her, cold space between them. Hudson didn't move; laid there with sleepy eyes gazing up at him, blinking softly in the faint morning light, confusion marred with. something he couldn't identify.  
  
"Good morning." Lex was pleased that his voice was so even; more than pleased with the comforter that lay over them, hiding his current state of arousal. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded, reached out to touch him, her fingers skimming over his shoulder. A gentle touch that spoke of curiosity, innocent desire.  
  
Fuck. Lex shifted just out of her reach ignoring the brief flash of hurt that echoed through her eyes. Her hand was still outstretched. He fought against the want to take it in his and hold it. "It's late. Your parents are probably worried."  
  
Probably? He was damn certain they were worried. She had been gone all night, a fifteen-year-old girl, with Lex Luthor. He was surprised the sheriff wasn't already knocking on his front door.  
  
Beside him, Hudson remained silent. So silent, so still, that Lex was forced to turn to her, to meet her eyes, and try his best not to let his guilt show.  
  
"Last night - "  
  
"I wasn't myself," Lex interrupted, shaking his head when he saw she was about to protest. "I did something I shouldn't have and for that, I ask you for your forgiveness."  
  
Outraged was the mild term for the expression that appeared on Hudson's face. Throwing back the comforter, she hopped out of the bed and turned back to face him, her nostrils flaring slightly with her anger. "You can take forgiveness and shove it. "  
  
Lex waited to see where she was going with her statement, curious to see just how angry he had made her.  
  
"Just shove it!"  
  
Apparently not angry enough. He nodded a little in reply before calmly slipping off of the bed, his arousal effectively squelched with the conversation. Moving across the room, he opened the third drawer down in his dresser, withdrawing a gray cashmere pullover, before turning back to Hudson. "Finished?" He asked, before drawing it over his head and pulling it down around his waist.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "No. I. I don't understand. Why are you doing this? And don't give me that 'You're fifteen' crap."  
  
Lex smiled a little. "But you are fifteen, Hudson. Even in a backwards state like Kansas, that's still jailbait."  
  
"My parents wouldn't press charges," she argued. "They wouldn't do that because they know it would hurt me."  
  
Running a hand over his face in frustration, Lex shook his head and moved over to her, taking her hand in his. Sitting down on the bed, he tugged her closer until she reluctantly sat down beside him. "Angel, it's more than just that. As much as you might feel like an adult, you aren't. Hell, I barely pull off the pretense of being one. You might think you want this, you might even know in here," he placed his hand over her heart, "That you want this, but you've got two things working against you - inexperience and hormones. They make a deadly combination. And you mean too much - more than you'll ever understand - to me to let you make that kind of mistake."  
  
"I don't think we're a mistake, Lex," she whispered, raising her gaze to his.  
  
Lex bit the inside of his cheek to keep from giving in at that very moment. "Maybe you're right," he responded quietly. "And maybe I'm wrong. But I'm not going to take that chance. Not now."  
  
Reaching up, he cupped her face between his hands, holding her gaze steady with his own. Tears hovered in her eyes, and he was silently proud of her not allowing them to fall.  
  
"I never want to lose this," he whispered. "You. are so precious to me. You. Hudson Clark Kent. Friend. Sister. Improbable lover." He smiled softly, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. "I know it hurts, angel."  
  
"Like a bitch," Hudson replied bluntly, her tone petulant and biting.  
  
Lex nodded, still gazing at her. "But it could hurt so much worse. And that, I won't do to you."  
  
Dropping his hands, he stood, his back to her, and walked over to the dresser to slip his watch on. Behind him, he heard Hudson get to her feet, the floorboards creaking beneath her step. The sound indicated she was moving towards the door. Lex's eyes strayed to the mirror, where he watched her. She hesitated at the door and he thought that if she refused, if she marched back over to him and told him that she wasn't going to accept this, he wouldn't be able to deny her.  
  
"It's not fair."  
  
Lex agreed. "No. It isn't."  
  
Her eyes met his in the mirror. A long silence and then she opened the door.  
  
Brief panic. "Hudson?" He turned to her.  
  
Glancing over her shoulder at him, Hudson seemed to understand what he was seeking. She smiled a little and shrugged. "See you at the Talon grand opening?"  
  
Lex released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "Yeah."  
  
Hudson nodded, watching him a moment longer before turning and disappearing into the hall, the door closing softly behind her. 


	7. Vignette 2 The Gift

Title: The Gift Author: Aelora Pairing: Lex and Hudson Timeline: Between 'Zero' and 'Nicodemus' Rating: PG Disclaimer: I can't really claim any of it, except for the wacky idea of changing Clark Kent into a female from birth. Summary: Lex and Hudson's first Christmas. Notes: This is just a bunch of sentimental fluff.  
  
The sweetest gift I know would be if the new snow  
  
Could fall on your footsteps on this Christmas eve  
  
The most joyous Christmas if luck could be with us  
  
Would be if Saint Nicholas brought you home to me ~ Christmas Without You  
  
"Your nose is going to freeze to the window, honey," Martha commented in an amused tone as she glanced at her daughter over the rim of her mug. She blew lightly against the hot cider.  
  
"It's just so pretty outside." Hudson sighed with the drama only a teenage girl could invoke. "It has to be the prettiest Christmas day ever."  
  
"It is nice to see snow, for once," Martha agreed, flashing a smile at the grunt her husband made from behind the paper he was reading. "And it gives your father an excuse not to work on Christmas."  
  
With another sigh, Hudson pulled away from the view of the falling snow outside the window and slid back into the chair, her fingers playing idly with the new red sweater she had received. Wrapping paper covered in snowmen and Santas and reindeer, bows of varying colors and boxes half- ripped in the excitement from opening them, lay strewn about the family room, stretching from beneath the tree to the doorway into the kitchen. Hudson opened her Christmas gifts like she lived her life - filled with curiosity and impatience, delving in without thought of the consequences and leaving gorgeous disarray in her path. She opened them in that manner when she was five and she still did so now at fifteen and Martha just didn't have the heart to clean up the mess yet. Her daughter was changing daily, growing up, coming into her own but this was one little piece of her that Martha hoped would never change, never fade away. There were some messes in life that were a joy to clean up.  
  
Christmas Eve had been spent in the long-time family tradition of delivering homemade goodies to their neighbors and friends in town, short conversations in the cold December evening, before piling back into the truck and driving to the next farm or house. Martha and Hudson had spent the past week baking every manner of Christmas cookie, gingerbread cakes and muffins, fudge, candy, pumpkin bread, banana bread and decorating lids on the jars of canning they had done that Fall. All of these items had been placed into various baskets lined with cloth or brightly wrapped boxes and delivered as little 'Gifts From Kent Farms'. It was Martha's favorite reason for baking, and though her daughter griped and grumbled her way through it, she knew Hudson loved the time they spent together in the kitchen - as well as the chance to dip her fingers into bowls of batter and freshly whipped icing. All of the work was worth it in the end, when they delivered the inexpensive but thoughtful gifts to those people who had stuck by them throughout the years. Faces lit up in delight, children danced around their parents begging for a piece of maple fudge from 'their favorite, Mrs. Kent' and requests for recipes abounded. Every Christmas Eve, Martha understood her daughter's love for this time of the year.  
  
Only this morning, Hudson hadn't seemed quite herself. Restless, occasionally frowning, staring up at the brightly decorated tree with a pensive expression, their daughter hadn't been filled with her usual Christmas boisterousness. She'd flown through her chores that morning, then prepared her annual Christmas morning breakfast -- which she had been making for them since she was nine -- before they had all crowded around the television, wrapped in slippers and sweats and robes and big, fluffy blankets, to watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Miracle on 34th Street'. They ate an enormous early Christmas dinner of roast beef, scalloped potatoes, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, cheesy spinach bake, fresh wheat rolls and white chocolate cheesecake before sitting down around the tree to open their gifts. With the loss of the herd and the need to replace it, money had been tight this year, but Jonathan had insisted that his daughter not notice it at Christmas. So Hudson had received almost everything on her wish list, except for those few things she asked for every year with the knowledge that she would never get them because only people like the Luthors could afford such outlandish gifts.  
  
As she thought of the Luthors, Martha's gaze drifted to the lone present that remained beneath the tree, lovingly wrapped in glossy red paper with tiny cartoon Christmas mice in various scenes of sledding, sitting companionably by a warm fire, opening gifts and building snowmen. It was wrapped with a big red velvet bow and attached was a plain little white card that read 'To Lex, Love Hudson'. She hadn't delivered it yet, and Martha hadn't asked why, even though her daughter had spent the past month lamenting over just the right thing to buy for not only her friend, but the son of one of the wealthiest men in the world. While Martha had been certain that Lex would enjoy anything her daughter gave him, Hudson hadn't been so sure. And now, after all of the excitement of finding the perfect gift, there it sat, alone beneath the bows of the pine tree.  
  
Lifting her gaze, Martha found that Hudson was staring at the gift as well, that now-familiar pensive expression affixed on her face, chin in her hand. Ever since the chemical spill on their property and Hudson's subsequent rescue of Lex in Metropolis, things hadn't quite been the same between the two friends and Martha had never asked why. Lately, discussing Lex in the house had dropped to a minimum, since it invariably meant setting Jonathan off into a nasty mood. Martha had been so busy the last few weeks, she hadn't found the time to pull her daughter aside and find out what was wrong. But half of her Christmas vacation had passed, and not once had Hudson uttered the phrase 'I'm going to visit Lex for awhile'.  
  
Contemplating how to find out if this were what was bothering her daughter at the moment, without actually mentioning Lex's name in front of Jonathan, Martha sipped at her cider quietly, staring into the fire. Finally, she raised her head and asked, "Do you plan on seeing Chloe or Pete today?"  
  
Hudson blinked out of the daze she had been in and looked away from the tree to her mother. "No. Pete's family are all gathered at his house for Christmas and Chloe and her dad left for Colorado yesterday morning. They rented a cabin for the holiday and skiing."  
  
Martha nodded. "What about Lana?"  
  
Another long-suffering sigh. "In Metropolis visiting relatives with her aunt."  
  
Smiling over the rim of her cider, Martha stood and waved a hand toward the kitchen. "Honey, why don't you come into the kitchen with me and help clean up?"  
  
Not waiting for an answer, Martha left the room, walking straight over to the sink where she rinsed out her mug and set it in the drainer before turning to the rest of the dessert plates that had yet to be cleaned. She said nothing as Hudson joined her, lifting the mug into her hands to begin drying. She watched her daughter surreptitiously from the corner of her eye, Hudson's gaze drifting out the window where the snow was still falling, 'Six to eight inches', the weatherman had predicted and Jonathan had commented that he would bet the farm they got closer to a foot. Hudson was already fidgeting, shifting from one foot to the other, tapping her teeth together occasionally, which Martha had berated her for time and again as a horrible habit. She didn't say anything this time though because it was clear her daughter had pent up tension and energy that needed to be released.  
  
Martha softly hummed the tune of 'Silent Night' as she worked, and slowly her daughter seemed to calm beside her, her constant movements becoming more graceful and sweeping, her expression relaxing. Finishing with the last dish, she moved over to wrap the leftover cheesecake in aluminum foil while Hudson finished drying quietly.  
  
"What's Lex doing today?" Martha asked as casually as possible, knowing that the Christmas music from the other room was enough to drown out her voice. Nat King Cole's voice drifted into the kitchen to the tune of 'The Christmas Song'. She looked over at Hudson.  
  
"I don't know." Hudson shook her head, worrying her lower lip for a moment. "Knowing Lex, probably working."  
  
"Certainly he's spending time with his father?" Martha asked, a bit surprised at her daughter's answer. She stopped what she was doing to turn and watch her.  
  
"No. Lionel is. I think Lex said he was in Italy this week." She looked over at her mother. "Lex always says that his family doesn't celebrate the holidays in the traditional manner. Not since his mother died."  
  
"The poor boy." Martha frowned and looked down at the dessert she was preparing to slip into the refrigerator. "Thanksgiving is one thing. But Christmas?"  
  
It was the most abhorrent thing she had ever heard. Generally, Martha tried not to judge Lionel Luthor too harshly. Unlike her husband, she understood the Luthor world a little bit better, knew that they simply lived their lives differently, dictated by the rules of city life and the business world. But leaving your only child alone for Christmas - it was unthinkable!  
  
Lifting the cheesecake into her hands, she walked back over to where Hudson stood and set it on the counter. "You haven't seen much of him lately," Martha commented, folding her arms across her stomach as she leaned a hip into the counter. "I'm not foolish enough to believe it has anything to do with the discussion we had regarding the dangers of being a part of his world. Would you like to talk about what happened?"  
  
Hudson glanced over at her mother, still chewing on that lip. "It's. kind of complicated," she began.  
  
Martha smiled a little. "And not something you want to talk about with your mother." She nodded in understanding and reached up to brush a strand of hair from Hudson's brow. "You do know that I'm here though, right, sweetie? And that you can talk to me about anything?"  
  
"Yeah." Hudson gave her a smile. "I know, mom."  
  
Looking back down at the cheesecake, Martha commented, "You know, we have a lot of leftovers. And we still have an extra basket of baked goods from last night. You have a gift to deliver, and I'm sure you'll be hungry enough for another dinner in a few hours. The roads to the estate shouldn't be too bad yet."  
  
An enormous smile grew across Hudson's face before quickly fading. "Dad wouldn't like it."  
  
"I think I can handle your father, Hudson. It's Christmas. He's got a new pair of slippers, that antler-carved pipe he's been commenting on for ages and a DVD player to figure out how to work. I'm certain he's not going to have any problems with you visiting a friend on Christmas." She squeezed her daughter's arm. "Go on. Bundle up and find a sack to put the present in and I'll pack up some food for you to take."  
  
Hudson reached over and hugged her mother as tightly as she could without causing discomfort. "Thank you, mom. You're the best!" She exclaimed as she kissed her cheek.  
  
Martha watched as her daughter sped out of the kitchen and up the stairs, torn Christmas paper flying about as she zipped past. Jonathan lowered his newspaper and glanced up curiously but when his wife just flashed him a smile, he went back to his reading. Putting the leftovers together, Martha began humming along with Bing as he sang about a Drummer Boy, her gaze drifting back to the window and the newly fallen snow that gathered on the sill.  
  
***  
  
Lex glared out at the snow through the window before taking a sip of the scotch he held in his hand. He'd shared a love/hate relationship with snow all of his life. Before the meteor shower had effectively wiped out his asthma, he'd been forced to stay inside and watch as children of their staff got to sled and build snowmen and have snowball fights on the rolling hills of their estate in the north side of Metropolis. He could vividly remember pressing his nose against the glass of the window, his fingers reaching for the snowflakes as they fell, never able to touch them. The cold, wet weather made breathing even more difficult, and on those days he was forced to stay inside and only imagine what the snow felt like. Sometimes his mother would go outside and cup her hands and bring a bit of it inside for him to feel. But it always melted so quickly and he tried to be brave and nonchalant about it because he knew it upset her as much as it did him, and he knew his father thought it was all foolishness anyway.  
  
After the meteor shower, there was really no point in going out into the snow. The other children didn't want to be friends with a bald-headed freak and his mother was becoming too ill to spend much time playing with him. Pamela tried but his father put a quick end to it, saying he should be spending his time more productively than building forts and throwing snowballs. When his mother died, Lex hated the sight of snow. It reminded him too clearly of the little things she did to make him happy, how she would go out of her way to try and give him a normal childhood. More than once, he'd entertained the idea of moving to the west coast, just so he never had to see snow again.  
  
Snow on Christmas, though. That was the worst. It was as if the Fates had gathered together to conspire just to piss him off. They were likely on his father's payroll. In fact, they were probably responsible for sending out the Christmas card he'd received a few days ago - the standard LuthorCorp Christmas card that every employee received. It even came with a gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse. Lex had to restrain himself from running out and spending that gift immediately.  
  
Frowning down at the now empty glass in his hand, Lex turned away from the idyllic scene outside his window and made his way over to the bar, pouring himself another glass. Unbeknownst to his father, this was his Christmas gift. He figured the man owed him something, so he bought the best bottle of scotch he could find - a 50 year old bottle of Glenfiddich through Christie's auction house. He purchased it with the help of the LuthorCorp expense account and he wasn't the least bit guilty about it, either.  
  
"That's not the way to spend Christmas, drinking."  
  
Lex started at the familiar voice, turning to find Hudson standing just inside the doorway, looking so adorable he couldn't begin to stop the smile that automatically appeared at seeing her. Bundled in a big red jacket and matching snow boots, she was even wearing the most ridiculous red and yellow striped wool hat pulled down around her ears, a fuzzy little ball on top. Her cheeks and nose were red, her eyes bright and she was returning his smile with one of her own.  
  
Snapping himself out of the unexpected cheer, Lex felt his scowl return. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Merry Christmas to you, too," Hudson replied with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't realize I'd somehow found my way to Mount Crumpit to meet the Grinch."  
  
"Does that make you Cindy Lou Who?" Lex returned without missing a beat.  
  
"Ohhh! He's up on his Christmas tales." Hudson moved into the study, setting the bag she carried down on the couch while she shrugged out of her jacket.  
  
"I'm a Luthor. I didn't grow up on Mars, you know," Lex pointed out, taking another sip of scotch while he watched her. She was wearing a thick white sweater with an embroidered Christmas tree on the front, little bells and plastic colored jewels sewn on as ornaments. He kept waiting for it to light up or something. "Shouldn't you be at home celebrating the holiday with your family."  
  
"We already opened gifts and ate dinner," she replied, stomping her feet a few times, causing snow to fall across the Persian rug beneath her. "I brought leftovers with me; dropped them off with Dodd. Mom sent cookies and fudge, too."  
  
"You gave Dodd leftovers?" Lex asked with a smirk. "You're very brave."  
  
"He seemed very mystified when I handed them to him. I'm already getting hungry again, though. Mom makes the best scalloped potatoes."  
  
"I can imagine."  
  
He kept staring at the ball on the tip of her hat. It bounced when she walked and Lex couldn't remember knowing a single person in his past who had worn such a thing. Not even when he went skiing at Vail. Then again, Hudson was probably the only person on Earth that could pull off wearing it and not look like a moron. At least in his opinion. She looked cute. He just wanted to kiss her and. No, he wasn't going to go there again.  
  
Taking another swallow of the drink in his hand, he commented, "I'm surprised your parents let you come over. I mean, with the weather and all."  
  
"I learned how to drive in snow a long time ago. Besides, a lot of the farmers are already out plowing. The roads weren't too bad." She moved over to the fireplace and held her hands out for a minute, warming them. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she asked, "Have you been outside?"  
  
"Do I look insane?"  
  
Hudson grinned. "You don't want me to answer that, do you?"  
  
She turned, warming her backside against the fire and Lex tried not to stare, forced himself to take another drink as he focused his gaze on the floor beneath him instead. If it had been anyone else, Lex would believe she did these things on purpose, patting the back of her jeans with her hands while she hummed a Christmas tune. It sounded like Jingle Bell Rock. Knowing Hudson, she probably knew the words to the song as well. And Lex tried to convince himself that he didn't find such a thought cute, nor did he want to hear her sing it. Frustrated, he downed the last of the glass of scotch, then silently told himself to slow down, knowing that if he had much more, he'd find an entirely different way to warm Hudson - and it required fewer clothes.  
  
Damn. It had been almost two weeks since the night she had spent in his bed, and they had both been cautiously avoiding one another. Well, he had been avoiding her mainly because he believed she was avoiding him -- be it because of everything that had happened with Amanda's brother or the kisses they had shared or his subsequent discussion with her the next morning about how that could never happen again. Hudson had more than enough reasons not to want to be friends with him anymore, not to want to be forced to share his company, and yet here she was, standing in his study, warming her ass against his fire, looking for all like she belonged there, smiling at him in that stupid hat. And then the image of her in nothing but the hat flashed into his mind and Lex quickly started for the bar again, seriously needing another drink.  
  
"Oh!"  
  
Lex came to an abrupt halt at Hudson's exclamation, wondering if her jeans had caught fire, only to find her moving over to the windows, staring out at the garden with wide eyes.  
  
"How can you not have gone outside?" She asked, glancing back at him. She gestured toward the glass. "Look at that enormous expanse of lawn, covered in snow, and it hasn't been touched! It's begging to be littered with snow angels!"  
  
"Have at it." Lex waved his empty glass toward the yard. "I'm not stopping you."  
  
"You have to come out with me."  
  
Lex just chuckled and turned to pour another drink. It was half-filled when the decanter was pulled from his hands and placed back on the bar. He looked up with a frown to find Hudson mirroring his expression, right down to the little wrinkle just above her nose.  
  
Don't laugh, he thought. You'll only encourage her.  
  
"Come outside with me, Lex. It'll be fun."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Fun? It's cold and wet and I'm not dressed for it. How could that possibly be fun?" He was dressed for the cold that was occasionally felt inside the castle - black sweater and slacks, thick socks - but nothing for being outside in the snow.  
  
"It's not like we're going hiking in the arctic tundra, Lex," Hudson told him, grabbing his hand and pulling him along with her toward the back door. "We won't be out long and the house is only a few yards away. Humor me."  
  
Lex sighed. "That's all I've been doing since we met."  
  
Hudson flashed him a grin that clearly said there was nothing wrong with that.  
  
When she opened the door, Lex instinctively pulled back a little, wincing as the cool air swept inside. A drift of snow had already built up along the threshold of the door and Hudson planted a booted foot into it, just like a kid aiming for a rain puddle. Lex made a face, securing his feet at the edge of the step, refusing to move an inch further.  
  
"I don't have any gloves on," Lex told her.  
  
She shrugged. "Neither do I. Live a little."  
  
"That's difficult to do when one freezes to death."  
  
Hudson turned to face him, still grinning. She looked him over for a moment then did the most unexpected action ever. She reached up and pulled her cap off before firmly setting it on his head, pulling it right down over his ears. And then he was wearing it. The red and yellow striped wool cap with a big fuzzy ball on top. Lex wondered if it were possible to die of humiliation.  
  
To top it all off, Hudson laughed a little and told him, "You look adorable."  
  
Lex whipped the fashion faux pas off of his head and threw it at her. "I am not wearing that."  
  
She pouted as she took it from him. "Why not? No one but me will see you."  
  
"How do you know? Paparazzi could be hiding in the bushes."  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes. "Oh, Lex. Your life isn't that exciting."  
  
Lex didn't bother with a reply and he hated it when she pouted. For all he knew, Hudson stood in front of her mirror every morning practicing the perfect pout, just so she could use it on him effectively. And she was pouting very well at the moment, wringing the hat in her hands, glancing off toward the snow-covered lawn longingly and back at him. Lex wasn't going to give in. He didn't want to play in the snow and he didn't want to wear that stupid hat.  
  
"Give me that." Yanking the cap from her hands, Lex slammed it over the top of his head and pushed past her into the snow, wincing at the realization that he was ruining a pair of six hundred dollar shoes. All because some teenage girl wanted to go make snow angels. And had a really cute pout.  
  
Hudson bounded beside him like an overly enthusiastic puppy, chattering about the sled races her and Pete used to have as kids and the proper way to build an effective snowball as taught to her by her father and the many times school had been cancelled from snowfall in January and February. Lex found himself grinning against his will, finding that the simple sound of her voice was enough to make his Christmas that much better and maybe wearing a wool cap was worth it in the long run. After all, it was just the two of them and there really wasn't much he wouldn't do for her if she asked him.  
  
And then, Lex was suddenly reminded why one didn't wear Italian leather shoes into the snow, when his feet flew out from under him and he flew backwards, landing on his ass in the cold, cold snow. He looked up to find Hudson staring down at him, her mouth twitching.  
  
It was too much. "Go ahead. Laugh. Laugh at the billionaire's son in the ridiculous stocking cap with the little bouncy ball on top, whose ass will now freeze to death in the snow only yards away from his comfortable study where a nice warm fire is currently blazing."  
  
She did laugh. A little too hard in Lex's opinion. He raised up on his elbows and glared at her as she plopped down into the snow beside him and giggled uproariously, as if she had never experienced anything quite so funny in her life. He knew that if he made a comment, she would likely reply with something about how she was laughing with him instead of at him, of course, ignoring the fact that he wasn't laughing. Nothing regarding his current situation was particularly funny.  
  
At least, that's what Lex told himself, even when he realized his own grin of amusement was beginning to appear.  
  
***  
  
An hour later, they finally made their way back inside, wet and cold, the hat lost somewhere amidst the snow angels and snowmen that littered the once stately lawn behind the castle. They raced for the fireplace, Hudson hanging back a little to allow Lex to beat her there, then giving him grief for hogging the space and letting her freeze to death.  
  
He glanced over at her, his ears red, teeth slightly chattering. He was smiling though, which was an enormous change from when she had first arrived. "It was your crazy idea to go out there," he told her. "And you're much better dressed for it."  
  
Hudson crouched next to the fire, holding her hands out to warm them while beside her, Lex pulled up a chair and sat down, staring at his thoroughly soaked shoes. "Your feet must be freezing," she commented.  
  
"That's an understatement."  
  
Making a face as she realized they probably should have come inside much sooner, Hudson turned toward him, taking one foot into her hands and removing his shoe and wet sock.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lex asked, attempting to pull his foot away.  
  
"Keeping you from getting frostbite and losing your toes," she replied, removing both shoe and sock from the other foot as well.  
  
Once that was done, she placed his feet into her lap and gently began massaging them, working the warmth back into them while above her, Lex first hissed at the slight pain then slowly relaxed into it. Hudson smiled a little as she worked, surreptitiously memorizing each little detail about the feet in her lap. They were nicely shaped, as pale as the rest of him, a little bony, smooth and flawless. She wondered what he would do if she started playing 'This Little Piggy' with his toes. Glancing up, she found that Lex had leaned his head back on the chair, his eyes slightly hooded, watching her from beneath his lashes. Hudson couldn't remember the last time she had seen him so relaxed. The sight made her unreasonably happy.  
  
"Better?" She asked after a few minutes.  
  
Lex nodded. "Much." He grew silent for a moment, still watching her. Finally he commented, "You never did tell me what you were doing here."  
  
"Spending Christmas with a friend?" Hudson smiled and stood. "You wouldn't come to me, so I came to you."  
  
Lex remained slouched in the chair, flexing his feet in front of the fire, as if he were as cozy and content as could be. She watched him a moment, thinking to herself how she had stayed away entirely too long. No matter his decision regarding whatever was slowly happening between them, no matter his apparent denial of it's existence, Hudson knew that Lex needed her. Sure, it was something he would never admit to, a weakness that he could never let her see. But it was there just the same. And Hudson felt it because, truthfully, she needed him as well.  
  
Knowing she was staring, she forced herself to continue on her way over to the bag she had deposited onto the couch earlier. Digging through it, she pulled out the gift she had brought, hefting it in her hands, wondering if Lex would like it or laugh at it or simply not care. Sighing, she moved back toward him.  
  
"I wish you had a tree," Hudson commented as she came around beside him, kneeling next to the chair. She held the present out to him. "We'll get you one next year."  
  
He stared at her, his brow knitting together before he finally took the box from her hands. "I thought we had agreed you wouldn't get me anything."  
  
"You agreed. I didn't."  
  
Lex frowned, obviously not agreeing at the moment. He just held the gift in his hands, almost glaring at it.  
  
"Aren't you going to open it?"  
  
"I should hit you over the head with it."  
  
Hudson refrained from remarking that it wouldn't do much. She waited patiently, while Lex fingered the red bow, finally setting the box against his lap. He flashed another half glare at her, like he really wanted to yell at her for going against his wishes but couldn't form the right words to do so. After an interminable moment, he turned back to the gift and carefully began to untie the bow and work gently at pulling the paper apart.  
  
She had to keep from tapping her fingers against the arm of the chair in impatience as Lex painstakingly worked the paper away from the box. He was obviously doing it just to annoy her, to show her that he didn't really want it and she had completely gone against his wishes by giving him something. That or the whole gift giving thing really did irritate him and he truly wanted nothing to do with it. He was rich, after all, if there was something out there he wanted, he could just buy it for himself.  
  
But Hudson she had to stop herself and think for a moment. Maybe he wasn't taking his time with the unwrapping because he was meticulous and anal and couldn't show an ounce of enthusiasm for anything; maybe it was because he was savoring it. Savoring the feel of the wrapped gift in his hands, in the sound of the tape as it pulled away from the paper, the rasp of the lid against the box as he lifted it, the crinkle of the tissue inside. Hudson had to wonder if Lex wasn't simply enjoying the act of opening a gift given to him, something that possibly wasn't a frequent occurrence and perhaps he worried that it might never happen again.  
  
And those thoughts were simply too painful for her to consider and Hudson mentally kicked them aside, preferring to live in the fantasy where Lex was simply Lex, and his method of opening gifts was infuriating, and he really didn't care about getting one. Nothing more.  
  
Still, she held her breath as he pulled the tissue paper away and lifted the shiny walnut music box into his hands. She had seen it at her mother's favorite antique shop in Abilene, and the minute she had heard the tune it played, she knew Lex had to have it. The lid was covered in hand-painted lilies and when opened, the mechanisms inside could be seen through a tiny glass cover beside which was a blue-velvet lined compartment. Lex hadn't opened it yet though, his fingers were moving lightly over the lid, almost tracing the flowers.  
  
"Open it," she encouraged softly.  
  
Carefully, he lifted the lid. The wheels slowly began to grind and the tune to 'Chances Are' filled the silent room. His hands clenched around the edges of the box but still he said nothing.  
  
Hudson worried her lower lip, staring through the glass as the wheels and toggles turned inside. "I remember you telling me that was your mother's favorite song. I thought it could be something that you could have near to remind you of her. It's not as fancy as your watch or anything but - "  
  
"It's beautiful."  
  
She lifted her gaze at the whisper, finding that Lex's eyes were a little shinier than usual. He still wasn't looking at her, intent on the music box in his hands. The light from the fire flickered over his face, casting dark shadows here, beautiful highlights there, the orange-red flames reflecting in the blue of his eyes. Sometimes he just looked so sad, so in pain, and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't reach out to him, because he wouldn't ask for help. And she didn't know what to say to get him to open up, to let her in, to trust her to make things better. Lex would never make himself that vulnerable, never allow himself to appear to actually need someone. And Hudson was so afraid that one day, somewhere in the years ahead, all of that pain and fear sheltered deep inside would eat away until it had no where else to go. Then there would be nothing left but a lifeless shell, a man too much like the man he always seemed to be fighting not to become. Bitter, hard, angry, alone. And she didn't know how to stop that from happening. Not when Lex refused to give her the chance.  
  
Hudson found herself hoping that little moments like this might help to bridge the gap that existed between Lex and the world around him. She had worried for weeks about the gift and how well he would receive it when so often it was impossible to get any real emotion from him. Now, she finally had her answer. He liked it. No. He loved it. Hudson could see that in the way he was holding it, staring at it, the tone of his words. She'd been able to give him something little to remember his mother by, and the expression in his gaze was well worth all of the anxiety she had felt.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Lex."  
  
Lex finally turned to look at her then, his eyes sweeping over her face for a moment. She thought he was about to say something but instead, he stood up, carrying the box over to his desk and setting it down, gently shutting the lid. Silence once more filled the room as he leaned over the credenza behind his desk and opened a drawer, pulling a tiny box from it.  
  
When he moved back over to Hudson, he sat down in the chair beside her and held the box out. "I'm sorry it isn't wrapped. I didn't think I would have the chance to give it to you."  
  
Eyes widening just a little, Hudson took the box from his hand, and slowly lifted the lid. A little sound escaped her at the shiny gold charm, shaped like the Phantom's mask, that lay nestled against black velvet. Grasping the delicate chain with her fingers, she pulled it out, holding up in front of her where the firelight winked against it.  
  
"Oh, Lex, it's beautiful."  
  
"There's an inscription. "  
  
Turning the charm over, Hudson held it closer to the fire, reading aloud, "HC ~ I will never hide from you ~ LL." She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. "Lex. "  
  
He shifted uncomfortably, his eyes dropping from hers to the necklace. "It's. Your parents can't get too upset. Although I went completely against my nature, I tried not to think expensive. It's just a little gold charm."  
  
"It's perfect," she told him with a smile. "Thank you, Lex."  
  
Quickly climbing to his feet, Lex ran a hand over his scalp and glanced toward the doorway. "Why don't we go see if Dodd has those leftovers warmed up yet?"  
  
Without waiting for her answer, Lex turned and walked toward the hallway. Watching him go, Hudson took her time to open the clasp on the chain and reach behind her neck, clicking it shut. She lifted the charm into her hand, smiling down at it for a moment before rising to her feet to follow Lex to the dining room.  
  
***  
  
Hudson hadn't lied; her mother really did make the best scalloped potatoes.  
  
Actually, all of the food that Hudson had brought with her had been wonderful, and Lex had eaten far too much of it, as if there were some part of him that had been trying to compete with Hudson's appetite. Not that it was possible. Even though she had eaten the same meal earlier in the day, it hadn't stopped her from having seconds, and even thirds of some of the dishes again in his dining room.  
  
After the initial discomfort from the gift exchange had faded, Lex had relaxed once more, his feet snuggled warmly into the slippers his housekeeper had brought to him, Hudson chatting softly beside him about the presents she'd found under the tree that morning from 'Santa'. He sipped at his cup of hot tea, smiling at the absurdity of still getting gifts from Santa Claus, while at the same time fighting back the resentment that threatened from having the illusion of the jolly old man in the red suit ruined for him by his father at the age of five. He wanted to hate Hudson for living a life he could only dream of; he adored her too much to want anything less for her than everything he had been cheated out of. Their lives were so different, and he often felt shame at the knowledge that he was secretly living vicariously through hers. Lex loved to hear the stories that she told, the little memories of growing up, attending public school, playing in tree houses and going fishing at Hobb's pond. Occasionally, he would share a memory or two with her, little moments that he remembered with his mother or Pamela, books they had read together, places they had vacationed. Usually, the memories were so few that he jealously guarded them, not wanting to share for the fear that they wouldn't be his anymore.  
  
When dinner was finished, they took their plates of white chocolate cheesecake, and another little platter filled with fudge, gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies and macaroons, and moved to the theatre to watch 'White Christmas'. Lex had been a little surprised at the choice, but Hudson explained that her family always watched it as the last movie of the holiday season, and they were probably doing so right then, and she couldn't break the tradition. Halfway through the movie, Hudson stretched out across the leather couch and drifted off to sleep. Not wishing to disturb her, Lex continued to watch the movie, his hand occasionally straying to the head that lay in his lap, his fingers brushing through the dark strands. Her hand was curled against his knee, he could feel her warm breath through the material of his pants and he wished that he could keep her there always.  
  
When his cell phone rang suddenly, Lex snatched it up, glancing down at his friend to see that she was still sleeping serenely. Glaring a little at the phone, he lifted it to his ear, his voice soft as he spoke:  
  
"This is Lex."  
  
"Lex, it's Martha."  
  
He looked at his watch, having not realized that it was all ready half past ten. Everything had just been so peaceful, he hadn't wanted it to end. "Mrs. Kent. I apologize. I hadn't looked at the time."  
  
"H.C. is still there?"  
  
"Yes." He felt his face grow warm, knowing that he had no right to monopolize her time this way. "We were watching 'White Christmas' and she fell asleep. I'm sorry. I just didn't have the heart to wake her."  
  
"Oh, don't apologize, Lex. It's usually impossible to wake her anyway."  
  
Lex had slowly been discovering that. He thought Hudson could probably sleep through anything. "Thank you for sending the food. The entire meal was delicious."  
  
"You're very welcome. If I had known you were alone - "  
  
"I wouldn't have accepted," Lex interrupted quickly. "This is a time for family. It wouldn't have been right of me to ruin Mr. Kent's Christmas like that."  
  
There was silence on the other end, and Lex figured he had probably said the wrong thing, shouldn't have referred to Hudson's father and their problems at all.  
  
Inwardly sighing, he told her, "I'll wake Hudson and send her - "  
  
"No," Martha broke in. "She's had a busy day. And the roads aren't bad. The snow stopped falling two hours ago and everyone's been busy plowing. Let her sleep another hour or so."  
  
It was then that Lex realized that maybe this had been Martha's plan all along. Over dinner, Hudson had explained that her mother had cleared the way for her to come over on a day normally reserved for family. Did the woman know that she had given Lex what he considered to be the best gift ever? He doubted it.  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Kent."  
  
"Merry Christmas, Lex."  
  
Lex glanced down at the angelic face still sleeping against him and smiled. "Merry Christmas." 


	8. My First Taste: Repressed

MY FIRST TASTE  
EPISODE 6  
  
'Repressed'  
  
Sliding the warm black tongue highway,  
  
your hands there, so smooth, between my legs  
  
the cornfields sigh with freedom  
  
Feel the world open wider  
  
~ Open Wider, Bird York  
  
If there was one thing Lex had come to hate more than the LuthorCorp Christmas party, it was the LuthorCorp New Year's party. Whereas the Christmas party was open to any employee who could attend, the New Year's party was reserved for management and above, clients, shareholders, board members - generally those who kissed ass better than everyone else. Clients brought their daughters and mistresses; and every year Lex had a gathering of conniving, greedy, half-plastic females swarming around him. They would brush up against him, press their breasts into his arm, lay their hands against his ass, whisper invitations to join them in the coat closet. And a few years ago, he gladly accepted those invites, banging daughters/mistresses/wives among the clutter of mink and cashmere coats.  
  
Not this year, though. Lex found he was bored with it. Bored with the flashy jewels, pungent perfumes and meaningless five-minute fucks. The same women who were one moment sucking him off, returned to the party only to kiss their husbands with that same mouth, then turn to their current best friend and tell them how they don't see the lure of Lex Luthor - he's a bald freak with a bad attitude. Victoria used to love these parties.  
  
And there was his father in the midst of it all, arm sliding around the latest 'bed-warmer', laughing at something a client was saying, likely thinking to himself how much he hated the man and would have to remember not to invite him next year. Frowning, Lex took a sip of champagne from the glass in his hand, glancing at his watch as he did so. At least time was passing quickly. He'd made it through dinner and mingling and horrible speeches from the board members and finally, the time he had been waiting for all evening, was approaching.  
  
It was almost midnight.  
  
Glancing around to make certain no one took notice, Lex quietly slipped back into the shadows and made his way to the hall. He grabbed an opened bottle of champagne from a passing server before taking the familiar steps to the coat closet, the one place he had avoided all evening and now he couldn't wait to get there. Opening the door, he peered in for a moment, making certain it was empty, before slipping inside and shutting the door behind him. Finding a spot towards the back, he leaned against the wall and slid to floor while pulling his cell phone from the inside of his coat pocket. He hit the appropriate number on speed dial and waited.  
  
"I was beginning to think you'd never call."  
  
Lex smiled at the complaint. "Does this mean you've been sitting by the phone, waiting for me? I'm flattered."  
  
"Well, don't be," Hudson replied waspishly. "It was either that or continue to watch Dick Clark with my parents." She paused. "I don't like Dick Clark."  
  
"How could you not like Dick Clark?" Lex was surprised. "Everyone likes Dick Clark. That's very un-American, Hudson."  
  
"Have you looked at the man? There's something infinitely creepy about a guy who doesn't age. Besides, he's short."  
  
Lex nodded in the darkness. "You're right. That alone makes him creepy. Let's shoot him."  
  
"Oh. bite me, Lex."  
  
He chuckled. This was much better than the party outside.  
  
"So, how're things in LuthorCorp central?"  
  
"Unexciting."  
  
"I refuse to believe that. Anything has got to be better than New Year's at the Kent farm. Dad burned the popcorn and mom sliced her finger open on a can of peaches."  
  
"Is she all right?" Lex asked in alarm.  
  
"It's nothing. It doesn't need stitches or anything. But she cussed up a storm." A short pause. "It's weird to hear my mom cuss."  
  
"I can believe it." He took a swig of champagne from the bottle and asked, "Did you convince your parents to give in?"  
  
Hudson gave a displeased grunt. "No. They made me buy sparkling cider. I told them that if I become an alcoholic at twenty-one, it's all their fault. Oh! Two minutes and counting. Have your champagne?"  
  
Lex glanced at the bottle, deciding not to tell her how much of it he had. "Yes."  
  
"Probably something really expensive, like Dom Perignon," she commented without rancor. He could hear a cork 'pop' in the background and the sound of her filling a glass with the non-alcoholic version of champagne. "Have any New Year resolutions?"  
  
Lex lifted his bottle up and told the darkness around him, "I resolve to never attend another boring LuthorCorp party again."  
  
Hudson laughed. "That's a good one. Ummmm, let's see - "  
  
"Hudson resolves never to stick a wool cap on Lex's head again."  
  
"Hey! I would never make a silly resolution like that," she replied. "Besides, you looked cute, I tell ya. Oh! Fifteen seconds. And the ball in New York is dropping once again. Geez. My parents are getting all weepy and sentimental. Ten, nine - Next year, you and I are spending New Year's at Dairy Queen."  
  
Lex smiled a little, as outside the door he heard the party attendees counting down. "Sounds good."  
  
"Three, two, one. Happy New Year's, Lex."  
  
"Happy New Year's, Hudson." He took a sip of his champagne. Everyone was singing 'Auld Lang Syne' drunkenly, loudly. Through the phone, he heard Hudson humming along. "Don't know the words?" He asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, I know them if I pay attention. But, for some reason, I always start singing the National Anthem."  
  
Lex almost choked on his champagne.  
  
He could hear her snicker. "You okay?" She continued humming, singing a little, as out of tune as everyone else, "Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?... It's kind of a sad song, isn't it?"  
  
"A little." He finished the last of the champagne and set the bottle down beside him. "You never did make a resolution."  
  
"Oh. I made it earlier tonight, before you called."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I resolve to make Lex Luthor change his mind about us. I have a year. Shouldn't be too hard."  
  
Swallowing, Lex closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. "That determined, are you?"  
  
"Mmmhmm."  
  
"Sounds like a lot of work," he remarked quietly, reminding himself that New Year's resolutions are rarely ever kept. Then again, rarely had he met anyone was tenacious as Hudson Kent. He could admit to himself that he was a little afraid. "What if, in the end, it isn't worth it?"  
  
He could feel her smile through the phone. "Oh, it'll be worth it, Lex. It'll definitely be worth it."  
  
***  
  
Hudson lay awake, staring at the clock beside her bed. Just as the numbers switched to 5:00AM, she flicked her hand out to turn it off. Not even a note of whatever song had been playing made it through the speaker, and for that she was grateful. She wasn't in the mood for music. She felt cranky and irritable and. well, it was all Lex's fault.  
  
Ever since that night she had spent in Lex's arms, she hadn't gotten much sleep. Too much dreaming - dreams unlike any she'd had before. Delicious, slightly disturbing dreams that she always awoke from aching deep inside, left feeling empty and bereft. Dreams that had her blushing the next morning when she remembered them.  
  
It was entirely Lex's fault. He had made her feel all trembly and achy and weird inside and then he had told her to go home, because she was too young, because he didn't want to hurt her, and a million other excuses that she probably could have outlined for him. He'd asked if she had been avoiding being around him and she hadn't really answered because, in a way, she had been. And her reasons had nothing to do with what had happened at Club Zero and everything to do with how he had kissed and held and touched her and how right it had felt to sleep beside him in his bed. She'd lasted a whole week and then on Christmas Day had she given in to the desire to see him, finding it was impossible to stay away from Lex for too long without missing him terribly. Her fingers brushed against the necklace he had given her and she smiled a little, missing him again.  
  
Sighing, she swung her legs out of bed and glanced once more at the clock. Chores were waiting and it was the first day back to school after her two- week vacation.  
  
Her father was already in the kitchen when she sped down the stairs moments later, dressed and ready to go. He was making coffee, grumbling to himself at how long it was taking to brew, when he glanced over his shoulder and flashed her a warm smile.  
  
"Morning, sleepy-head."  
  
"I'm only a few minutes late," Hudson replied with a smile as she opened the refrigerator to grab a bottle of milk. "Where's mom?"  
  
"I told her to get a few extra minutes sleep. She was up late finishing those sugar cookies for the bake sale."  
  
Hudson's gaze moved over to the center island where dozens of perfectly decorated sugar cookies - varying animals, shapes and people - were stacked on trays. Her stomach gurgled in joy at the sight and before she knew it, she was snatching one off of the top, glancing guiltily at her father. He just grinned and shook his head.  
  
"I've already had two," he commented before pulling out a coffee mug from the cupboard above him.  
  
"Well, in that case. " Hudson grabbed two more, tucking them into the front pouch of her hooded sweatshirt, to save for later during chores. She poured herself a glass of milk, then sat down on the stool to enjoy first her cookie. After nibbling off the legs and arms of the smiling cookie man in her hand, Hudson stared at the cookie for a moment and recited, "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well," before biting off the head.  
  
When she looked back up, her father was staring at her strangely.  
  
"It's from 'Hamlet'," she told him.  
  
Jonathan nodded. "I know what it's from. But, why are you quoting it?"  
  
Hudson shrugged. "The last Sunday I was at Lex's, I was looking over his collection of Shakespeare and commented that none of it made sense. So he made me read 'Hamlet' with him. It's kind of stuck in my head now."  
  
Her father frowned a little and set his half-finished coffee down. "We'd better get to work. Your mother will be down soon with breakfast ready."  
  
Hudson's nose hairs instantly froze and tickled as she stepped outside with her father. She hated that. It always made her wrinkle her nose in a really strange fashion and she thought she probably looked pretty damn funny doing it. And not amusing funny, either. Her father was slipping on his work gloves, his gaze already straying out to the empty south pasture.  
  
For the past month, it had been the same thing every morning. Jonathan Kent would stand there on the bottom step of the porch and gaze out where there should have been a herd of cattle. His brow would furrow a little, and then his expression would darken and his head would turn in the direction of the LuthorCorp plant. His fists would clench at his sides and his body would grow tense then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the strength would seem to spill from his body and his shoulders would drop. With a heavy sigh, he would shake his head just a little and head off toward the barn to begin the morning chores.  
  
Because there were still chores to be done, even without the herd. There were chickens and pigs and one goat to be fed and milked and the horses, who also needed to be turned out and their stalls cleaned. And even though they had lost the herd, they still had their one bull, Spike. Hudson believed that Spike had to be the oldest living creature on the farm, and he was mean and ill-tempered and loved to charge after anything and anyone, didn't matter if you were holding his feed or not. Feeding him was Hudson's job once she was old enough. Age hadn't slowed the old boy, either. She had even heard her mother once comment to her father that she was surprised Spike could still 'get it up', and there were just some phrases you never wanted to hear your mother utter.  
  
Lately, everything seemed to come back to sex. And it wasn't so much that the issue of sex seemed to be all around her that bothered Hudson; it was her reaction to it. Chloe couldn't make some off-hand comment that she had always made without Hudson turning varying shades of red. She couldn't watch 'R' rated movies without becoming all fidgety and uncomfortable during sex scenes. And every time she tried reading some of the fanfiction that Chloe wrote online, she would invariably close the window before getting too deeply into it. Whereas before sex had been a curiosity, something that was likely in her future and she hadn't given it much thought, now it was much more than that. She was looking forward to it, imaging it, dreaming about it, fantasizing about it. And all with one particular person in mind.  
  
Damn him.  
  
After turning the horses out into the pasture, Hudson returned to the barn to find their tomcat humping one of the female strays outside the doors. She laughed a little nervously at the sight before shooing them away, her face growing red when she almost ran into her father as she entered the barn. Sure, he couldn't read her mind or anything, but that didn't make her feel much better.  
  
"I'm heading off to town to see if I can't get a new steering arm for the tractor," he told her. "Let your mom know I probably won't be back in time for breakfast."  
  
"Okay." Hudson watched him walk off toward the truck before continuing on her way into the barn.  
  
Thinking about having sex with your best friend wasn't. well, Hudson didn't think it was entirely appropriate. Somewhere along the way, he had ceased being Lex Luthor and simply become Lex - a twenty-one year old boy who was really no more mature than any other. She'd learned that dirty little secret when their foray into Shakespeare had turned into a burping contest. Yes, she, Hudson Clark Kent, had the rare privilege of watching Lex Luthor down an entire can of Coke and belch rather loudly. Of course, she had been sworn to secrecy over the entire incident with the threat of death but still, it was a memory she would always carry with her. Whenever Lex decided to climb back onto that occasional high-horse of his, she would just quietly remind him that he couldn't beat a fifteen-year old girl when it came to burping.  
  
It was a hell of a lot simpler than admitting to dreaming of having sex with him.  
  
There, in fact, was the problem. Hudson was terribly attracted to the son of a billionaire, who glided more than he walked, made innocent girls like herself think dirty things when he drank from water bottles and somehow turned something as pompous as wearing driving gloves into a fashion statement. Yet she also adored the boy who packed one hell of a snowball, sucked at burping, and loved doing doughnuts in his sports cars at her school parking lot on weekends. The two conflicted, and she had trouble merging them. She was afraid that one could easily overpower the other, and she really didn't want to lose either.  
  
After cleaning out the stalls and feeding the animals, Hudson headed inside to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking on the stove, her mom busily spreading toast with butter. "Smells good," she commented, her stomach rumbling in agreement as she made her way across the kitchen to the refrigerator to grab the milk. "Dad is in town. Said he might not be back for breakfast. I'll eat his."  
  
"Along with the cookies you snatched?" Martha commented in amusement.  
  
Hudson flashed a guilty grin as she pulled a glass from the cupboard and poured the milk. "Dad's not entirely blameless, you know. He ate one first."  
  
Her mom rolled her eyes before filling a plate with three eggs and almost a dozen strips of bacon and handing it over to her daughter. "Ready to get back to school?"  
  
"I'm overjoyed. Can't you tell?" Hudson sat down at the table and began devouring the food in front of her.  
  
"Slow down. You might choke," her mother warned, sitting across from her with a cup of coffee and two slices of toast. She watched her daughter eat with a slight frown.  
  
"Do you think I can?" Hudson glanced up, contemplating the question for a moment. "I mean, is it possible for me to choke? And would the Heimlich maneuver even work on me?"  
  
"I would prefer we never find out," Martha replied, watching as bacon crumbs scattered onto the table. She couldn't help reaching and scooping them into her hand, cleaning up even as her daughter continued to make a mess. There were a few things Hudson took completely after her father in; rarely cleaning up after herself was one of them. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "You don't have much time to shower or you're going to be late for the bus."  
  
"Aren't I always?" Hudson smirked as she gulped down her glass of milk, leaving a trace of a white mustache across her upper lip. She jumped up from the chair and leaned over to kiss her mother's cheek. "Great breakfast, mom. Thanks!"  
  
Grinning as Martha sighed and wiped away the milk that was left behind on her cheek, Hudson raced up the stairs to prepare for school.  
  
***  
  
"So, was Smallville as exciting as ever over the Christmas break?"  
  
Hudson turned to see Chloe walk up beside her and flashed her a welcoming smile. "Hey! I've missed you."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes but smiled a little. "Oh, I'm sure you did. Somewhere in between mooning over Lex and mucking out stalls, you had time to think of poor little old me."  
  
"Chloe, don't start." Hudson shook her head as she stepped up to her locker, dialing in the combination. "How was Colorado?"  
  
"There was a lot of snow," Chloe replied, leaning her back against the locker as Hudson shuffled through her backpack. "And dad caught a cold our second day there. There was a lodge about a mile up from the cabin that was great. Talk about hotties in snowsuits and Ray-bans! You should go with me next time. I met a few of the guys who work there during school breaks."  
  
"It snowed here on Christmas day," Hudson commented, closing her locker. "Like a foot. It was gorgeous." She contemplated telling Chloe about Lex playing in the snow with her but decided against it. If Lex ever found out she was telling people about his very unlikely behavior, he'd pitch a fit. Then again, she'd like to see him lose control just once. It would be amusing. "Of course, it all melted the next day when the weather decided to shoot up to sixty."  
  
They started back down the hall towards class. "So why weren't you on the bus?" Hudson asked.  
  
"You actually made it in time for the bus this morning?" Chloe glanced at her with a smirk. "I'm impressed."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. You didn't answer my question."  
  
"I came in early to work on Torch stuff," she explained, stumbling back a little as one of the football players knocked into her shoulder. Chloe turned to flash him a glare. "Why don't you watch where you're walking, Cro-Magnon man!"  
  
"Up yours, Sullivan!" He called back as he disappeared into the crowd.  
  
Hudson sighed as Chloe gave him the finger. "You were saying?"  
  
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, Kwan wants me to get in touch with the 'student body', focus more on the pulse of the school or some bull. So I'm trying to come up with a poll question that I could ask and include in the next issue."  
  
"A poll?" Hudson couldn't hide the laughter, ignoring Chloe's frown. "Chloe Sullivan, Ace reporter, conducting 'lunchtime polls'. Should I start calling you Heather now?"  
  
"Sometimes I hate you, H.C."  
  
"No, you don't." They stopped outside the door to their English class, peering inside to see a few of the seats filled but Mrs. Mackay hadn't arrived yet. Hudson leaned a shoulder against the door frame. "So, what have you come up with so far?"  
  
Chloe dug into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Let's see, I thought about asking what everyone wants to be when they grow up, but then realized that half of the answers would be a 'rock star' and the other half a 'porn star'. Then I thought about asking what the worst Christmas gift they had ever received was but it's not timely enough with the holiday already past."  
  
Hudson peered over her shoulder and pointed at a sentence that appeared to be scratched out. "What was that one?"  
  
"Oh, that question was what they thought of the mutant freaks that keep appearing in Smallville and if they think they are caused by the meteors or LuthorCorp."  
  
"Always thinking like a journalist, aren't you, Chloe?"  
  
She shrugged. "I knew Kwan wouldn't like that one." She looked up at Hudson. "Can you think of anything? And please don't let it have to do with Snipe hunting."  
  
Hudson grinned as the bell for first period rang. "You could always use the lunchtime poll in 'Heathers'. With Ed McMahon and the end of the world and all."  
  
"Cliché much?" Chloe asked as them walked into the classroom and took their seats next to each other in the back. Smiling suddenly, she leaned over and asked Hudson, "So, if Ed McMahon showed up on your doorstep and handed you a million dollars and then these space aliens appear and say they are going to blow up in the world in 24 hours, what would you do?"  
  
It depends on if the aliens look like me or not. "Buy Lex a car this time, and tell him to take me for a long drive."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes, still smiling. "How very."  
  
The two girls giggled.  
  
"Ms. Sullivan. Ms. Kent. Something you'd like to share with the class?" Mrs. MacKay asked from the front of the room.  
  
Reddening a little, Hudson shook her head while Chloe continued to smirk beside her.  
  
They were instructed to pull out the book they were reading that quarter, 'Ragtime', having already been assigned to read through the first chapter over Christmas break. Cecily Mathews, self-proclaimed teacher's pet and darling of the English department, raised her hand instantly when Mrs. MacKay asked for a volunteer to read aloud. Chloe and Hudson glanced at one another with a simultaneous rolling of their eyes. Smiling a little, Hudson stared out the window while Cecily's voice droned on.  
  
". He smiled. He touched Mameh's breast. Mameh fled, taking the dollar. The next time, the same thing happened. She told Tateh she was doing more work. She became accustomed to the hands of her employer. One day two weeks' rent due she let the man have his way on a cutting table. He kissed her face and tasted the salt of her tears. "  
  
Was everything today coming back to sex? Hudson shifted a little in her seat, wishing that entire paragraph hadn't brought Lex to mind or made her feel so warm and uncomfortable. She dropped her gaze, glancing up surreptitiously through her lashes to watch the other students, noting that a few of them looked just like she felt. Okay, so sure it was that time of their lives when hormones were running rampant and sex was the one constant in their minds but. well, none of them had to deal with a best friend who smelled like everything forbidden to her and just. just looked like sin itself. And a few of them probably understood it all a little bit better than her; understood the feelings and sensations and how to make them go away. Or make them better.  
  
She rubbed a hand over her eyes and tried to focus on something else. Like the chalkboard. Or the clock just above it. She watched the hand tick slowly by and Hudson was just certain she was going to lose her mind before class was over. An annoying clicking sound interrupted her thoughts and she glanced over to see Chloe playing with her nails. Her friend felt the stare and looked up and shrugged then picked up her pencil and wrote something across the notepad in front of her. She carefully tore the corner away, folded it and discreetly tossed it onto Hudson's desk.  
  
Looking up to make certain that Mrs. MacKay was still focused on the book in front of her, Hudson opened the note to read: Don't you think Lex is kind of a big, walking dong?  
  
Hudson felt her face flame and she glanced up quickly to make certain no one was looking as she crumpled the paper in her hand. How was she ever supposed to look Lex in the eye again?? And how was she ever supposed to get that image out of her head? She actually felt a bubble of laughter welling up inside of her and god, she wasn't supposed to be picturing her friend as a big, walking penis in Armani, let alone be laughing about it!  
  
When the bell rang, Hudson practically flew out of her chair and into the hall. She heard Chloe running up behind her to keep up.  
  
"Hey! Wait!"  
  
"I'm not talking to you," Hudson muttered.  
  
Chloe laughed as she finally moved up beside her. "I was just playing. Good thing Mrs. MacKay didn't get her hands on that - I would have died of laughter."  
  
"Well, I am going to probably die of mortification the next time I see Lex."  
  
"Jesus, girl. Lighten up." Chloe smirked. "You've been far too sheltered."  
  
"If being sheltered means not picturing your friend as a. you know, then I prefer to remain so, thank you very much."  
  
Chloe laughed. "Oh, H.C. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a complete prude."  
  
Hudson sighed and shook her head and kept walking, only to practically run Lana over as she appeared out of nowhere in front of her. "Oh! H.C. I've been looking for you!" She was flushed and a little out of breath.  
  
"What is it?" Hudson was waiting to hear that some giant, green mutated chicken was currently barreling its way down Main Street.  
  
"There was an accident of some kind out on H highway. Your father was apparently a witness and had to rescue the guy who crashed."  
  
"Is my dad all right?" Hudson asked quickly, panic sweeping through her at the thought of anything happening to him. Especially when she hadn't been there to protect him.  
  
"I don't know. I only just heard."  
  
Hudson looked at Chloe and Lana only a moment before asking," Mind taking notes for me?" Then she hurried away from them, down the hall to head for home.  
  
When she got to the farm, she was greeted by the sight of her mother and father making out on the island in the center of the kitchen. She instantly flashed back to the passage of 'Ragtime' from class that morning, and the entire moment was much like hearing her mother comment about a bull being able to 'get it up'. Hudson was beginning to wonder if she was going to need therapy when she was older. She could see it now - sequestered away in a convent somewhere, visions of sex and her parents haunting her the rest of her life.  
  
Turning away from the scene before her, she let out a small breath and commented, "I sooo did not need to see that."  
  
She heard her father chuckle. "Hey, honey. Just getting the old hero's welcome. You know what I mean?"  
  
Hudson turned around just in time to see her father slap her mother's ass and Martha exclaim, "Oh!"  
  
Therapy. Definitely.  
  
"What's going on with dad?" Hudson whispered as Martha moved to stand beside her.  
  
"I don't know," her mother whispered back as they both stared at Jonathan while he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. "He's been acting strange ever since he got home."  
  
"H.C., they're playing 'North Dallas Forty' on TV in a bit," her father commented. "You wanna watch it with me?"  
  
Hudson's eyes lit up at the idea of skipping school all day until her mother flashed her a warning look. Knowing that idea was out, she asked, "Don't you have work to do, Dad?" She couldn't remember the last time he had taken a day off, except Christmas when he was forced to because of the snow.  
  
"Nah. Chores can wait." He held the beer bottle up to the edge of the counter and popped the cap off, causing beer to foam everywhere. "Besides - Whoa! I've earned a rest. You can pick up the slack for me, can't ya?"  
  
Martha and Hudson watched in further shock as he grabbed the corner of the kitchen curtain and wiped the bottle.  
  
"Jonathan!" Martha whipped a towel over to him.  
  
Hudson made a face. "It's a good thing you didn't let this whole hero thing go to your head, Dad."  
  
A knock on the door caused her to look away from the fascinating behavior of her father to see Lex peering in from the other side of the screen. A smile instantly appeared at the sight of him.  
  
"I hope I'm not interrupting," he called out.  
  
"Hi, Lex," Martha greeted. "Come in."  
  
Hudson forced herself not to run over and give him a big hug or something. She hadn't seen him since the day before New Year's Eve and had missed him terribly. He was dressed in Lexian Casual - black slacks with a light grey pullover that had always been one of Hudson's favorite shirts. Over it he wore a simply black jacket. He had obviously been planning on spending the day at home.  
  
"What's up, Lex?" She asked.  
  
"Hey, Hudson." He flashed her a smile. "Looking for Mr. Kent."  
  
Jonathan moved over to stand in front of Lex, right into his personal space. "What do you want?" His tone was excessively belligerent and unwelcoming.  
  
Lex either didn't notice any difference from his usual greetings or was ignoring it. "I heard you pulled one of my employees out of a car today. I wanted to see if you were all right."  
  
"No, you didn't," Jonathan countered. "You wanted to see if I was going to sue you or not. Of course, that would put an end to all my financial difficulty, wouldn't it?"  
  
Hudson blinked at her father's accusation and glanced at her mother.  
  
"Jonathan, that's enough," Martha told him, shock evident in her words.  
  
"No, it's not enough, Martha. You see, I don't like Lex Luthor," Jonathan began, causing Hudson to wince, her gaze immediately going to Lex, watching as he seemed to shut down, the protective walls of apathy instantly erecting themselves. "I don't like Lionel Luthor, and I don't like your friendship with my daughter. In fact, if all of you Luthors were to dry up and die, I wouldn't shed a tear."  
  
Hudson couldn't stand it any more. "Dad, that's enough," she called out, embarrassed, angry and hurt that he would treat her friend like that.  
  
Her father glanced over his shoulder at her, looking for all the world like he wanted to say something else. Instead, he turned back to Lex as he took a swig of his beer, then belched loudly in their guest's face before commenting, "I think I'll take a nap." Moving back across the kitchen, he passed between Martha and Hudson, glancing down at his wife and smiling. "Hubba hubba."  
  
Disbelief continued to register across the faces of the three people left in the kitchen as Jonathan headed up the stairs. Martha turned to say something to Lex, trying to apologize, but she seemed at a loss. Finally, she gave a small shrug of her shoulders, looked over at Hudson and hurried upstairs after her husband.  
  
Silence filled the kitchen for the next few moments as Lex and Hudson stood staring at the empty staircase, identical expressions of confusion on their faces. Hudson couldn't recall ever having seen her father so blatantly rude to anyone, even if their name was Luthor. Sure, Jonathan Kent had plenty to say behind Lex's back, but when it came to Lex being in his presence, her father generally either said as little as possible or excused himself to the barn. He certainly didn't speak to him with such vehemence or wish death on him! Hudson winced once more at the words her father had spoken and looked over at her friend, who was still silent and staring.  
  
"Lex," she finally spoke softly. "I. don't know what to say. I'm sorry about that. I'm not certain what's going on with him."  
  
Lex shook his head a little, as if to say don't worry about it or maybe that he had always been expecting something like it. He brought his gaze to hers. "How many beers has he had?"  
  
"That was his first as far as I know."  
  
Lex's eyes widened a little and he looked back at the staircase. "I. " He couldn't seem to think of anything to say, much as her mother had behaved a few minutes before. He seemed to change his mind, ran a hand over his head and glanced toward the door behind him before focusing on her once more. "What're you doing home?"  
  
"I heard about the accident and came to see how my dad was."  
  
"Ah." He nodded, shifted a little as if he couldn't decide how to make his excuses and leave.  
  
Hudson took pity on him. "Mind driving me back to school?"  
  
"Huh?" He blinked at her for a moment, his mind obviously elsewhere. Then he nodded. "Sure. Come on."  
  
As they stepped outside together, Hudson glanced ahead to a silver car she had never seen before. Her eyes widened a little because it was gorgeous and sleek in appearance, the Ferrari emblem gleaming on the hood. "New car?" She asked as she moved to the passenger side and opened the door.  
  
Lex nodded as he slid into the leather seat. "360 F1 Modena. Every year for my birthday since I was sixteen my father has given me a new car. Even after I started buying my own."  
  
"Did he - Wait! What? Your birthday?" Hudson turned and stared at her friend as he started the engine and backed the car down the drive to the road. "When? Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"The twenty-seventh." Lex glanced into the rearview mirror as he whipped onto the road then shifted gears. "Birthdays aren't a big deal to me, angel. I usually prefer that people don't know. My father always used to say that anyone can live year after year, that's no cause for celebration. Your existence only means something if you've achieved greatness. Then you've earned the right to celebrate."  
  
Hudson frowned and turned her gaze out the window, hoping she never actually had to speak to Lionel Luthor. She'd likely recite the words her father had just spoken in the kitchen. And then end it all with a well- placed kick. It upset her that she had missed Lex's birthday; it upset her even more to think that Lex himself seemed to miss his own birthdays. Besides, she thought he was great as he was - he didn't need to achieve anything.  
  
Glancing back over at him, Hudson watched him silently for a moment before asking, "You'll come to my birthday party though, won't you?"  
  
There was the barest hint of a half-smile. "I wouldn't miss it, angel."  
  
Hudson smiled brightly. "Good. Mom always makes my favorite cake - "  
  
"Vanilla with strawberry filling," Lex supplied quickly, flashing her a quick look.  
  
"You do pay attention to me." Hudson was inordinately pleased. "And here I thought half the time you only heard 'blah blah blah'."  
  
Lex's smile grew a little at that. "Only when it's 'blah blah blah I'm hungry'," he teased.  
  
"Uhn!" Hudson gave him an outraged look, though secretly she was happy that he had relaxed enough after the confrontation at her house to tease her. She regarded him for a moment longer before telling, "I wish I could have given you a birthday gift, Lex."  
  
Pulling into the school parking lot and shifting the car into park, Lex looked over at her and reached out to touch her cheek lightly. "Just saying it was enough, Hudson. Thank you."  
  
Warmth filled her at his touch and she really couldn't help herself from moving against his fingers just a little. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she realized she really wanted him to kiss her again. For the past few weeks, she'd had nothing but her dreams to remind her of the kisses they had shared that night and Hudson was beginning to worry that she might forget how it had felt. She didn't want to. She wanted to feel his body against hers again and touch his skin and have his tongue in her mouth and -  
  
Lex snatched his hand away and glanced back out the windshield, growing all tense and expressionless. "You'd better get back to school."  
  
Obviously he had seen too much in her eyes. Sighing inwardly, Hudson nodded in reply, mumbled her thanks and exited the car.  
  
***  
  
The next twenty-four hours went by in a blur for Hudson. After school, she was walking through town to visit Lana at the Talon when she saw her dad's truck tear down the street, nearly running over two pedestrians. She hurried after it, catching up when he parked outside the bank and climbed out, shotgun in hand. His inexplicable behavior only peaked when she tried to take the gun from him and it went off, the bullets driving into her chest. Luckily, no one had been around to see it happen. Her dad had stared at her in shock before collapsing.  
  
She ran into the bank to call an ambulance and her mother met her at the hospital as the paramedics wheeled her dad in. Frantically, Hudson explained everything to her mother as they waited for Doctor Davis to examine him. When he finally came to speak to them, the news wasn't good. They weren't certain what was wrong with him. The man he had rescued earlier that day, James Beales, had suffered from the same symptoms. By late that afternoon, Mr. Beales had fallen into a coma. The doctor was certain that if they didn't isolate the problem soon, the same would happen to Jonathan Kent. Hudson spent the entire night in the hospital with her mom, holding her hand and assuring her that dad would be all right.  
  
The next morning, and school, came too quickly.  
  
Hudson had her head in her arms, catching a few moments rest in the Torch office before deciding whether or not she should go to her next period. She hadn't slept all night, had returned to the farm earlier that morning to get the chores done, eat, shower and hurry to her first class. She hadn't made it on time and was handed a detention for her third tardy, until she explained her situation to Principal Kwan.  
  
It would have been easier had she convinced her mom to simply excuse her from school and ask one of the neighbors to feed their livestock. Unfortunately, her mom had insisted that they do exactly as her dad would have wanted - take care of the farm and focus on school. Besides, there was nothing that the two of them could do for him and they would only be in the way of the nurses. Her mom had stayed though, and Hudson couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy at wanting to be able to be with her dad.  
  
"Planning on sleeping the day away?"  
  
Hudson opened her eyes at Lana's voice and smiled a little before lifting her head up. "Something like. that." She stared in stunned silence at her friend, who was lounging against the doorframe in miniskirt and knee-high boots. It was a new look for her. And it wasn't bad.  
  
"What's the matter?" Lana asked with a smile.  
  
"Nothing." Hudson shook her head, sitting up fully, blinking the sleep away. "It's just a. change."  
  
Lana moved into the office, twirling in display in front of Hudson, with another confident smile. "You like it?"  
  
"Ummm, I guess. Sure." Hudson thought it was something she was going to have to get used to. Lana was usually inclined to pink and soft sweaters and jeans. She dressed. well, like girls who grew up in smalltown-Kansas dressed.  
  
Sitting down in the chair beside her, Lana leaned over, smelling like a lot of perfume and hairspray. Hudson held back the impulse to sneeze at the overpowering scents. Lana was watching her, her eyes roaming over her slowly from head to toe.  
  
"Listen, I know things are rough. But you can't let them get you down."  
  
This from the girl who visited her parents' gravesite almost nightly. Hudson made a face for a moment. "It's kind of hard not to, Lana."  
  
"The key is to keep your mind off of it. Let your friends be your friends." Lana's smile grew and she leaned in further, her gaze lingering over Hudson's mouth. "Let them distract you. Trust them." She licked her lips.  
  
Hudson shuffled a little in her chair, wondering where Lana was going with this. "I do trust you, Lana."  
  
Lana smiled brightly and laughed a little. "Good. Then follow me." She jumped up from her seat and grabbed Hudson's hand, pulling her along.  
  
Allowing Lana to lead her away with only a slight smile of confusion, Hudson found herself wondering what was up. They passed through the hallways, which were deserted since everyone appeared to be in class except them, and then Lana was leading her through the gym and the locker rooms towards the school's pool. Of course, they couldn't actually be going in there because the pool was closed and you had to either be on the swim team or signed up for the swimming class in order to be allowed inside. This thought crossed her mind just as Lana pulled open the doors and tugged her inside.  
  
"Ummm. what are we doing in here?" Hudson asked as they moved alongside the pool, the smell of chlorine filling the humid air.  
  
"It's quiet," Lana replied as she let go of Hudson's hand and stepped away from her.  
  
"It's also completely off limits." Hudson stared in question as Lana lifted a leg up onto the diving board and began removing her boot. Her friend flashed a smile and laughed with abandon as she kicked off both boots and climbed up onto the board. Frowning a little, Hudson commented, "Lana, I don't think I'm really up for this."  
  
Lana danced a little along the length of the diving board, then turned to Hudson as she removed her belt, tossing it away. "You think too much, H.C."  
  
Having never actually seen 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', Hudson wondered if it were anything like this. You go to school one day and a good friend that you've known since the first grade seems to have gone completely stark raving mad. She tried not to laugh because seeing Lana, who deep down inside really wasn't much more experienced in the ways of the world as Hudson was - boyfriend or not - behave in this outrageous manner was mind-blowing. She kept waiting for Pete and Chloe to jump out and yell 'April Fool's!' yet it was nowhere near April.  
  
"Right now I'm thinking you don't seem like yourself. " Hudson trailed off with her quip as her frown deepened. Something wasn't right here.  
  
"Or maybe I'm more me than ever," came the reply as Lana stripped off her skirt and tossed it to Hudson.  
  
Hudson stared at the skirt for a moment before dropping it. "Lana, this is crazy. Please come down from there. We're going to get into trouble."  
  
Lana stretched her arms out dramatically, flaunting her red lace panties as she moved along the diving board gracefully. "That's the point. If life doesn't drive you crazy, then why bother living it?" She turned to smile at Hudson, and her gaze drifted over her again.  
  
Memories of the kiss they had shared thanks to Kyle Tippet's suggestion flashed through Hudson's mind and she lowered her gaze for a moment, her face flushing. She thought her heard Lana giggle at her reaction and wondered what was going on with her mind lately. Maybe it was an alien thing that was sending her hormones all wacko -- because damn it if she didn't just find herself thinking that Lana had really nice legs. And hips. And stuff.  
  
"I know that's how I want it," Lana finished pointedly.  
  
Hudson looked back up in time to see her friend pull her tank off over her head, so that she was clad in no more than her panties and matching bra. Lana smiled seductively - seductively! - at her, then moved back down the board, leaning on the handrails.  
  
"The question is," Lana continued, her voice playful. "Do you want what I want?"  
  
Not bothering to ask what that might be, especially when she was so confused at the moment that she felt as if she had just walked into the middle of a four hour movie, Hudson stared in shock as Lana winked at her then did a back-flip off of the diving board into the pool. Her mouth fell open a little and it was hard not to laugh because her life just seemed so. strange suddenly. She couldn't stop thinking about sex with Lex and she was just about certain that Lana was coming on to her with those suggestive looks and flashing her body around in her underwear and now she was surfacing from the water, all wet, her skin glowing, grinning like she was the wickedest person on earth.  
  
"Don't you want to come in, H.C.?"  
  
Hudson shook her head. "I. I don't think so, Lana."  
  
Shrugging a little, Lana swam over to the ladder and climbed out, all dripping with water, her bra and panties clinging to her even more tightly, nipples hard through the fabric as the air touched her skin. Hudson focused her gaze on the far wall and wondered what Chloe would do in this situation. She remembered Lex teasing her about wanting to join in and wow, she really couldn't let herself imagine what that would be like at the moment. Maybe her species just liked pretty things?? Lana was pretty and Lex was pretty. Then again, she had always thought Chloe was pretty too and she had never felt like this around her. Of course, Chloe had never gone strutting around in her underwear in front of Hudson before. Nor did she wear red lace. Nor had they ever kissed.  
  
"I broke up with Whitney," Lana told her as she drew close, steam rising from her body, chlorine, perfume and hairspray mixing together.  
  
She had no choice. Hudson glanced down at her. "What? Why?"  
  
Lana shook her head, reached out and drew her fingers along Hudson's shoulder. "I don't want Whitney, H.C. I want you. You know that. The kiss we shared out at Kyle Tippets, remember?" Hudson nodded, causing Lana to frown. "Well, I don't remember it, H.C. But I want to. "  
  
Hudson blinked. Okay, now she knew there had to be something wrong here. "Lana, I don't think - "  
  
"Stop thinking so much," Lana whispered, her fingers moving over Hudson's lower lip. "We're young. It's time to experiment. To see what we like. I know I like you. You're gorgeous and sweet and have the finest ass in school."  
  
"Lana -- !"  
  
Her protest was cut off as Lana grabbed her by the hair and pulled her down for a kiss, soft, lipstick-covered lips closing over hers. Hudson remained still, staring in shock for a moment, trying to get over two different thoughts - one, Lana was kissing her for a second time. And two, she might be mistaken but. she thought she was enjoying it. Her eyes drifted closed as her friend continued to kiss her, mouth slightly cold from the water, tasting of chlorine and bubble gum, slim tongue pushing past her lips, exploring. It wasn't like kissing Lex at all - his kiss made her weak in the knees, her stomach do flip-flops and her heart beat so hard in her chest she was certain it would explode. No, kissing Lana wasn't like that at all but that didn't mean it wasn't nice. If she could just get past the fact that this was the same person who had stolen her favorite Barbie when they were little.  
  
What was she doing?  
  
Hudson grasped Lana's shoulders and pushed her back gently. "Lana, stop. This isn't. You care about Whitney and - "  
  
"You chicken shit!" Lana spat, going from seductive to pissed in one point two seconds. "I'm finally honest with you, let you know exactly how I feel and you're all too goody-goody to accept the tongue of another girl in your mouth?"  
  
"No, that's not - "  
  
"I don't have time for your immaturity, bitch." Lana moved forward before Hudson could understand what was happening and pushed her into the pool.  
  
The water was cold, even at a regulated temperature, and shocking to say the least. Hudson quickly kicked her way back to the surface, her sweater feeling itchy and heavy against her skin, her jeans more than uncomfortable. What was worse was that she didn't find Lana anywhere in sight as she broke through the water.  
  
But she did look up to see Principal Kwan glaring down at her.  
  
Hell.  
  
***  
  
Lex listened to the scientist, Dr. Krebill, on the other end of the line as he explained the difficulties they were having in studying the specimens that Lex had sent over earlier that day. Without being able to study the affects on an actual human being, they were extremely limited. The rats only got them so far. But they had made a few breakthroughs and believed that they had isolated the problem. Now the trick was developing a cure.  
  
It was practically impossible to hold on to his patience, but Lex knew his team was doing everything they could to find an antidote for the toxin emitted by the Nicodemus flower. Currently there were two people whose lives were hanging in the very balance dependant on a resolution being discovered quickly. And these weren't just nameless, faceless victims either - they were people Lex knew and cared about. More importantly, they were people that Hudson cared about. If for no one else, Lex had to find the answers for her.  
  
He paced alongside the curb on Main Street, nodding occasionally as Krebill spoke. He had allowed Teresa to go ahead and close the Talon after Lana's announcement because of the lack of employees able to handle the shifts. Better to have no service than bad service. He wanted to go back to the hospital to sit with Hudson and Mrs. Kent but it would make keeping in touch with the team in Metropolis difficult. After seeing Hudson's face at the hospital when she had just brought Lana in, standing there staring at her father as he lay in a coma, Lex knew he would do everything in his power to keep her from knowing that he'd had a hand in it. Maybe not directly but he was the one providing Hamilton with the funding necessary to do such research. He should have said something the moment he had learned what the doctor had been up to but. he just hated seeing the disappointment in her eyes. The past month had been filled with those moments and it seemed they were just getting back to the closeness and trust that they'd shared previously.  
  
Returning his attention to Dr. Krebill, Lex listened as he was informed that they hoped to have a cure by morning. "Good," Lex replied with a nod as he glanced over his shoulder to see Hudson approaching.  
  
He stared at her a moment, noting the tired expression, the lack of a smile. He missed the carefree girl who always had a way of making even his worst days somewhat better. She shouldn't have had to go through something like this. Cutting off Dr. Davis, he told him, "I'll call you back," before hanging up the phone. Slipping the phone into his pocket, he told her, "I just got off the phone with the doctors. They think they've isolated the problem."  
  
Hudson nodded a little and dropped her gaze, staring at the ground between them for a moment. Lex thought there was something significant in that, in her expression but he couldn't pinpoint the thought. She lifted her gaze back to his.  
  
"Does it have to do with the Nicodemus flower?"  
  
Lex remained impassive though he felt his heart give a small lurch.  
  
"Chloe told me that you checked the diary out of the library," she told him.  
  
He steeled himself for the ensuing confrontation. "Yes, I did, Hudson," he admitted.  
  
"Why?" Her tone was demanding, a tone she never would have used with him in the past.  
  
"Because my property was built on the site of the original settlement," Lex lied smoothly, wondering when it had become such an easy thing to do to his friend. He had promised her that their relationship would be the 'stuff of legend'. Maybe he had simply meant by how many secrets they could keep from one another.  
  
"I always thought it was an interesting story," he continued, thinking something personal like that made it sound truer, made it all right. "When I heard about your dad's symptoms I remembered it and tracked it down to see if it could be any help."  
  
Hudson glanced away frowning, before looking back over at Lex. "Why didn't you tell me about it?" She asked quietly.  
  
She wasn't going to let this go. Lex looked away, started walking toward the Talon. They might as well go inside and have some coffee together. "Hudson, it was a crackpot story," he explained calmly. "I was grasping at straws."  
  
"Do you know Dr. Steven Hamilton?"  
  
Lex felt a brief wave of panic at her question. No, it was impossible that she could link them together. Unfortunately, he had already paused for too long but he still replied, "Who's that?" He was unprepared for the strong hand that grabbed him by the arm, pulling him around to face her.  
  
Hudson focused her gaze on him, her green eyes flashing their annoyance. "Don't lie to me!" She snapped.  
  
Lex stared at the hand that held him, surprised that she had exerted force against him and more than a little angry that she would even consider doing so. "Hudson, calm down," he commanded. "I know you're worried about your father but I checked the book out of the library. That's it."  
  
She dropped her hand and lowered her gaze at his tone. Lex remained silent, watching her, knowing that there was more she wished to say, he could see it in her eyes. He waited, wondering where this well-spring of patience had erupted from, while at the same time preparing himself for more deceit. This was too much; already Hudson was doubting him. He had to keep up the charade, cover his association with Hamilton or she might never believe in him again.  
  
Finally, she met his gaze once more. "You stood there in the hospital, just a few hours ago, Lex, and apologized to me. At the time I thought you were doing it simply out of sympathy, out of the desire to help. Now I'm not so sure. Why were you apologizing, Lex? Why did you feel the need to do that? Guilt?"  
  
Lex winced at her accusation and looked away, collecting his temper, not wanting to be angry with her for not trusting him when he was lying to her about the whole thing anyway. But why did it seem it was okay for her to have secrets, for her to lie time and again to him, but when he had the need to protect himself, suddenly a double-standard was tossed into the mix? He almost felt the need to scream out Hudson's favorite saying 'It's not fair!'  
  
Turning back, he told her, "I'm not responsible for what happened and I am doing everything in my power to fix it. That's the truth, Hudson." It was the truth. He wasn't responsible, he had only helped the process along. And he was doing everything he could to make it right, make it better. Why couldn't she see that?  
  
She turned away from him, took a few steps and Lex thought she was going to leave and that would simply be the end of it. Just a few months that he'd been a part of her life, a glimpse at a world he could never be a part of, something he would never forget. Lex shook his head a little, wondering if it were simply his destiny to fuck the good things up.  
  
Hudson stopped though, and looked over her shoulder at him. "I want to believe you, Lex," she said quietly.  
  
He wanted to beg her to do so. Instead, he found himself shrugging, as if it didn't really matter to him either way. "I can't make your decisions for you."  
  
"Yeah. I know." Hudson nodded, her eyes watching him. Finally, she seemed to force a half-smile and said, "I'll. Let me know if you come up with anything?"  
  
"I will," Lex replied, clenching in his hands into fists in his pockets. He didn't know what there was he could do. "I promise."  
  
He remained standing there as he watched her walk away before he spun around and headed back to his car. Once he slipped inside, slamming the door behind him, Lex sat and stared ahead, his mind whirring with possible ways to make this right, to erase the distrust that had haunted Hudson's eyes as she had looked at him. There had to be a way.  
  
It would take too long to get to Metropolis to oversee his team's research and Hamilton was so overprotective of what he had in his lab that Lex knew he wouldn't get anywhere near it. He made a face as he considered his options, tapping a finger against the gearshift. His brow furrowed as the ghost of an idea formed.  
  
Jonathan Kent had become infected when rescuing one of his father's employees from a wreck that had occurred after Beales had, apparently, stolen the flower from Hamilton's lab. That meant the flower had been at the crash site. Lana could have only become infected from the same flower because there was no chance Hamilton would have allowed her near his small collection. If Chloe had informed Hudson that he had checked out the Nicodemus Diary, then she must have been doing some snooping of her own. It was possible she had gone to the crash site with Lana in tow and Lana had somehow stumbled across the flower.  
  
So the question became, was the flower still there?  
  
Turning the key in the ignition, Lex pulled away from the curb and raced down Main Street, thankful that the streets were empty. He followed the main road out onto H highway, driving slowly with his brights on until he noticed the skid marks along the road. Pulling over, he stopped the car, leaned over to the glove compartment and withdrew the mini-flashlight he kept inside. Flipping the 'on' button, he checked to see that it worked before opening the door and stepping out onto the dark road.  
  
As typical this far west in Kansas, the road was deserted. Lex knew that his car could have stalled and, without a cell phone, he would either have to hike to the nearest farmhouse or wait a good hour or more for someone to come by. At the moment, the lack of traffic was in his favor. Sweeping the flashlight from side to side, Lex walked past his car to the ditch on the other side where an enormous patch of burned weeds and grass left from the truck's explosion spread out in a random shape. He walked the perimeter of it, stopping occasionally to closely examine an odd item before moving on to the next shape caught by the flashlight. He circled the area two more times before coming to the conclusion that there was nothing to find. Sighing with frustration, he ran a hand over his head as he glanced around in the darkness, wondering what Chloe and Lana had found that he had overlooked.  
  
Lex's gaze traveled to the road, where it lingered for a moment before his eyes narrowed. It was possible that the explosion might have scattered objects to the other side. Moving back up the ditch, Lex made his way across the asphalt to the shoulder opposite his car and walked slowly, swinging the light around on the ground before him. He found the rearview mirror, a ridiculous Hula doll and a McDonald's cup. His temper was beginning to flare when the light finally flashed across a lone flower lying closer to the road. Hurrying over to it, Lex knelt down and stared at it a moment, his relief at finding the item quickly diminishing as he realized it appeared quite dead. Decayed, wilted, it wouldn't be much good to him in this condition, not without a way to check the pollen. He poked at it with the edge of the flashlight, turning it over, checking the petals, wondering if there wasn't something he might be able to learn from it, dead though it might be.  
  
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and gently lifted the flower into it before rising to head back to the car. Crossing the road, he got to the Porsche and laid the flower down on the top of the car while he opened the door and tossed the flashlight back into the glove compartment. Straightening back up to grab the flower, Lex's eyes widened in surprise as it seemed to move before him, the petals coming back to life, going from black to a bright orange. Just as it pulled back, preparing to deliver it's poison pollen, one thought crossed Lex's mind:  
  
Oh, shit.  
  
***  
  
Returning to the hospital to sit with her mom, Hudson stopped in to check on Lana's condition before making her way to the room her dad was in. She got two cans of Coke out of a nearby machine, then paced in front of the door to the room for a few moments, thinking about her argument with Lex before gathering the courage to face her mom. Hudson pushed open the door and quietly stepped inside.  
  
Martha was still in the chair beside the bed, slouching a little, her arm against the back, head resting against it. Hudson stopped, trying not to make a sound, not wanting to wake her. She glanced over at her dad, watching his still form, worrying that she might never see him move again. Even with all of her abilities, Hudson still believed her dad was stronger than her, braver than her, more deserving of being saved. He had taken in a strange child and loved her more than any biological child had ever been loved. and this was his thanks?  
  
"H.C., I didn't hear you come in."  
  
Hudson turned to see her mother blinking up at her, stretching a little to work out the sore muscles. "I didn't want to wake you. You need your sleep."  
  
Martha shook her head. "I'm fine, honey." She patted the chair next to her. "Sit down."  
  
Hudson walked over and sat beside her mom, handing her the other can of Coke she had been holding. They were silent as they sipped at their sodas and watched over the still form in the bed in front of them. Playing with the tab on the top of the can, Hudson's gaze drifted to the floor as she recalled her conversation with Lex for the fifth time. A niggling voice in the back of her mind insisted that he was lying to her, that he knew all about the Nicodemus flower and Doctor Hamilton's research. There had just been so many accusations and secrets between them lately - she just wanted to let it go. She wanted to pretend this never happened. But if something happened to her father, to Lana, and she discovered that Lex could have stopped it.  
  
"Mr. Beales died half an hour ago," her mother told her quietly, her gaze still on her husband.  
  
Hudson sucked in a sharp breath and her vision blurred for a moment as tears arose at the implication. She swallowed them back. "Dad. Dad's going to be okay," she replied, knowing she didn't sound very certain. "Yes. Of course he is," her mother agreed, and Hudson thought she didn't sound any more sure of herself than Hudson felt. Did I ever tell you about the first time I ever saw him?" Smiling a little, Hudson shook her head. "No." "He came to Metropolis U. to take a finance course and he was sitting by a fountain all denim and flannel eating an apple," Martha told her, smiling at the memory. "And I asked to borrow his notes. He didn't know that I was the note-taker for the class. He still doesn't." "You were sly, Mom," she said with a slight laugh. "He was so cute. So I asked him for his notes and he just handed over his notebook without even asking my name and I said, "How can you be so sure I'll bring it back?" And he said, "I prefer to believe in people"." "That sounds like Dad," Hudson commented softly. "And I remember looking at him, completely embarrassed because I was thinking the dumbest thing. I was thinking God, I hope he marries me. I still think that." Martha returned her gaze to her husband, reaching out and touching his shoulder, tears in her eyes. "Every day there's part of me that says, God, I hope he marries me." She started to cry. Hudson couldn't remember the last time she had seen that - her mother crying. She reached out and took her in her arms and held her close, refusing to allow her own tears to fall, feeling the need to be strong for her mother. She had to believe that her earlier words had been correct - her dad would be all right. He was strong. "I'm sorry, honey," her mother pulled back, wiping at her eyes. "I didn't mean to break down like that." "It's all right. You've been through a lot, mom." Sitting back, Hudson scratched at her eyebrow and glanced over to find her mom watching her. She smiled a little self-consciously. "What?"  
  
"You're just growing up so fast," Martha said quietly, reaching out to touch her hair. "Before I know it, you'll be off to college and living on your own. Getting married, raising a family of your own."  
  
Hudson grimaced. "I don't see how that can ever happen, mom. If I can't ever tell anyone. I'm certainly can't marry some man without him discovering the truth."  
  
"No, of course not. You would need to tell him." Her mother smiled softly. "And someday you'll meet someone worthy of that trust."  
  
"Unlike Lex," Hudson commented, looking away.  
  
Martha was silent for a long moment as she regarded Hudson before replying, "I didn't say that, H.C. I've never said that Lex is unworthy. His family is what makes him dangerous. Can you imagine having Lionel Luthor as a father-in-law?" She gave a mock shudder. "Your father wouldn't allow that to happen and I doubt I would either."  
  
Hudson flashed an angry smile. "So in essence you are saying that Lex is unworthy."  
  
Her mother didn't reply. She took another sip of her soda and turned her gaze back to her husband. Hudson flicked the aluminum tab again impatiently, knowing that it would be wrong to start the familiar argument regarding Lex now when her mother had more important things to worry about. What was worse was that at the moment, after the Nicodemus Diary and Lex's slight hesitation when asked about Doctor Hamilton, she found herself wondering if maybe her mom and dad might not be right.  
  
"Have you checked on Lana?" Her mother asked.  
  
Hudson nodded. "Yeah. Aunt Nell is with her. She's in stable condition. for the moment."  
  
Worrying her lower lip as she remembered the events of the morning, she finished off her Coke, burped and quickly excused herself as her mom flashed her a warning look. More silence followed. Hudson fidgeted, tapped her fingers against her jeans, took the two empty cans to the recycling bin in the hall, then returned to pace in the tiny room. She could feel her mother's eyes watching her as she moved back and forth.  
  
"H.C., stand up straight."  
  
She squared her shoulders but continued to pace.  
  
"You're making me exhausted, honey. Why don't you go home?" She suggested with a slight smile.  
  
"I should be here."  
  
"Someone needs to watch the farm. And you don't need to be falling asleep in class - "  
  
"Mom, have you ever kissed another female?"  
  
Martha stared blankly at her daughter for a full thirty seconds before she seemed able to grasp the unexpected path that the conversation had just taken. Smiling, she shook her head a moment before looking back up at Hudson. "Well, that was an interesting change of subject, I must say. Is there a particular reason you're asking?"  
  
Hudson shrugged. "I just need to know."  
  
"Oh. Okay." Her mother licked her lips and looked over at her husband for a moment. Finally, she replied, "No. I've never actually kissed another woman, though I have been attracted to one before. My freshman year in college. She wasn't beautiful exactly, but very striking. She seemed to command a room when she walked into it and she had the most beautiful voice." She returned her gaze to her daughter. "Why?"  
  
"Lana kissed me today, after the infection. She said she wanted me. Stuff like that." Hudson wandered back over to the chair and sat down. "And it wasn't the first time, either. Kyle Tippet made her kiss me, too. But I don't think she minded."  
  
Martha tried not to appear too shocked but she was failing miserably. "I see." She watched Hudson thoughtfully before asking, "And? What did you think?"  
  
Hudson sighed and slouched in her chair. "I don't know." She picked at her fingernails. "She. I found myself noticing that she was really nice to look at. And the kiss. it wasn't bad. It was kind of nice. Not as nice as when Lex kissed - " She stopped herself abruptly and turned to look at her mother.  
  
"Lex kissed you?" It wasn't a question so much as a comment.  
  
Flushing, Hudson nodded. "Yes. After we returned from Metropolis when I saved his life. He kissed me then."  
  
"And you never planned on sharing this with your father and me?"  
  
"Mom, I - "  
  
"Hudson Clark Kent, that boy is twenty-one years old!" Martha informed her, her voice soft but angry.  
  
"And?" Hudson asked in exasperation. "He's never tried anything else and it's not like I can't stop him if he did. Mom, I want him to kiss me! I want. I want to date him and be his girlfriend and - "  
  
"You know that can never happen." She was shaking her head. "We just discussed that there would have to be honesty in an important relationship for you, H.C. And I just don't see that happening with Lex."  
  
Hudson realized she couldn't argue that point. Not after the past month. Instead, she told her, "He would never hurt me, Mom. Never." She knew that for a certainty.  
  
Martha sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, growing silent. Raising her gaze back to her daughter's, she told her, "I know he wouldn't hurt you, honey. But the very world he lives in could be dangerous for you. I just. Your father and I don't want to see you get hurt. You're young and I know you care about Lex and I know what being fifteen and believing you're in love can do to a girl. I've been there." She took Hudson's hand and squeezed it. "But H.C., you won't be the person you are now in ten years, let alone fifteen or twenty. And neither will Lex. And once you share your secret, you can never take it back. That's all I'm saying. That's why you need to be cautious."  
  
"You're afraid that Lex will become his father." Hudson didn't mean it as an accusation. It was what everyone believed - some people even believed it had already happened.  
  
"I want to believe in Lex, H.C. I really do," her mother told her with a small smile. "And maybe he will be strong enough to overcome his father's influence. And maybe he won't." Teasing her, Martha's smile grew as she commented, "And there's always Lana."  
  
"Mom!" Hudson rolled her eyes with a laugh as Martha leaned over to hug her tightly.  
  
Brushing her fingers through her daughter's hair, Martha told her quietly, "In the end, H.C., it doesn't matter what your father and I want. It's what you want. All that matters is what your heart tells you, who it decides to love. Be it Lex, Lana or a little green man from Mars."  
  
"Oh, there's a pleasant thought," Hudson replied, pulling back and flashing her mom a grateful smile. "Thanks, Mom. I know I shouldn't be bothering you with this stuff right now."  
  
"Honey, nothing about your life could ever bother me," Martha said, cupping her cheek. "I love you. And I want you to be happy. Especially in times of sorrow." She watched her a moment longer before leaning over and kissing her cheek. "Why don't you go home now and get some rest? Besides, I haven't seen you do any homework and I'm sure you have some."  
  
Hudson almost whined, "But I want to stay with you and Dad!"  
  
"Go home," her mother commanded, pointing to the door. "I'll call you the moment there are any changes."  
  
Familiar with the tone her mother was using, Hudson knew that the argument was over. Not that there had been much of one to begin with. In truth, she couldn't remember a time in her life when anyone had ever really argued with Martha Kent. Sure, her father tried and she certainly took the chance whenever the opportunity arose, but they never really got very far. Climbing to her feet, Hudson moved to stand beside her father where she leaned over and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Goodnight, Daddy. See you tomorrow. And make certain Mom gets some sleep!"  
  
Kissing her mother goodbye and promising that she would get her homework done and go to bed, Hudson flashed one last look at her parents before leaving the room.  
  
***  
  
Hudson stared at the homework spread out across the desk in front of her and knew she would never finish it. The farm was too quiet without her dad here, rifling around below at his work bench, banging around in the shed, clanking tools against the tractor or barking up at her to turn her music down. Her mother would stay at the hospital all night, and somehow she expected Hudson to just go about things like normal - do the chores, do her homework, eat regular meals, go to school. But there were two problems with that - one, her father could die and that was something she just refused to face. Not having him around anymore. And two, Lex was very possibly involved, had known about the Nicodemus flower and lied to her about it. She didn't want to face that either.  
  
She leafed through the pages of 'Ragtime', knowing she had two chapters to read and she just didn't care. She probably should have gone inside because it was cold, the severe chill of January already sweeping through Kansas, but she didn't want to be in the house because the barn made her feel closer to her father.  
  
For as long as she could remember, Hudson had associated the smells of old wood, fresh hay and tractor oil with her dad. On special occasions, when he would take her mom to the city or the three of them would drive in to Abilene to eat at the Brookville Hotel, he would wear Old Spice, and in the mornings, after his shower, he would smell like Irish Spring. Other than that, it was always the smell of the barn that reminded her of her dad. When she was little, and thunderstorms had scared her, she would hide beneath his workbench, knowing that the thunder and lightning could never find her there because her dad would always protect her. Now she that she was old enough to understand that it was impossible to hide from the things that scared you, she still found herself wishing that something as simple as climbing beneath his workbench could make her feel better.  
  
The sound of an approaching car pulled Hudson from her thoughts and she jumped up from her chair to peer out of the loft and see one of Lex's sports cars pulling into the drive, the headlights flashing over the gravel in the darkness. Smiling at the simple thought of seeing him -- not to mention that she didn't want to be alone any longer, no matter how upset she was with him - Hudson hurried down from the loft and out of the barn to approach the car as it pulled to a stop. Moving alongside it, she stopped as the driver's side door opened and flashed a smile.  
  
"Lex."  
  
"I'm surprised you're greeting me with a smile after the way you left in town."  
  
"I had no right to jump all over you the way I did, Lex. I'm sorry for that. Just. worried about my father, I guess," she replied, her smile faltering as she watched Lex approach her.  
  
It was a new look for Lex, that was for certain. At least, it was something Hudson had never seen before. She'd seen the black leather coat - it was Hugo Boss, three-quarter length, so soft she would have gladly worn it around and nothing else. But the black leather pants and snug- fitting black t-shirt were something else entirely. She swallowed as her eyes lingered over the pants a little too long before she quickly lifted her gaze up to his.  
  
"Um. Lex? What's up?"  
  
"Jump all over me. Interesting choice of words." He leaned a hip against the car beside her, smirking a little. "I was on my way to Metropolis, hoping to find something to do that this boring little hamlet can't seem to provide. then I thought of you."  
  
"Of. of me?" Hudson thought her voice squeaked.  
  
Lex's leg touched hers as he moved in closer. Then he was leaning over, his mouth against her ear. "I thought you could give me that birthday present. " He moved his head slightly, his lips grazing over her cheek. Breath hot against her skin. "Or maybe I could give you yours early."  
  
Hudson's eyes widened. She'd never heard Lex's voice sound like that before. It was deeper than usual, like the rumble of thunder or a strong wind blowing against her. It sent a delicious chill from the top of her head straight to her toes. Her heart was racing.  
  
"Lex - "  
  
He moved into her personal space, pressing his body into hers, pushing her back against the car. His hands settled on either side of her and he leaned in once more, his mouth hovering over hers. "What's the matter, Hudson? I thought this was what you wanted?" A hand moved up her arm, the fingers caressing.  
  
"It is - I mean, I thought you didn't want this," she replied, grabbing hold of the edge of the hood, staring into his gaze. She trembled a little as his other hand pressed against her waist, moving in circles until it reached the hem of her flannel shirt where his thumb drifted over the bare skin of her belly.  
  
"I never said I didn't want you, Hudson," he told her softly, holding her gaze before pressing his lips against hers in a brief kiss. His tongue swiped across the corner of her mouth, then he pulled back slightly. "Only that it wasn't right."  
  
Hudson leaned back further, searching his gaze. Something just wasn't right about all of this. "And it's right. now?"  
  
Her voice hit another pitch again and it really wasn't fair that Lex had the ability to throw her so completely off-guard like this. She could barely think straight with him standing this close and smelling so good and she could taste traces of brandy left behind by his tongue. Or maybe it was scotch. Or something alcoholic. She had trouble remembering which was which.  
  
Lex smiled, followed her movement, his lips hovering over hers again. "Something like that," he whispered before his mouth was against hers and his tongue was pushing inside and.  
  
She'd actually forgotten in the past weeks how truly wonderful his kiss was. The outside world fell away. Lex had a presence that commanded attention - when he entered a room, you felt the change in the air, everyone noticed it, whether you liked him or not. When he focused his full attention on you, brought you within his sphere, where you felt the warmth and electricity that seemed to emanate from his body, where his very aura seemed to engulf and envelop you - well, then you were completely lost.  
  
As his tongue plundered her mouth, Hudson forgot everything but the man who was pressing her back against the car, moving his hips into hers, one hand tangled in her hair, the other beneath her shirt, flat against her back, stroking, caressing. When he finally moved his mouth away from hers, traveling over her cheek, down to her neck, she gasped for air, her hands clutching his shoulders for support. She blinked, trying to remember what she had been thinking before the kiss but then her earlobe was in his mouth and he was sucking on it and her knees turned to jelly.  
  
"I'm going to make you feel so good, angel," he whispered into her ear. "Like you've never felt before." He traced the shell of her ear with his tongue then moved back down to her neck.  
  
Hudson's senses were whirling. His hands and mouth were everywhere and she couldn't keep up. Since when had he developed super speed? Was this what her mother had meant by 'roving hands'? Her shirt was unbuttoned halfway down the front - and how the hell had that happened? His mouth was on her collarbone, teeth grazing lightly, tongue following. Her legs felt weak and the fluttering in her stomach had dropped lower, she was all warm and achy just like she felt after those far-too-realistic dreams she had. One hand had moved to her hip, where it moved in circular motions; the other brushed against the underside of her bra, then moved to cup her breast. She could feel the heat of his palm through the material and suddenly she was lying back across the hood and his mouth was between her breasts where he kissed her skin.  
  
"Lex," she began.  
  
"Shhhhh."  
  
His thumb moved over her breast, teasing the nipple until it hardened into a tight bud and then his fingers were pushing her bra away and his mouth was on her and Hudson gasped at the sensation, her eyes widening in surprise. She had never imagined anything could be so sensitive - each swipe of his tongue, the greedy suckling that caused sounds to issue from her throat that made no sense whatsoever. When parents warned you about the evils of having sex at an early age, it seemed they purposely left out the part about how good it felt.  
  
Lex lifted his head, blew lightly over the raised, wet skin, smiled as she squirmed, her hips now moving in time with his. "Do you like that?"  
  
Hudson nodded a little, silently reminding herself how to breathe.  
  
"You have no idea what's ahead," he told her, the hand against her hip slipping past the waistband of her sweats, her panties. He continued to caress the skin of her hip as he had before while he watched her. "No idea, angel."  
  
He took her mouth again, tongue stroking over hers, filling her completely. His fingers continued caressing her breast, flicking over the nipple until Hudson could think of nothing other than having his mouth there again and then she felt his hand move between her legs and she froze, her eyes flying open.  
  
Lex pulled away from her mouth but didn't stop. "You've never been touched by a man like this before, have you? Do you touch yourself, Hudson? Do you touch yourself and think of me?"  
  
Hudson bit her lip, pleased for the darkness because she knew her face was flaming by this point. She felt so stupid, like such a little girl, and she was just certain that Lex must be laughing at her inside. So innocent and naïve and just. stupid.  
  
"Relax," he whispered, brushing his lips over hers briefly, his fingers continuing to explore, moving through the curls in slow circles, trailing against the cleft before pushing deeper. Still, only stroking, back and forth, lazy and unhurried. He smiled. "You're wet. Is that all for me?"  
  
Relaxing was the last thing Hudson thought she could do at the moment. Above them were stars and she could smell the pastures and the chill air around them and Lex's cologne and they were in the middle of the driveway with her shirt open and Lex's fingers touching her, making her feel things she never could have imagined. They moved upwards, flicking against her clitoris and she jumped at the contact, the weird feelings inside increasing tenfold. It almost felt like she had to pee or something; it burned like that but it wasn't the same. Something instinctive made her want more, made her hips move into his touch, knowing that Lex would be able to help, Lex would be able to make it better. The smile he was currently flashing told her he would, even as he centered his thumb against the swollen flesh that burned the worst, and rubbed harder.  
  
"Oh!" Hudson gulped in a large breath as tiny tremors began to move through her. All she could think was that she wanted more, even as the burning, aching need continued to grow. Her hips lifted more insistently into his hand. "Oh. oh, Lex. "  
  
"Let it go, Hudson," he told her, leaning his head back over her breast. Before taking her nipple once more into his mouth, he whispered, "Come for me, angel."  
  
Metal molded like Jell-O beneath her fingers and Hudson's head slammed backwards into the hood of the car as an explosion rocketed through her, a pent-up release that seemed to consume her, body and soul. She cried out as her hips lifted one last time, vibrating beneath his hand, her blood pulsing, heart racing, mind filled with one thought - Why hadn't anyone warned her?!  
  
Hudson was still trying to catch her breath when she felt Lex remove his hand, pull back a little, fumbling with something. She lifted her head to see him snapping the button open on his pants and panic filled her as she realized his intention. This had just been the beginning.  
  
"Lex, what. what are you doing?"  
  
"Taking what's mine, Hudson. You belong to me. We both know it."  
  
Her eyes widened with his words and Hudson grabbed his hands, pushing him back from her carefully as she slid to her feet. "No, Lex. This isn't - "  
  
"You fucking tease!" Lex roared, stepping back up to her threateningly. "You spend half your time with me lying and the other half flaunting what you damn well know you never plan on giving me!" He grabbed her arm. "I think you owe me. You owe me an explanation and you owe me a fuck. Which will it be first?"  
  
Lex was infected. Hudson blanched as the realization hit her. From the moment he had pulled up the drive, he hadn't really been Lex. If he was infected, then he was dying, just like her father was, and she couldn't allow herself to think about that right now. She just had to get him to the hospital.  
  
Adjusting her clothing, she gently pulled his hand from her arm. "Lex, you're sick. You're not - "  
  
"Don't change the fucking subject again, Hudson!" He shouted. "I know you're hiding something, don't pretend I'm stupid! How the fuck do you explain those?"  
  
Hudson turned to see what he was pointing at only to find that her fingers had left impressive dents in the side of his car. There was a larger dent from her head in the hood. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at Lex and held out her hand.  
  
"Lex, please. Let me help - "  
  
"Get the fuck away from me!" He started for the car then stumbled, his legs collapsing beneath him as Hudson grabbed him, lowering him gently to the ground while she held him. Lex blinked up at her, his eyes slowly closing. "Hudson. what. "  
  
Watching as he drifted into unconsciousness, Hudson gathered Lex into her arms, and raced for the hospital.  
  
***  
  
Hudson watched her mother from the doorway of her father's room as Martha hovered over him, holding his hand and gazing at his face. The doctors were losing hope, though her mother was still trying to hold on to hers, and Hudson knew she wouldn't let go either. Three people important to her were on the edge of death and she had never felt so helpless in her life. All of these amazing abilities - she had traveled here from another planet! - and yet, she couldn't save her father or Lex or Lana. Suddenly keeping her secret safe just didn't seem all that important anymore.  
  
"I brought you some coffee," she said softly, moving in to the room and over beside her mother.  
  
"Thank you, honey." Martha reached up and took the paper cup from her, sipping at it gingerly before setting it on the stand beside the bed. She glanced up at Hudson before taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "H.C., maybe you should go - "  
  
"Don't say it, mom." Hudson shook her head. "You know I can't."  
  
Her mom gave her a small smile and nodded. "I know. But I thought I would try." She brushed a strand of hair from Hudson's cheek. "How is Lana doing?"  
  
"Getting worse," Hudson replied quietly. "Her aunt and Whitney are here."  
  
"That's good. I think, in some small way, it helps when someone is there for them." Martha turned her eyes to her husband for a moment. "He might not be awake, but I'm sure your father knows I'm here."  
  
Hudson began chewing on her thumbnail, thinking about Lex and how he had no one. Well, his father certainly hadn't shown up yet. She wanted to go sit with him but she wanted to be here with her father as well. It was difficult to know what was right and what was simply selfish. Her father had been in the coma for so long now, the doctors feared they could lose him at any time. But there was this part of her that didn't want to wait until Lex slipped into a coma to be there for him. She wanted to be there now. Even if suspicion nagged at her that Lex had a part in all of this somehow. If not a direct involvement, then it was possible he at least knew something long before the rest of them did.  
  
Her mother took hold of the hand she had up to her mouth and tugged it away. "Don't chew your nails, H.C.," she admonished gently.  
  
"Sorry." Hudson dropped her gaze to her lap. She fidgeted for a moment.  
  
"You want to go to him, don't you?" Martha asked.  
  
"I. I should be here with dad."  
  
"Your father will be fine," her mom assured her, even if her voice wasn't as strong as Hudson would have liked it to have been. "I will call for you the moment anything changes. Go on. Let Lex know you're there for him."  
  
Hudson smiled and stood and leaned over to hug her mom tightly. "Thanks, mom," she whispered, before turning to go. She stopped at the door, guilt gnawing at her. Finally, she blurted, "I think. I think Lex might have been involved with all of this somehow."  
  
Martha was silent. When Hudson turned her gaze to her, her mom was staring at the edge of the bed, her brow furrowed, her eyes sad.  
  
Continuing, Hudson picked at the paint on the doorframe, "But I also think he might have gotten infected while trying to find a cure and help Dad and Lana. He. he promised he would make things better. He asked me to trust him." She paused and took a deep breath. "I ask him to trust me all of the time, and I know that when I say those words, it really means 'Yes, I'm lying to you. But I can't tell you the truth'."  
  
Her mom sighed, her hand gripping the rail on the hospital bed. "What do you want me to say, H.C.?"  
  
She wasn't certain. She wasn't certain why she had admitted her fears to her mom, especially when there were so many cards stacked against Lex in regards to her family all ready. "I don't know," she admitted quietly.  
  
Watching her silently, Martha finally nodded towards the hall. "Go sit with Lex, H.C.," she told her before returning her attention to her husband.  
  
Repressing the urge to apologize, when she wasn't sure why she felt that need, Hudson left her father's room and moved down the hall towards Lex's private room. The nurses and doctors knew her, knew that she had brought Lex in, had dealt with Lex and her family enough to know that if she weren't allowed in and Lex recovered enough to hear about it, they would likely all lose their jobs. So Hudson met no resistance as she made her way inside the darkened room and sat down in the chair beside his bed. She glanced over at the clock on the wall to see that it was just past two in the morning, which made it a very long night between their argument, his visit at the farm and the three hours already spent in the hospital. Sighing, she took his hand in hers and cradled it gently while she watched him.  
  
Minutes passed before Hudson reached up and touched his cheek. "You got sick because you were trying to help, huh?" She asked softly. "I'm not certain if I should 'thank you' or cuss you out," she told him with a small smile. "I guess I'll just wait until you wake up to decide. Because you are going to wake up. Somehow I just don't picture Lex Luthor letting a little flower get the best of him."  
  
Nothing. No response. Hudson tried not to lose heart, but found herself wondering how her mother did it. How she could just sit there and watch her husband, the man she loved, as he slowly died? Martha Kent had been doing so for over twenty-four hours now and after only a few minutes, Hudson wanted to break something. She wanted to scream and cry and throw things and maybe if she got loud enough and rude enough, Lex would wake up and tell her to calm down and behave.  
  
Because he was going to wake up. There was no way he couldn't.  
  
Laying her head on the bed beside his arm, she ran a finger alongside the IV that was attached to him as she stared at his face. "Lana kissed me today," she commented quietly. "I mean, really kissed me. It's weird but. I kind of liked it. Not the way you kissed me which. well, I still think about that all of the time. And I really will after tonight." Her eyes widened with her words and she lifted her head, still staring at him. "Oh god, Lex. I hope you don't remember any of that. I hope by some fricken miracle you wake up and it's all gone, everything that happened. I don't think I could face you, knowing that you know. And besides, I don't think you would want to know either. I mean, losing control like that and stuff. You'd probably hide away from me and we wouldn't even be friends anymore. "  
  
Sighing, Hudson leaned back in her chair, her hand still holding his. She watched as her thumb idly stroked his palm. "Why. why does everything have to be so difficult between us? I don't understand. I mean, I care about you and I know that you care about me so why are we always lying to each other? Why are we always denying ourselves the one thing we want?" She returned her gaze to his face. "I think, with you, it's a control issue. You have to deny yourself what you want because it's a lack of control to give in to those baser instincts. I've seen you do it so often. The bullshit that you spout to me that your father has said to you. I never say anything because, well, he's your father and I really have no right. It would be like you telling me that you think my father is too strict or something." Hudson shook her head. "I hate being no more than a lesson that was taught to you by your father, Lex.  
  
"For me," she continued, her gaze moving to the blankets that covered his chest. "It's fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the truth, fear of. losing you." She frowned. "Do you think that has to do with control, too?" Hudson nodded as if Lex had just confirmed her thoughts for her. "Maybe it does. Maybe we're both so used to having full control over the environments around us, as a way to protect ourselves, that we fear letting that go. So the question becomes, how do we get around it?"  
  
More silence. Hudson hated it. She hated that she couldn't just rely on her strength or other abilities to make everything right. If the past few days had taught her anything, it was that she really knew nothing. Nothing about herself, nothing about the people around her, nothing about sex or life or secrets - her entire world had been turned on its ear. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into her dad's lap and ask him to make it all better, just like she used to do as a little girl. And her mom would make hot cocoa with marshmallows and they would all sit around together in the family room and everything would just be better.  
  
Only it might never be that way again.  
  
"I wish I could forget you," Hudson said finally, bringing her eyes back to Lex's face. "I wish you didn't matter. I wish. I wish I didn't think about you constantly and I wish it didn't hurt when I did so. I wish your smile wasn't so beautiful and I wish you didn't care about me. And I really wish I didn't know that you did."  
  
She leaned back over and laid her cheek against the top of his hand. "I'm going to tell you this now because when you wake up - and I know you're going to wake up because in my world Lex Luthor doesn't lose - when you wake up you'll just tell me I'm silly and childish and don't know anything." She took a deep breath and continued, "But I think I'm mature enough to know the difference between a schoolgirl crush and love. And I -- -"  
  
"H.C.?"  
  
Hudson lifted her head to see her mom peering into the room. "Yeah?"  
  
"They may have found a cure," she told her as she stepped inside, tears falling down her face. "A Doctor Hamilton and some specialists from Metropolis just arrived. They say they know how to cure it! Isn't that wonderful?"  
  
Standing up, Hudson moved into her mom's outstretched arms and they held one another tightly. "They'll be okay," Hudson whispered. "They'll all be okay."  
  
Her mother nodded against her before pulling back and cupping her cheek. "Of course they will. The doctors are with your father now since his case was the most advanced. I heard one of the nurses say that Lionel Luthor was on his way in to take Lex to Metropolis General." She frowned a little. "Apparently, he doesn't feel that his son will receive proper care here."  
  
"At least he's showing an active interest."  
  
Martha forced a smile. "I'm going to go wait outside your father's room."  
  
"Okay, I'll be there in a sec."  
  
Hudson watched her mother leave the room before she turned and moved back over beside Lex's bed. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder lightly. "Did you hear that, Lex? Doctor Hamilton came through. You're going to be all right. Just like I knew you would."  
  
She smiled at him, quelling the worry inside that he would remember everything that had happened and she would still lose him in a way. Bending down, she kissed his lips lightly. Why did it always feel so right?  
  
"Get well quickly, Lex," she whispered, brushing the back of her knuckles over his jaw. "I love you."  
  
Watching him a moment longer, Hudson finally turned and left his room to join her mother.  
  
***  
  
Hudson entered the mansion through her usual route via the kitchen. Dodd was busy pounding away with a tenderizer on some piece of meat that she couldn't identify. He paused mid-strike as she walked through the door and she thought he looked like he was enjoying the preparation a little too much.  
  
"Hi, Dodd."  
  
"Good evening, Miss Kent," he greeted in his thick Eastern European accent before giving her a stiff bow.  
  
Hudson has once asked Lex where Dodd came from only to learn that Lex really had no idea. Dodd had spotless credentials but little was known of his past. She had no doubt that there was some deep mystery revolving around him and she was dying to know what it was. One of these days, she figured she would simply ask him.  
  
"Master Lex is in the study. Will you be joining him for dinner?"  
  
"No. I'm just dropping in to see how he's doing. Besides, I'd be scared to eat that meat after what you appear to be doing to it." She flashed him a saucy grin as he glared back at her, then exited the kitchen into the hallway and made her way upstairs to the study.  
  
Lex was at his desk but didn't appear to be working. He was staring off at something across the room, his brow furrowed. Hudson watched him for a moment before moving further into the room.  
  
"Knock, knock."  
  
He glanced up, staring at her briefly before offering a quick smile. "Hudson. I didn't hear you come in."  
  
"That much was obvious. Solving the meaning of life?" She dropped into one of the leather chairs across from him and smiled.  
  
"No." He shook his head and glanced down at his hands folded in his lap. "Nothing quite so earth-shattering." Looking back up, he fixed her with an intent stare for a few moments before asking, "How's your father?"  
  
"Making his apologies to Jim Alexander at the bank. We discovered a recording on the phone messages of my dad telling Mr. Alexander off in a not-so-nice way. I thought dad was going to crawl under the table. We still haven't told him about the rest of his behavior. I don't think he could take it."  
  
Lex nodded and dropped his gaze again. "I know how he feels."  
  
"How are you feeling?" Hudson asked.  
  
"Like I'm missing a few pages out of my life," Lex replied honestly. He paused a moment then asked, "I didn't. Did I do anything, Hudson?"  
  
She watched him quietly, noting how he couldn't seem to meet her gaze, obviously fearing that he had behaved exactly as he had seen her dad behave. Smiling softly, she told him, "Nothing bad, Lex. You were a little. well, you weren't the person I'm used to but there was nothing wildly over-the-top."  
  
He looked up, meeting her eyes. "What do you mean?"  
  
Hudson shrugged. "You were wearing leather and talked about going to Metropolis because Smallville was so boring. Then you passed out. That was all I saw, Lex."  
  
"I see." He focused his gaze on the desk, silence falling between them. When he spoke again, he didn't take his eyes away from the monitor in front of him. "You wouldn't know anything about the dents in my car, would you?"  
  
"Nope." She shook her head. "You must have had an accident or something."  
  
Lex allowed a half-smile. "There were ten small ones on the side, above the tire, and a larger one in the hood. Strange accident, wouldn't you say?" He raised his gaze back to hers.  
  
"Really strange," Hudson replied with a nod. "Maybe it was an animal or something. There was a mutated calf born here a few years back."  
  
"A mutated calf." Lex turned his head, looking at the stained glass windows behind him.  
  
Hudson knew he didn't believe her. She really hadn't come up with a viable explanation and telling him the truth. that wasn't an option either. Knowing Lex as she did, he would be horrified at what he had done and likely distance himself even further from her. She would never get the chance to tell him that she had caused the dents because he wouldn't be able to get past what had occurred between them. So she let the mutated calf comment just sit there, knowing that the gap between them was slowly growing.  
  
"Thank you for coming by, Hudson," Lex said finally, still not turning around.  
  
It was a dismissal. Hudson tried very hard not to let that hurt. She knew he had questions and she just couldn't supply the answers. But she wished so very much that things could be different, that he could make her feel those sensations again and she could admit her feelings without having to whisper them while he slept. She wanted. she just wanted to reach out to him. But, if Hudson had learned one thing in the past few days, it was that some things were better kept inside.  
  
Climbing to her feet, Hudson stared at Lex a moment longer, wishing he would at least look at her but knowing that he wouldn't. He wanted her to leave - it was evident in his voice and his body. "I. I'll see you later then, okay?"  
  
She waited for his nod, the briefest acknowledgment of her words, before Hudson turned and headed home. 


	9. My First Taste: Covet

MY FIRST TASTE  
EPISODE SEVEN  
  
'Covet'  
  
I don't care if it hurts  
  
I want to have control  
  
I want a perfect body  
  
I want a perfect soul  
  
I want you to notice  
  
When I'm not around  
  
You're so fuckin' special  
  
I wish I was special 'Creep' - Radiohead  
  
Staring at the monitor in front of her, Hudson frowned a moment before her fingers flew over the keyboard.  
  
Rianne ~  
  
I was so happy when I got your email! I'm glad you and your aunt are getting along. She seems like a nice lady and a lot of fun. Hopefully she'll bring you back out for a visit sometime. We miss you here.  
  
Not too much going on here. The weather is starting to warm up a little bit but my dad seems to think we'll get hit with a pretty hard frost before spring completely sets in. I can't wait until summer! Of course, once it gets too hot I'll be looking forward to snow again. ; P  
  
Chloe, Pete and Lana say hi. The Talon is doing well, Chloe is still snooping into everyone's business, searching for that story that will win her a Pulitzer and Pete is. well, Pete. He got picked up for the football team again next year so naturally he is pretty happy. His family is, too.  
  
Oh! My mom wants to send you a care package. I need to get your aunt's snail mail addy. She's been baking up a storm lately. Even I haven't been able to eat all of the cookies! Though my dad and I have definitely been trying. I've been taking tins of them over with the produce delivery to Lex's each week. He probably isn't eating them but I'm sure the staff is. Dodd might not ever admit it but I think he likes my mom's baking much more than his own. Heh.  
  
Lex isn't moving back to Metropolis. That's like the best news I've had in a long time. I know you probably don't want to hear it but I certainly felt relief when he told me. Although it wasn't like he called or stopped by to tell me - I ran into him at the Talon and I had to ask. He's still awfully angry with me. I feel horrible for lying to him and I wish I could tell him the truth. You're probably on my parents' side on this issue but no matter what any of you say, he is still my friend - my best friend - and I care about him and if I feel this much, then I shouldn't continue to lie to him. But, I guess it isn't completely my secret to tell, is it? That's the worst part. I don't want to hurt my parents. They've done so much to protect me, to take care of me and do what they think is best. I can't let them down.  
  
So I guess you have no reason to worry. I won't tell Lex. Yet. Years down the road, if he is still my friend and I am on my own and no one else can be hurt by my mistakes, maybe then I'll break the news to him. At least I know he loves sci-fi's so that is one thing going for me. Right??  
  
I'd better go. It's Sunday, which means I have deliveries to make and yes, that does include Lex's house. I know what you think you saw in him, Rianne, but I wish you could see what I see. Maybe you just need to get to know him better.  
  
Take care, sweetie! And write soon.  
  
Love,  
  
H.C. Kent  
  
Three seconds later, Hudson read over the email once more before she hit 'send'. She closed down the program then sat back in her chair, regarding the screen in thought, finding that she missed Rianne terribly and wished they lived closer to one another.  
  
Having a younger sister around had been more enjoyable than Hudson had dreamed possible. Especially once Rianne had discovered the truth regarding Hudson's secret. Having someone to talk to beside her parents, to share with, to be able to simply be herself around - not having to hide who she was had been wonderful, if short-lived. And though she and Rianne hadn't agreed on everything - namely Lex and his motivations - there had been an instant connection between them. Two girls with secrets that they were forced to hide out of fear of exploitation and experimentation. She missed her new friend terribly, especially since she was being deprived of Lex's companionship.  
  
Ever since their discussion after the Nicodemus incident, Lex had done his best to avoid her. Two Sundays in a row he had been out of the mansion during her delivery and on the third, he had been on the phone, telling her he had a lot of work to do that day. When they met in public, he was always cordial to her - too much so. Hudson had seen how he treated business associates and acquaintances - people Lex didn't want to get too close to him - and she hated being dumped into that category. The angry child in her wanted to lash right back out at him, tell him what he had done while under the influence of the Nicodemus pollen, make him feel like an ass. Fortunately, there was a tiny rational thread that held on tightly within her, telling her that she would hate herself if she ever did something like that to him.  
  
"H.C.!" Her mother's voice drifted up from the kitchen. "This produce isn't getting any fresher! You have work to do, young lady. Stop dawdling!"  
  
Rolling her eyes, Hudson stood and stretched before grabbing her denim jacket from the bedpost and slipping it on as she left her room. The heels of her work boots clacked against the old oak steps as she jogged down the back staircase into the kitchen where her mother was rearranging tomatoes in one of the boxes on the counter.  
  
"You're already behind schedule," Martha commented as Hudson leaned into the refrigerator to grab a can of Coke. "You're lucky your father is at the Tractor Show with Mr. Miller or he'd be the one yelling at you."  
  
Hudson popped the can open. "Dad doesn't yell. He's afraid he'll make me cry." She took a big swallow of the soda and promptly belched.  
  
Martha turned and frowned at her. "Hudson Clark. "  
  
"Excuse me." She flashed a sheepish grin, earning a shake of her mother's head before moving over to set the boxes on top of one another and lift them with her left arm, balancing them precariously. "Is this it?"  
  
Her mother nodded. "Yes. The Sanders are out of town this week." Martha walked over to open the door for Hudson, watching closely as she made her down the steps. "Oh! On your way through town, pick up some brown shoe polish. Your father is refusing to buy a new pair of boots so I am going to have to do what I can with his old ones before we go out on Valentine's."  
  
"Will do!" Hudson called out as she neared the pickup, sliding the boxes into the bed. She tossed a wave to her mom. "See ya!"  
  
"Be careful and don't forget to ask Mrs. Davies about that quilt I want to buy."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Hudson muttered as she climbed into the cab and shut the door.  
  
Her deliveries were running a little later than usual but Hudson tried to speed through each one and shorten her time for those who were last on her list. Unfortunately, most of their customers were quite chatty and wanted to know how things were on the farm, what her father was up to, could they order some pies from her mother and the old ladies always liked to point out what a beautiful young woman she was becoming. Typically that caused Hudson's face to turn a blazing red and she would ultimately receive a pinch to the cheek with her critic commenting as to how charming she was. By the time she left Mrs. Davies' house, Hudson was actually looking forward to a cold shoulder from Lex.  
  
She preferred going to the mansion without the truck, when she could just run through the two miles of fields that separated them, slip through the gate and walk into his study unannounced. There was something about the expression that Lex would flash her, the one that wanted to know how she got through the gate and past the guards but never bothered asking. Just like he never offered to give her a ride back to the farm when he discovered that she hadn't driven herself or gotten a ride from one of her parents. He would just stand there, and stare at her and watch her as she walked down the drive, waving to him as the guard opened the gate to let her out. He never asked - but Hudson wouldn't be surprised the day he decided to follow her. Which was why she always had to keep her guard up. Lex was entirely too curious for his own good and her parents' peace of mind.  
  
Not that the past few weeks had given her a chance to play their little 'don't ask, don't tell' game. Even now, as she turned down Beresford Lane, she was torn between hoping she would see Lex, even if he did pretend she wasn't there, and not seeing him at all just to spare herself the pain of being ignored.  
  
Sam Mingle, the man who sat in the guardhouse and was probably the oldest human being Hudson had ever met, waved her on through the gate as she drove up. She had commented before to Lex that perhaps the reason thugs and thieves always made it into his house was because the ancient guy who was posing as a guard was probably falling asleep on the job. She'd asked why Lex didn't just fire him and hire someone more suited to the job. Lex had just stared at her for a moment and shrugged, explaining that Mr. Mingle had two grandkids in college, his son and daughter-in-law had died in a car accident and he was a fixture in this town. He couldn't just toss him out on the street. Hudson had marveled for days over the fact that Lex apparently thought a few concussions and threats on his life were worth letting the old man keep his job and his dignity.  
  
After pulling up outside of the kitchen, Hudson grabbed the two crates of produce and hopped up the steps to the door where Dodd was waiting with a welcoming glare.  
  
"You are late," he barked in his thick accent, using a tone that would have terrified her the first few times she had met him.  
  
"Cry me a river," Hudson replied as she pushed past him into the kitchen, noting that he made no move to take her load from her.  
  
Closing the door with a resounding thud, Dodd continued, "I have meals to prepare. A job to do. You. you were probably hanging out at the local Dairy King!"  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes as she dropped the crates onto the counter. "Queen. Dairy Queen. How long have you been in this country??"  
  
Dodd waved a knife in her direction threateningly but his brown eyes twinkled.  
  
"Now, Dodd, that isn't the proper way to treat our guest, is it?"  
  
Hudson spun around at Lex's voice, surprise washing over her when she found him lounging against the doorframe from the dining room entrance, hands shoved casually into the pockets of his black slacks.  
  
"My apologies, Mr. Luthor," Dodd replied, setting the knife on the counter. "She was being. impudent."  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow, flashing a quick once-over at Hudson. "I would've thought you'd be used to that by now, Dodd."  
  
Hudson made an annoyed sound over their conversation.  
  
"Cat got your tongue?" Lex asked with humor.  
  
"I. I just didn't expect to see you here," Hudson replied, shifting her feet.  
  
Lex flashed a quick smile. "I live here."  
  
"Well, yeah, but. "  
  
Hudson trailed off a moment and glanced over at Dodd who was putting the produce away much more slowly than she had seen him do in the past. He caught her look and gave a small shrug before returning to his work. Hudson looked back up at Lex who was regarding her silently, waiting for her to continue.  
  
"You just haven't been around much lately, that's all," she finished lamely.  
  
Lex regarded Dodd for a moment before indicating that Hudson should follow him out into the hall. She moved past the cook and trailed after her friend, silence descending around them as they exited the kitchen into the dark hall. Lex slowed until Hudson was walking beside him and he cast a quick glance at her, brow raised.  
  
"Well?"  
  
She blinked. "What?"  
  
"You obviously have something to say to me, Hudson," Lex commented blandly, shrugging his shoulders. "So say it."  
  
Hudson opened her mouth to deny it then just as quickly shut it. She focused her gaze down the hall and told him, "You've been avoiding me. I've wondered if. if maybe you didn't want to be friends anymore and. it hurt."  
  
Stopping, Lex turned to Hudson and reached out to catch her chin with a finger, bringing her eyes around to his. "You're right," he admitted quietly. "I was avoiding you."  
  
Her eyes dropped to the floor between them.  
  
"I was angry, Hudson. It seems like every time you open your mouth lately, I don't know if I should believe what comes out of it." His tone was slightly cold, bitter.  
  
Biting her lip, Hudson looked up at him. "Then why. why are you here now?"  
  
Lex offered her a half-smile. "Would you believe I miss you?"  
  
Hudson felt her breath catch a little at his words and she told herself not to make a big deal out of it. He deserved the truth; why couldn't she give that to him? "I've missed you, too," she replied, returning his smile.  
  
Nodding a little, Lex slipped his arm around her waist and started down the hall once more. The tension between them seemed to immediately disappear as he began asking her about school and the farm and whether she had heard from Rianne. She told him about her email to her friend that morning and how much she missed her already. Lex nodded thoughtfully as he led her into the study and moved over to the pool table to begin racking up the balls.  
  
Hudson stood back for a moment, shuffling her feet as she watched him. He was wearing his dark blue dress shirt today, a few buttons open at the collar, looking as impossibly suave and gorgeous as always. He leaned over the table to grab the eight-ball and Hudson's gaze was distracted by the way his black slacks stretched taut over his ass. She wondered if he wore boxers or briefs or boxer-briefs. Blinking at the realization of how easily she could find out, Hudson bit the inside of her cheek and glanced away, staring at the stained glass windows for a moment as she tried to convince herself that undressing her friend with her eyes was bad.  
  
"Hudson?" Lex's voice broke through her thoughts. "Is something wrong?"  
  
She looked back and forced a smile, shaking her head. "No. Nothing."  
  
"Ready to play?" He held out a cue to her.  
  
Nodding, she moved forward to take it from him, watching as he removed a quarter from his pocket and tossed it into the air. "Heads," she called, her face warming as her mind went to all the wrong places once more.  
  
It landed as tails and Lex flashed her a grin before moving back over to the table and leaning over to make his break. Hudson watched closely as his fingers moved over the cue stick, stroking it a little before slamming it forward. She swallowed as her thoughts drifted back to the night on the hood of his car and the feel of his fingers against her skin. Her eyes traveled back to his ass as he walked around the table and leaned over in front of her and she really hadn't intended to focus her gaze like that - it just happened!  
  
Black boxer-briefs that fit around the curve of his ass and down over his upper thigh. All she had to do was peer through one more layer.  
  
" - comics I gave her?"  
  
"Huh?" Hudson snapped her gaze up to find Lex glancing over his shoulder at her. His eyes dropped to his slacks for a moment and then back up at her and he grinned and it took every bit of willpower she had not to turn bright red. "Comics?"  
  
"I was asking if Rianne got the comics I had dropped off at your place?"  
  
"Oh. Yeah." Hudson nodded and forced herself to move away from her position directly behind him as she scratched at the corner of her left eye. "She left a few with me, though. She told me to read them."  
  
Lex watched her a moment before he took another shot. After the snap of the balls, he stood back up and asked, "You don't read comics?"  
  
"Nah. I'm not really into the Superhero thing."  
  
He nodded a little and tapped the edge of the cue stick against the floor before moving into position for his next shot. "You should give them a shot. Comics aren't just for geeks, you know."  
  
"Are you calling yourself a geek, Lex?"  
  
He glanced over at her and grinned. "There are some pretty complex stories written between the pages of many of them."  
  
Lex took his shot and missed and Hudson sighed inwardly at the chance of being able to play. It didn't happen often. Walking over to the table, she tried to focus on what Lex was saying while preparing for her shot. As she lined up the cue, she wondered why she even bothered - after all, Lex won every game they played. Oh wait, except that one time he had a hangover.  
  
"Take 'Warrior Angel' for example. The characters aren't just black and white, good versus evil. Warrior Angel makes his mistakes and Devilicus has his good points."  
  
Hudson made her shot, practically lost the pool cue out of her hands and watched in dismay as the ball went wide, completely missing her target. Making a face, she glanced up at Lex as he moved in beside her. "But I thought Devilicus was the bad guy?"  
  
"He's Warrior Angel's nemesis, true." Lex made his shot this time, then stood up and leaned a hip against the table, focusing his gaze on Hudson. "But that doesn't necessarily make him evil. Just because he hates the person that other people may perceive to be a hero doesn't mean he's out kicking puppies and taking candy from babies. Warrior Angel and Devilicus didn't agree; they saw the world from two very divergent points of view and this led to the dissolution of their friendship. It doesn't necessarily make Devilicus wrong and Warrior Angel right."  
  
"I thought you were a fan of Warrior Angel?" Hudson asked with a smile. "Suddenly you are sticking up for his enemy."  
  
Lex shrugged, his gaze never leaving hers. "I am. Beyond Jean-Luc Picard, there aren't many bald heroes out there. But that doesn't mean I don't feel sympathy for Devilicus. They were best friends, once."  
  
Hudson dropped her gaze, sighing softly. "Like Bob Rickman and Kyle Tippet."  
  
It was impossible for her not to think of the recent incident with the Nicodemus flower and how, until just half an hour ago, she thought she lost Lex's friendship. It hurt to consider how tenuous the bonds of friendship and trust were.  
  
As if reading her thoughts, Lex reached out and took her hand in his, forcing her to look at him. "We're going to be okay, Hudson," he told her softly. "I promise."  
  
***  
  
Hudson barely dodged getting whacked in the head by a basketball that was tossed by Whitney to Jeff as she dialed in the combination to her locker. She flashed a quick look down the hall in the direction of Lana's boyfriend, who grinned at her sheepishly and waved. Some things needed to be outlawed in school corridors.  
  
"You do realize your locker is bordering on a shrine, don't you?"  
  
Glancing over her shoulder at Chloe, Hudson frowned. "It is not."  
  
Chloe moved up beside her and reached into the locker, flicking the tip of her finger over the article from when Hudson had pulled Lex from the river. There were several other articles clipped beneath it, ranging from Lex's appointment as Plant Manager in Smallville to his purchase of the Talon. She then pointed to the ticket stub from 'Phantom of the Opera', the necklace he had given her that was dangling from the edge of the door because she was too afraid to let her parents see it yet and finally a photo that had been taken of her and Lex over Christmas vacation. In the photo, they were looking at one another and laughing over something and while Chloe thought it was entirely too cute, when coupled with the other items, it just became too much.  
  
"You're bordering on Palmer-sized stalking here, H.C."  
  
Nudging her friend out of the way, Hudson's face remained expressionless as she gathered her books into her arms. "Not even close, Chloe," she replied. "You didn't see the shrine she had built. Besides, these items are no different than the ones you have gathered in your locker from me and Pete."  
  
"Right. No different." Chloe nodded. "Except, of course, for the fact that Lex is significantly older than you and a billionaire. Other than that, it's the same thing."  
  
Hudson closed her locker a little too hard and flashed a tight smile at her friend. "I'm glad you see it the way I do."  
  
Chloe shook her head as they started down the corridor toward her own locker. "You're hopeless. Anyway, I thought he wasn't speaking to you?"  
  
"Oh, we patched things up. At least, I think we did. He missed me." She grinned happily at her friend. "I'm telling you, Chloe. Before this year is over with, Lex Luthor will be all mine."  
  
"And that wasn't a stalker-type statement," Chloe commented as she stopped beside her locker and entered the combination.  
  
"It isn't when Lex knows my intentions."  
  
"Whoa. Wait. What?" Chloe blinked up at her.  
  
Hudson smiled. "I told him on New Year's that I planned on changing his mind about us. And I don't think he is completely opposed to the idea."  
  
Shaking her head, Chloe hooked her bag on her arm and began swapping out textbooks. "Of course he isn't opposed, H.C. He's male and he's breathing. He's got a gorgeous teenage female after him. In the long run, he isn't going to turn that down. He just has to figure out how to get around that big, fat silly law that says he'll go to jail for any 'bad touch'."  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes. "I'm not gorgeous, Chloe. I certainly don't rank with the women he's used to dating. And yes, the age factor is a bit of a drawback." She paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Personally, I'm banking on the whole soul-mate thing."  
  
Chloe glanced up at her in disbelief, relief filling her when she realized Hudson was joking and they both laughed. "God, you had me scared there for a moment that you were serious or something." She closed her locker and they turned to join the throng of students headed to class. "And you are gorgeous."  
  
"Yeah. I have guys falling at my feet. It's why I appear so tall - I'm walking on them," Hudson commented sarcastically.  
  
"I didn't say the guys at school were all hot and heavy for you, dork," Chloe responded. "They're intimidated by you. I mean, hell, you're like a foot taller than most of them. And you're kind of an introvert. If you were more outgoing, they'd notice you."  
  
Hudson didn't respond to that. If there was one thing she had been taught by her parents for years it was how to keep to herself, to learn how not to draw attention to who she was, what she was, the things she did. Fading into the background had always been a specialty of hers. And yes, more than once the desire to be noticed, to be popular and admired, gnawed at her, urging her to do stupid things and go completely against her parents wishes. Luckily, common sense usually won out and she pulled back, knowing that it was safer all around if people just didn't even know she was there.  
  
Except Lex. There was a significantly large part of her that never wanted him to not notice. Being noticed by him, being important to him, was like some strange validation of who she was, or at least could be. She was becoming almost dependent on it.  
  
"Hi, Hudson."  
  
Turning at the voice, Hudson dropped her gaze a little to find Michael Powell, a new student who had transferred this semester from Edge City, standing beside her. She nearly knocked him over on his first day when she had been hurrying around a corner without looking. He stuck out in her mind because he reminded her of Tobey McGuire - blue eyes, dark, unkempt hair. He wore glasses and polo shirts and looked like the average geek except that apparently he was an All-Star pitcher on the baseball team at his old school and had already been accepted into the jocks' circle at Smallville High. The other day, Whitney had been going on and on about how the Crows were certain to win the championship this year with Michael on the team.  
  
"Hey, Michael." She smiled a little and tried to ignore the slight jab that she felt Chloe give her in the ribs. It was Chloe's opinion that Michael had developed some sort of crush on her. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing. I saw you and thought I'd say hi." He stepped closer and glanced at her armful of books. "Did you get through the Algebra homework last night? It severely kicked my ass." Michael grinned.  
  
Hudson nodded a little. "I didn't really have any trouble with it. But then, math has always been kind of easy for me."  
  
"Maybe you could help me sometime."  
  
Another jab from Chloe's elbow and Hudson smiled. "Sure."  
  
Thinking the conversation was over, Hudson turned to continue down the hall when she felt a hand on her arm. She glanced back to see Michael staring at his hand and her arm before he met her gaze and let go. He smiled a little sheepishly and stepped closer once more, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.  
  
"I was, uh, wondering if you would like to go out and grab something to eat tonight? Maybe we could drive into Abilene for a movie or something."  
  
Hudson glanced over at Chloe, who was fighting a smile, before she returned her gaze to Michael. "I'm sorry, Michael. It's nice of you to ask but - "  
  
"I know I'm no billionaire or anything," he commented, frowning. "But that doesn't mean you can't at least give me a chance. It's not like you have a boyfriend or anything."  
  
"I already have plans," Hudson continued, her eyes at little wide at his outburst. "Chloe and I were going to see 'Fellowship of the Ring' again. Umm. maybe some other time?"  
  
Michael stared at her for a long moment before his gaze flickered over Chloe. Finally, he gave Hudson a quick smile. "Sure. Sorry. Another time is no problem."  
  
The bell for first period echoed down the hallway and Hudson tried very hard not to sigh with relief at the sound. She returned Michael's smile. "Okay. Well, off to class. See ya, Michael."  
  
As they walked away, Chloe leaned over and commented, "See, right there. Only the freaks seem to have the guts to approach you."  
  
"That's kind of harsh, Chloe," Hudson replied. "I don't think he's that bad." She frowned. "I mean, that little tantrum he started to throw was kind of weird. " Hudson shrugged. "But maybe he's just been rejected a lot."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "I doubt it. He's an athlete. The cheerleaders have already been flocking around him. And he is kind of cute. in a greasy kind of way." She grew silent for a moment before adding, "He reminds me a little of Greg Arkin."  
  
Hudson stopped and glanced down the hall where she saw Michael hovering beside the lockers. He looked her way once then back down the opposite end of the hall. "Does this mean I need to start monitoring his meteor rock activities?"  
  
Chloe followed her gaze. "Quite possibly. Do you know if he's into insects?" She grinned at Hudson.  
  
"That isn't funny."  
  
"What isn't funny?" Lana walked up to stand with Chloe and Hudson, following their gaze down the hall.  
  
Not wanting to mention Greg Arkin to Lana, Hudson quickly replied, "Just a stupid joke Chloe told. Sorry I didn't call you back last night - "  
  
"Apparently she was with Lex," Chloe commented.  
  
Lana's eyes widened. "Really? I thought you two were fighting or something. Is everything okay now?"  
  
"We weren't fighting exactly."  
  
Chloe replied, "Well, you certainly weren't holding hands and frolicking through the park."  
  
"I - " Hudson started to say something but the image of Lex holding her hand and 'frolicking' was too much and she burst into laughter. Lana and Chloe quickly followed suit. Shaking her head, Hudson remarked, "I think the world would reverse it's spin if Lex was caught 'frolicking', Chloe."  
  
"True." Chloe nodded as she moved through the doorway into the classroom. "But it would make for one hell of a story."  
  
Hudson sighed and shook her head as Lana followed her towards the back of the classroom where Lana took the desk in front of her, Chloe to her right. Mrs. Mackay called attention to the class, asking them all to open 'Ragtime' to the next chapter they were to cover. Hudson sorted through her backpack until she found it, frowning a little. She didn't like the book; it evoked too many sexual images in her mind, always involving Lex, and that made each and every interaction with him more stressful than they should have been. She couldn't watch him drink a bottle of water without turning red.  
  
"So, what happened?" Lana leaned her head back, looking at Hudson.  
  
"With what?"  
  
"With Lex, of course." She rolled her eyes before she continued to whisper, "How'd you patch things up? Did you ever find out why he was so upset?"  
  
Hudson hadn't bothered informing Chloe and Lana that the reason Lex had been ignoring her had to do with what had occurred during the Nicodemus outbreak. Of course, she hadn't told Lana the truth regarding that whole situation either. She'd shared a kiss with another female and an orgasm at the hand of Lex Luthor, and she couldn't talk about either experience with anyone other than her mother, who really didn't want to hear about it. She knew Chloe wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut so here she was, left pretending none of it happened, except at night when she was free to dream. Luckily, only one of those dreams had involved Lana so far.  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson whispered back, "No. We kind of skipped the details. He said he missed me and we played a game of pool and talked, just like everything was back to normal."  
  
Lana nodded and glanced at the head of the class to make certain Mrs. Mackay hadn't noticed them. "That's when you know your friendship is strong - when you can forget the fights and just go back to being friends."  
  
Smiling at the sentiment, Hudson leaned back in her chair and tried to focus on the words being read by Cecily. Moments later, the sensation of being watched swept over her and she turned to glance at the back door into class but saw no one through the window. Frowning a little, she narrowed her gaze and focused through the door to see the back of Michael as he headed hurriedly down the hall.  
  
***  
  
"Can I get you anything, H.C.?"  
  
Hudson glanced up from the notes for her biology test to find Lana watching her, a concerned expression on her pretty face. "No. I'm fine. Thanks."  
  
"You're worried about Chloe? You always get that little furrow in your brow when you're worrying about friends or family," Lana pointed out.  
  
Blushing, Hudson looked away, pondering the fact that Lana apparently watched her close enough as to know when she was upset. If it was true that the Nicodemus flower simply released inhibitions, then Lana's behavior the day she was infected meant. No, she didn't need to deal with those thoughts right now. There were plenty of more important issues to worry about than her non-existent (slowly emerging??) love life.  
  
Lana touched her shoulder, squeezing it encouragingly. "She'll be all right, you know. She's strong."  
  
"Yeah. I know. I'm just worried that whoever did it is still out there."  
  
"I heard the police believed it might have been some kids playing?" Lana frowned.  
  
Hudson shrugged. "Sure. Maybe. Maybe not. Whoever did it though, I would prefer to know they won't do it again."  
  
Nodding, Lana gave her a smile. "You can't solve the world's problems, H.C. I know. I've tried." Stepping away, she told her, "If you need anything, just holler."  
  
Solve the world's problems. She couldn't even take care of friends and family.  
  
Last night, shortly after she and Chloe had talked on the phone about what time to expect to head out to the theatre in Abilene, a brick had come through Chloe's bedroom window, glancing off her forehead and knocking her out. She had fallen into some of the glass, receiving a few minor cuts along with the concussion. Gabe had called the house to alert Hudson to what had happened and that instead of going to the movies, they had taken a detour to the hospital.  
  
Hudson had hurried over to visit her friend and find out what had happened. According to Chloe, she'd heard something tapping against the glass of her bedroom window. She explained that it sounded a lot like in the movies, when the boy goes to the girl's house and throws pebbles against the window to get her attention. Curious, she wandered over to it, standing back for a moment, waiting for the sound again. Nothing happened. Moving forward, she peered out, searching the street and sidewalk below, glancing over their yard, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Figuring it had only been her imagination, Chloe turned to move away when the brick had come crashing through the window, knocking her out. Hearing the noise, her father had hurried upstairs, called the paramedics and Chloe awoke in the Emergency Room, realizing she and Hudson had missed out on their movie date to see 'Fellowship of the Ring'.  
  
Chloe was going to be all right but that didn't lessen Hudson's concern for her friend. She could only be grateful that it hadn't been a meteor rock because that would have led to even more questions and conclusions as to what kind of freak was running around Smallville this week.  
  
Sighing, Hudson tried to turn her attention back to her homework but it didn't last for long. For some reason, Hudson's ability to sense when Lex was near was uncanny, even to her.  
  
She looked up from the booth she was stretched out in as she felt something - a strange change in the air around her - that caused her to glance toward the Talon's front door. At that moment, it opened and Lex walked in, knee- length black coat billowing out behind him as he strolled into the coffeehouse. Lex always walked like he had purpose, knew where he was going, but didn't really care about when he got there. It was the strangest contradiction Hudson had ever seen. Even on the farm, he walked as if he owned the dirt beneath his feet, but with an attitude that seemed to say he could care less.  
  
Forcing her gaze back to the notes in front of her, Hudson pretended extreme interest in her homework, though the words and numbers made very little sense at the moment.  
  
"Don't I get a hello?"  
  
Hudson looked up at Lex's voice to find him standing beside her, a small smile hovering over his mouth as he watched her. "Oh, Lex. Hi. I didn't see you come in."  
  
His smirk continued as he slid into the seat across from her. "Is that so? Whatever that is in front of you must be terribly exciting."  
  
She glanced down at the papers and felt her cheeks redden. "Well, it's biology. We have a test tomorrow."  
  
"Biology?" Lex raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought you might have been studying anatomy, considering the fierce concentration."  
  
Hudson wondered why the seat beneath her couldn't just open up and swallow her whole. The universe had to be conspiring against her. "Er. ummm. anatomy is next year," she mumbled, keeping her gaze focused on the words in front of her.  
  
"Relax, angel. I'm just teasing you."  
  
His voice washed over her, low and gentle, and Hudson found her gaze drifting back up to his, discovering that his eyes were no longer mocking. She found it easy to return his smile and her embarrassment quickly melted away. "I'm surprised to see you. You've been working late so often the past few months."  
  
Lex shrugged, leaning back against the wall of the booth as Lauren stopped by to bring him his cappuccino. After thanking her, he took a cautious sip then glanced across the table at Hudson. "I had an afternoon meeting that ended earlier than I expected and decided to give myself the rest of the day off."  
  
"Meaning that you're planning on going home and working from there."  
  
Lex just quirked an eyebrow at her, took another sip of his beverage but didn't bother to reply.  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson returned her attention to her notes, actually able to make a little more sense of them this time around, even with the faint scent of Lex's cologne drifting across the table. He must have had some stored up energy within him because the fingers of his hand not holding the mug were tapping lightly against the tabletop. Most of the time, Lex was collected and could sit as still as a statue for hours, with only his eyes moving, taking in the activity around him. On rare occasions, such as now, the energy he kept contained tightly within himself seemed to burst to the forefront, demanding to be released. His body would move as if he'd drank one too many cappuccinos in a two hour period. She couldn't help but wonder if the behavior stemmed from years of being forced to curb his energy as a child.  
  
"You wouldn't have a fencing lesson this evening, would you?" Hudson asked curiously.  
  
Lex frowned a little as he snatched up the pen she had laying beside her homework and began twirling it between his fingers. "No. Heike is in Germany. Why?"  
  
"No reason." Hudson glanced up under her lashes, watching as the pen moved through his fingers with almost lightning fast speed.  
  
"I was thinking of going to the gym though."  
  
She thought that was probably a good idea but didn't say anything as she became distracted by his fingers. Lex had beautiful hands - slim, long, powerful. She couldn't help but find the visible veins in the top of his hands fascinating and his nails were always manicured, clean and shiny and perfectly rounded. They were soft, too. Soft and warm and they had glided over her skin -  
  
"Earth to Hudson Kent."  
  
Hudson blinked, snapping out of her reverie to find Lex grinning at her again. "Sorry. I just. my mind wandered."  
  
"You're doing that a lot lately," Lex commented, gathering the pen between thumb and middle finger and tapping the edge against the table. He leaned forward, regarding her thoughtfully. "Anything you care to talk about?"  
  
As a matter of fact, I would really, really like to know what sex is like. Specifically, with you. "No. Nothing. Just school stuff and junk."  
  
Lex gave a small nod. "You know you can tell me anything, angel," he encouraged quietly.  
  
Hudson couldn't help but think it was silly, how much those few words meant to her. "I know. That means a lot to me, Lex. Thank you."  
  
Smiling, Lex lifted the mug up to his lips and took another drink before asking, "How's Chloe?"  
  
"Better. Her father will be bringing her home this evening. Luckily, she got off with a concussion and some minor cuts."  
  
"Any leads on who might have done something like that?" Lex asked with a frown.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "Dad talked to the sheriff last night and they said they thought it was likely just some young kids playing around, who really didn't mean to hurt anybody. They're offering a small reward for any leads. I just wish I could learn something more."  
  
"She's lucky," Lex commented, watching Hudson with a thoughtful expression. "The glass could have done a lot more damage."  
  
The worst of it was, there was nothing Hudson could have done to protect her. Beyond forcing her friends and family to live inside of plastic bubbles all of their lives, there was nothing that she could do to protect them from the surprise occurrences that could happen in everyday life. Like kids playing with rocks or bricks outside your house.  
  
"Hey, Hudson."  
  
Lex glanced up sharply at the voice, his eyes narrowing just a little. Hudson followed his gaze, flashing at quick smile at Michael. "Hi, Michael. I don't think I've ever seen you in here before."  
  
Michael returned Lex's stare for a moment before turning his attention to Hudson and offering a smile. "Well, I know you hang out here a lot so I decided to check it out and see what was so special about it."  
  
"Well, Lana runs it," Hudson replied, waving her hand toward the front counter where Lana was talking to Whitney. "Out of loyalty to her, I won't buy my coffee anywhere else." There was a moment of silence between them, before Hudson nodded her head toward Lex. "Do you know Lex Luthor? Lex, this is Michael Powell. We go to school together."  
  
Lex continued to hold the pen in one hand, picked up his mug again and nodded once as he lifted it to his lips. "Powell. Your father just started working for me, didn't he?"  
  
"Yeah. We moved here last month." Michael watched Lex a few moments longer before looking back at Hudson. "I wondered if you wanted to get together this week and study for the History exam we have coming up? We could meet at my place. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind ordering pizza or something."  
  
"Ummm. " Truthfully, Hudson was beginning to feel bad for turning him down the other day. It had to be hard to be the new kid in town, not certain where you fit in among the cliques that so quickly formed in high school. If anything, she could at least invite him in to the circle of friends she hung out with. Besides, one night of studying really didn't mean all that much. "Sure. When?"  
  
"Tomorrow night?"  
  
"Okay." Hudson nodded and smiled. "Tomorrow night it is."  
  
"Great!" Michael continued to smile down at her, his hand reaching out to brush a strand of her hair from her shoulder.  
  
Hudson twitched away from his touch without thinking and across the table she heard a strange snapping sound. Glancing over, she watched as Lex's gaze narrowed further on the boy standing over her.  
  
"If that's all, Michael," he commented in a low tone. "Hudson and I were in the middle of a conversation." He indicated with a quick jerk of his head that it was time for Michael to leave. Then he flashed a quick, falsely patient smile.  
  
"Maybe Hudson doesn't want me to leave," Michael replied, not moving.  
  
If Lex didn't look so offended by Michael's reply, Hudson would have laughed. As it was, she didn't want a repeat of losing his friendship. "Michael." She waited until he turned his gaze to her. "I'll see you tomorrow, at school. Okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Okay. Sure." He cast another quick look at Lex before finally turning and moving away.  
  
Hudson watched until he exited the Talon then looked back across the table. "What was that all about?"  
  
"You're not seriously going to go to his house, are you?" Lex countered, leaning over the table and regarding her intently.  
  
Blinking, Hudson commented, "Whoa. Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"  
  
Lex rolled his eyes. "Please, Hudson. That's hardly anything to get jealous over."  
  
Trying not to show her disappointment, she asked, "So what is it, then?"  
  
Lex glanced over his shoulder toward the door that Michael had recently exited through. "There's something about him I don't like. " He trailed off, staring longer before sitting straight once more and focusing an intense gaze on Hudson. "How well do you know this guy? Enough to let him just touch you like that?"  
  
Hudson sighed. "I know his father works for you and that he was a very popular athlete at his last school. Geez, Lex. I know more about him than I did about you when we began hanging out." She glanced at her fingernails for a moment before commenting, "Besides, I think he's cute. And. and maybe it's time I start dating. I'm going on sixteen, you know. A boyfriend couldn't hurt."  
  
"Is this a test?" Lex asked, his expression one of amusement. "It's not working, Hudson. These childish little hints of yours aren't going to get me to break down and ask you out just to beat some high school kid to the punch. You know very well my thoughts on anything happening between us. Trying to make me jealous - which isn't going to happen - won't change that."  
  
Doubting that she could be any more mortified than she was at that moment, Hudson looked away, focusing her gaze on Lana and Whitney and mentally repeating over and over that she wasn't going to cry. She added to that how much she hated Lex Luthor and that she wouldn't want to go out with him anyway because he was mean. She didn't even know why she bothered being his friend. Tomorrow night she would meet Michael for a study date and they'd probably hit it off really well and fall hopelessly in love and then Lex would realize what he could have had and come crawling to her. And she would just laugh in his arrogant and very mean face!  
  
"Hey."  
  
She looked up to find Lex standing next to her, the merest smile playing around his mouth. "What?" She snapped.  
  
He reached out and placed a finger under her chin, lifting her gaze up while he leaned over, his mouth next to her ear. "We both know that Mr. Powell doesn't stand a chance," he whispered. "Remember your New Year's resolution? The stuff of legend, angel."  
  
Straightening, Lex winked at her before turning and walking away.  
  
Hudson glared after him, caught between frustration and amusement. Whatever he might deny, she was almost positive that she had detected a hint of jealousy in his tone. Maybe it was time for Lex to do the pining instead of her.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Hudson followed Pete off the bus, her thoughts centered on her upcoming study session with Michael that night and Chloe's theories on the phone last night as to who was 'out to get her'. So far she was almost positive it was someone in the school cafeteria for the expose she wrote last week regarding the health code violations that were almost certainly regular practice among the employees. Hudson had commented that she was certain Chloe had hit her head a little harder than the doctors believed and perhaps they should put her on medication. Her friend hadn't found that very funny and had promised that when she returned to school next week, she would prove her theory right.  
  
"So would you believe my mother actually went out and bought me a pack of Valentines to hand out at school?" Pete commented in outraged disbelief as they entered the school. "Like we're still in elementary school or something."  
  
"Spiderman?" Hudson asked as they turned down the hall towards their lockers.  
  
Pete shook his head and leaned closer to whisper, "No, man. Scooby-Doo."  
  
Hudson burst into laughter before Pete elbowed her in the ribs.  
  
"It's not funny," he ground out between clenched teeth. "I told her she was trying to kill my rep."  
  
"Pete, hate to break it to you, but you don't have a rep to kill."  
  
"That's cold." Pete flashed her a quick frown. "Just. cold."  
  
"It's not my fault you hang out with two of the most unpopular girls in this school," Hudson remarked, stopping beside her locker and dropping her backpack to the ground.  
  
"You and Chloe are not unpopular," Pete disagreed, leaning against the lockers beside her.  
  
"Yeah. That's why so many guys are always asking us to the school dances. Because we're so popular."  
  
"Who's popular?" Lana walked up between Pete and Hudson, flashing a smile.  
  
"H.C. is trying to tell me that she and Chloe are the two most unpopular girls here," Pete replied, shoving his hands into his pockets with a frown.  
  
Lana frowned as well and glanced up at Hudson. "That's not true. I've heard plenty of the guys talk about you."  
  
Hudson almost dropped her History book. She looked down at the brunette beside her with wide eyes. "Who?"  
  
"Steve Rollins - "  
  
"No-Neck Steve," Pete added with a smile.  
  
Lana hesitated to give him a quick look before turning back to Hudson. "Josh Matthews, on the swim team? He was talking about how 'hot' you were just the other day," she told her. Then she shrugged. "Of course, he followed that up with something about you being about two feet taller than him."  
  
"Great." Hudson turned back to her locker while Pete and Lana grinned at one another. "I suppose he won't be asking. me. on. "  
  
She trailed off as she noticed a folded piece of blue paper sticking between the edges of the vent into her locker door. Reaching up, she pulled the paper free and unfolded it, her eyes glancing over the black ink scrawled across it.  
  
"What is it?" Lana leaned up to peer over her shoulder.  
  
"A poem," Hudson replied, frowning a little.  
  
Pete stepped closer. "Now this I have to hear. Read it."  
  
Worrying her lower lip for a moment, Hudson read:  
  
"In the mirror of the wishing well  
  
I see your smile,  
  
And the midday meal on the bright green lawn.  
  
Hear the unhappy buzz of the bumble-bee,  
  
Climbing out of the picked flower.  
  
Smell the rain the cooling air,  
  
Taste popcorn on your lips through my laughter,  
  
Feel your face under my curious hand.  
  
Things that should be."  
  
"Sounds like you have a secret admirer," Lana commented with a smile. "That's beautiful."  
  
"What kind of freak writes poetry?" Pete snatched the paper from her hand.  
  
"The romantic kind," Lana supplied. "I wouldn't mind if someone wrote me poetry."  
  
Hudson frowned as Pete turned the paper over in his hands. "What are you looking for?"  
  
"I just want to make sure it isn't from Lex Luthor. This is just the kind of weird ass, freaky shit he would do."  
  
Lana's eyes widened and she turned back to Hudson, her smile growing. "Wouldn't that be the most romantic thing possible? Lex writing you poetry and then sneaking into the school to slip it into your locker?"  
  
"Romantic and highly improbable," Hudson remarked, taking the paper from Pete's hand, folding it and slipping it into her pocket. "I don't see Lex sneaking into Smallville High for anything. And he reads poetry; he doesn't write it."  
  
"I don't know what you see in that guy, H.C.," Pete commented as she shut her locker and they started back down the hall. "He's bad news. I keep telling you and you aren't listening."  
  
Lana leaned her head around Hudson to add her opinion. "Lex isn't so bad, Pete. Look at everything he is doing for this town, with the Talon and all. He could have just turned it into a parking lot but he didn't. He took a chance on me. You can't continue to blame him for what his father did to your family over a dozen years ago."  
  
"He was raised by that man," Pete pointed out. "And maybe I shouldn't bother to mention the slightly shady dealings he's had since he's been here - Earl Jenkins, Club Zero, the stuff with the Nicodemus flower - "  
  
"Earl Jenkins you can blame on Lionel Luthor," Hudson defended. "And there is no proof that Lex had anything to do with the Nicodemus flower. You're going on conjecture."  
  
"And what about Club Zero?"  
  
Lana glanced up at Hudson with Pete's question but she just continued to look ahead, ignoring him, and the trio grew silent.  
  
Truthfully, the only person who seemed to encourage Hudson's interest in Lex was Lana. Pete was completely against him even being in Smallville and while Chloe never came out and said that she didn't think they should be friends, Hudson knew very well that she had her misgivings. It was like fighting an uphill battle; everyone was prepared to judge Lex without ever giving him a chance to prove himself outside of his father's influence.  
  
Hoping to change the subject, Hudson asked Lana whether she and Whitney had any plans for Valentine's Day and what those were. After Lana described the restaurant they were going to in Salina, Pete chimed in that he was taking Emily Brower to the movies and dinner as well. He was quick to amend that it wasn't anything really romantic - yet. Hudson teased him that she thought his interests were all about Erika Foxx or was that attraction only fleeting?  
  
"Erika is always number one with me," Pete replied quietly, his gaze moving around the hall to make certain the subject in question wasn't listening in. "But seeing as how she is currently with Kurt, I need to have other options available to myself."  
  
"How fickle is the heart," Hudson commented.  
  
Laughing, Lana told him, "I heard the other day that Erika is growing tired of Kurt and is considering breaking up with him."  
  
Rubbing his hands together, Pete grinned. "Sounds like the day of Pete Ross approacheth!"  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes while Lana did her best not to laugh out loud.  
  
He made a face at both of them before ducking into his homeroom. "See you at lunch!"  
  
"How's Chloe?" Lana asked.  
  
"Frustrated that her dad is forcing her to stay in bed instead of allowing her to go out and investigate her fall."  
  
"That sounds like her. She's determined to find the culprits, isn't she?"  
  
Hudson nodded, knowing that Chloe would likely, in the end, cause more trouble than if she just left it to the police. While Hudson thought whoever had done it needed to suffer some kind of consequences, she had trouble believing that it was truly done out of malice. In a town overran with meteor mutants (and one silent alien), a brick through the window seemed rather unimaginative. And harmless. Maybe she had simply become too accustomed to people trying to burn her friends alive or eat them as opposed to breaking their windows. Of course, had Chloe been seriously injured, she probably would have been looking at the incident in a much different light but as it was. well, Hudson just had trouble believing it was purposely meant to harm her.  
  
***  
  
"This is so unfair," Hudson muttered as she stomped into the kitchen to pick up the phone.  
  
Martha glanced up from the bills she was working on to watch as her daughter punched at the numbers with more force than was necessary. She kept waiting for Hudson's fingers to go right through the receiver - it wouldn't be the first time. When Hudson looked over at her, Martha returned her gaze to the checks and invoices in front of her, though her attention was still firmly focused on her daughter.  
  
"Hi. Is Michael home? Thanks."  
  
Michael? Who was Michael?  
  
"Hi, Michael. It's --- Oh. You must be good with voices.. That's sweet. I don't think anyone has ever complimented my voice before."  
  
At those words, Martha turned around in her chair to watch Hudson. She was leaning over the counter on her elbows, playing with the notepad that lay in front of her. There was smile on her face and Martha could swear her daughter was flirting over the phone.  
  
Who was Michael?  
  
"Actually, I'm calling because of that. Unfortunately, I have to cancel. I'm sorry. We're finally getting a few head of cattle in this weekend but the fence in the south pasture is totally destroyed and my dad wants to work on it this evening. Well, maybe we could get together before class tomorrow and go over our notes?... I'm really sorry. "  
  
Hudson giggled. Martha didn't know her daughter knew how to giggle. Typically she would either laugh without restrain or just flash one of her brilliant smiles. Who was this Michael and why did he make Hudson Kent giggle?  
  
"That's cool. Well, I'd better go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?... Thanks. See ya!... Bye."  
  
"Who's Michael?" Martha asked as Hudson set the receiver in it's cradle.  
  
"Huh?" Hudson turned around and blinked at her mother for a moment then smiled. "Oh. Just a guy at school."  
  
"Just a guy, hmmm?" Martha smiled knowingly as she signed the next check. "You've never mentioned him before. "  
  
"He just transferred in this semester." Hudson sat down at the table and lifted a banana out of the bowl of fruit. Peeling it, she added, "I think he likes me."  
  
"Is that so?" Setting the bills aside, Martha folded her arms on the table and watched her daughter nibble at her food. "Do you like him?"  
  
Hudson glanced up at her, searching her eyes before shrugging. "I guess. I don't know. I mean, he is kind of cute but. "  
  
"He isn't Lex."  
  
"That obvious, huh?"  
  
Shaking her head, Martha replied, "Unfortunately, H.C., it becomes more obvious each and every day. I'm glad to hear that there's another boy out there vying for your attention. This crush on Lex - "  
  
"You haven't exactly been deterring me from it, mom," Hudson pointed out, remembering her mom's insistence that she visit Lex on Christmas.  
  
"I've only done so because I know what he means to you. And I know that you are his only friend in town, and I certainly don't want to see the boy lonely." Rising from her seat, Martha gathered the bills into her hands and walked over to the desk drawer where she began searching for stamps. "But the fact of the matter is, Lex is much older than you. Not only would any interest on his part be illegal, but your father wouldn't allow it. I'm just saying you need to find a boy closer to your own age if you want to start dating - "  
  
"No one said anything about dating, mom," Hudson was quick to point out. "I was just going to Michael's to study." She paused long enough to finish off the banana, then stood to throw the peel into the garbage. "And Lex really isn't that much older than me. I mean, we don't even know how old I am. You've told me that you and Dad made the decision to hold me back from school until I had a grasp of the English language. For all we know, I could be eighteen. Or even nineteen."  
  
Sighing, Martha turned around and leaned back against the desktop. "H.C., you're adoption papers and birth certificate list you as turning sixteen in April. That's all that matters. Conjecture as to how old you might be, or even should be wherever you come from have no bearing." Martha frowned slightly. "Or is that you plan on explaining to Lex that gee, you might be blowing out the candles on your sweet sixteen cake but it's very possible you are much closer to his age because you aren't certain exactly how long it took you to travel from space and reach earth?"  
  
"No," Hudson muttered, kicking gently at the waste basket. "But it's. well, it's unfair."  
  
"Yes, Hudson," Martha replied with a nod, watching as her daughter glared out the window at nothing in particular. "It is unfair. But I think there are plenty of good things in your life to compensate for those which you question the fairness of. Be thankful your father even allows you to spend so much time with Lex. It's enough that the people in town can't help but comment and question as to the nature of your relationship. Do you think it's fair that your father is forced to defend his daughter's virtue time and again?"  
  
"It's not like it's any of their business anyhow," Hudson defended angrily. "And why is it perfectly okay for someone like Tammy Winslow to sleep with every guy in school but Heaven forbid if I should want to do the same with Lex?"  
  
Martha didn't want to bother arguing that point. She understood where Hudson was coming from, understood that it really shouldn't matter what age Lex was, especially when she knew how mature Hudson could be, how she was likely closer to eighteen in age than sixteen. But then, she and Jonathan had discussed it long ago - they hadn't felt right enrolling a seven year old girl into kindergarten. It never would have made much sense, especially considering how bright she was. Fabricating her age had made the need to keep her out of school longer in order to learn their language easily explainable. They hadn't bothered considering the consequences of what would happen when she was older and understood what they had done and was drawn to others closer to her age.  
  
Then again, Lex Luthor could have been fifteen and Jonathan likely wouldn't have wanted him any closer to Hudson than he was now.  
  
Walking over to where Hudson stood glaring at the floor, Martha touched her shoulders and gave her a warm smile. "Honey, I know it's difficult. So many lies have been fabricated to protect you, and in the end, many of them do little more than hurt you. But you're strong. You'll find a way to get past them all eventually and find your niche. I'm sorry that life can't be exactly how you want it - that's an impossible wish for anyone, even us lowly humans."  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes at the 'lowly humans' comment and they both laughed.  
  
Putting all thoughts of dating and boys from her mind, Hudson spent the evening helping her father replace fifteen yards of fence before sitting down to a peaceful family dinner. Morning, and another day of school, arrived quickly. As promised, she met up with Michael before class and they sat in the bleachers next to the soccer field to go over their notes for history.  
  
"I think this test is going to kick my ass," Michael commented after answering two questions Hudson had posed to him incorrectly.  
  
"Nah. You'll do fine." Shifting her position, Hudson reached into her backpack to pull out the textbook. She flipped to the back section where lists of questions were divided by chapter. "Here, let's try these. When did the California Gold Strike officially begin?"  
  
"You're very pretty."  
  
Looking up, Hudson smiled a little, her face growing warm at the compliment. "Umm. thanks."  
  
"I mean it," he continued earnestly. "More than pretty, even. The most beautiful girl I've ever met."  
  
Hudson laughed. "I think you could have gotten away with pretty, Michael. That's a little much."  
  
"Not when it's true." Michael reached up and touched her cheek before moving his fingers back through her hair, gazing at her for a long moment. "I'm surprised you don't have guys lined up along the hallways. But then, I guess that makes me kind of lucky, huh? Getting to spend time with you and all."  
  
She dropped her eyes back to the textbook on her lap, trying to quell the feelings of discomfort his words and touch were causing. Hudson couldn't understand why she was feeling this way; she wasn't typically the type who minded being touched, not like Lex who had to restrain from flinching every time she took his hand. The only explanations she could think of were that she didn't know Michael very well, and she wasn't used to receiving attention like this from the guys at school. Maybe for girls like Lana, who were petite and popular and outgoing, they were used to having boys tell them how pretty they were and wanting to touch them. But Hudson just found it plain weird.  
  
And she still thought it was weird when she got home that afternoon. While she did her chores, Hudson replayed the conversation over and over in her mind again, trying to figure out what it was that disturbed her so much. Maybe it was his insistence - especially when he called her beautiful. For some reason, hearing that from a fifteen year old boy was disconcerting. Now if Lex had said it, she might have accepted it better.  
  
Then again, maybe not.  
  
"H.C.!" Her mother hollered out from the kitchen door. "A package just arrived for you!"  
  
Pulling away from the tractor engine, Hudson wiped her grease-covered hands over her jeans before her dad tossed her a work towel. Grinning, she wiped what was left onto it, then tucked it into her back pocket and headed for the house, Jonathan following.  
  
"Who's it from?" Hudson asked as she walked into the kitchen.  
  
"It'd better not have the initials L.L. on it," her dad commented as he grabbed a glass from beside the sink and filled it with water from the tap.  
  
"It doesn't have a return address or anything," Martha replied, carrying the big box over to the island and setting it down. "Here's the card."  
  
Hudson took the envelope and opened it, pulling out the card and reading:  
  
"Roses are red. Violets are blue.  
  
Chocolate is sweet, but not sweeter then you.  
  
I will watch you sleep, listen to you breathe,  
  
And your calm riposte will bestow ease.  
  
Be my Valentine, make my heart delight.  
  
We belong together. It is perfect. Right.  
  
Those who nay-say, fools who interfere,  
  
Will forget to meddle when they'll know fear.  
  
Roses are red. Violets are blue.  
  
No one will dare to part me and you."  
  
She frowned. "Okay, that's kind of creepy." She flipped the card over. "There's no signature."  
  
Jonathan took the card from her, his expression darkening as he read over it.  
  
"Maybe it's from that boy you were talking to yesterday," her mom suggested. "Michael was it?"  
  
"What boy?" Jonathan glanced at his wife.  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes as she removed the box from the white box. "It isn't Michael's handwriting. His looks like chicken scratches." Lifting the lid, Hudson found two dozen perfect uncut red roses tucked within the box.  
  
Martha let out a low whistle. "That isn't a cheap gift." She peered at the card in Jonathan's hand again. "Are you sure it isn't from Michael? He could have had the salesperson write it."  
  
"Why would he send an anonymous card and gift?" Hudson asked, picking up one of the roses and sniffing at it. "Trust me. He has no issues with hiding his interest."  
  
"Who the hell is Michael and why is he sending you roses?" Jonathan demanded loudly, glancing from his daughter to his wife as they looked at one another.  
  
"Just a guy at school, Dad," Hudson told him while Martha walked over to the cupboard to remove a vase for the flowers and fill it with water. "And like I said, I don't think the roses are from him. We studied for our history exam together this morning and. well, if he wanted me to 'be his Valentine' he would have mentioned it then. He isn't exactly. shy about his feelings."  
  
Jonathan's gaze narrowed further as he studied his daughter. "What, exactly, does that mean?"  
  
"Geez, enough with the third degree." Hudson huffed, moving over to stand beside her mother as they began arranging the flowers into the vase. "First you want me to hang out with guys my age instead of Lex. Now you don't want me to hang out with guys my age."  
  
"I'd prefer you just. go back to playing with Barbie and following me out to the pond to catch some catfish," Jonathan replied, frowning again at the card in his hand, ignoring the grins from his daughter and his wife.  
  
***  
  
Closing the file in front of him, Lex's gaze drifted to the doors of his study as he contemplated his next course of action. There was nothing in the file on Michael Powell to suggest that he was any kind of danger to Hudson, nor were there any links to the disappearance of his last girlfriend, Dana Riley. Still, nothing regarding the boy sat right with Lex. Sure, he had been popular in Edge City, had fairly decent grades, his father, Frank Powell, came highly recommended when hired as a shift manager at the Plant, and his mother, Elizabeth Powell, was a stay-at-home mom. So what was there for Lex to complain about with regards to Hudson's relationship with the kid?  
  
Well, for one, it was Hudson. No matter what he told her, no matter what denials or reasons came to mind for why he continued to hold her at arm's length, Lex couldn't help but feel like she belonged to him. Whether she ever truly would or not didn't matter; what mattered was that he take care of her, watch over her, spend the life she gave back to him making certain she was always safe and loved. She deserved the best, and much like Jonathan Kent likely felt, Lex didn't truly believe there would ever be anyone out there deserving of her.  
  
Glancing at the folder again, Lex knew that whatever he said against the Powell boy would be misconstrued. Hudson would think it was all due to jealousy - and Lex would be hard-pressed to deny such an accusation - and her father would probably believe it stemmed from some Luthor power trip. Still, Lex had learned long ago that proper caution wasn't to be taken lightly. Hudson might fight him on this, but he had to do whatever it took to keep her safe. Shoving the file into a drawer in the credenza behind him, Lex grabbed a set of keys and his jacket and headed out of the castle.  
  
As Lex pulled up to the Kent farm, it was to find two of the Smallville police cars parked in the drive. Deputies were exiting the house, evidence bags in hand, while Martha and Jonathan stood outside by the fence, talking to Sheriff Ethan. Frowning, he brought the Aston Martin to a stop, shutting off the engine before opening the door and stepping out into the surprisingly warm February afternoon. Martha glanced up as he approached and though she acknowledged his presence with a slight change of expression, it wasn't the usual welcome he had grown accustomed to. Lex's gaze drifted around the yard, searching for Hudson. Not seeing her, his frown grew and a strange sensation of panic swept over him. Increasing his pace, he hurried over to the Kents.  
  
"What's happened?" He demanded. "Is it Hudson? Is she all right?"  
  
"I don't see how anything going on with my family is any of your business, Lex," Jonathan barked in reply.  
  
In Lex's mind, everything regarding Hudson was his business because of what she meant to him. He turned his gaze to Martha when she touched his arm. She was giving her husband a silencing look before she looked up at Lex.  
  
"H.C.'s fine, Lex. She went to Chloe's after school to drop some homework off. There's nothing to worry about."  
  
Relief filled him and Lex was surprised to find that his legs really did feel like jelly. He thought briefly that if Martha hadn't been holding on to him, he might have collapsed to the ground. Wouldn't Jonathan Kent have loved that?  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" He asked earnestly.  
  
"Yeah," Jonathan replied. "Why don't you go back to your castle?" He turned to the Sheriff. "Ethan, why don't we move over to your car?"  
  
Lex moved his gaze to the ground, saying nothing as Jonathan and Sheriff Ethan walked away, clearly out of hearing distance. He wasn't family; he knew that. But what would it take for Jonathan Kent to understand what this family meant to Lex? That if there was a problem, he wanted to help, however he could. Lex knew that they would never accept monetary help from him, not after they would rather pile mortgage on top of mortgage instead of accepting the offer he had proposed to them a few months ago. But he was more than willing to offer other assistance as well - whatever they wanted from him, he was more than happy to give. Instead, his concern was thrown back in his face time and again. Lex wondered if there wouldn't one day be a point when he just didn't care anymore.  
  
"I'm sorry about that, Lex," Martha apologized beside him. "It's not really you that my husband is upset with at the moment."  
  
"Mrs. Kent," Lex began, bringing his eyes back to hers. "If there is something - "  
  
"Mom! Dad!"  
  
Turning, Lex and Martha watched as Hudson came running toward them from around the side of the house. Her backpack dangled from her hand and her hair was windblown, strands caught across her nose and chin. As she stopped between them, Lex's fingers itched to reach out and brush the strands away, tuck them behind her ears. Part of him just wanted to touch her, the other part wanted to gaze at her features. Sometimes he thought he could waste hours just looking at her, marveling at her perfection. She wasn't even an adult yet and already she would put the women he knew in Metropolis to shame, even with all of their plastic surgeons and daily visits to the spa. Her eyes were wide with concern at the moment, mouth pulled tight. The urge to kiss her upset away was almost too much to ignore.  
  
"What happened? Are you and Dad all right?"  
  
"We're fine, honey," Martha assured her.  
  
Hudson looked over at Lex curiously. "What are you doing here, Lex?"  
  
"I came by to see you," he replied before glancing at her mother. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Kent. Perhaps I should come back later."  
  
Martha shook her head. "No, it's all right, Lex. In this town, I'm sure you'll hear about all of this through the grapevine anyway." She turned back to Hudson who was fidgeting impatiently between them, her concern causing her brow to furrow. "When your father and I got home this afternoon from running some errands in town, I went upstairs to put the dry cleaning away and. well, apparently someone broke into the house."  
  
"Was anything stolen?" Lex asked as Hudson let out a sharp breath and cast a quick glance at the farmhouse.  
  
"No. Nothing that we could see." Martha released a shaky sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "They. they laid out the best outfits Jonathan and I own across our bed - neatly set out across the sides of the mattress that we each sleep on. Shoes, stockings, everything - like if we had been lying there, we would have been wearing them. And then. and then they placed one white lily each across the clothes." Her voice choked on the last word and Lex automatically reached out to take her by the arm, supporting her.  
  
"What?" Hudson stared aghast at her mother for a moment before looking once more at their house. "That's. who the hell would do such a thing?"  
  
If Martha didn't approve of her daughter swearing, she was too upset by recent events to reprimand her for the slip. Lex watched silently as the woman beside him seemed to draw on some hidden reserve of strength and smile at Hudson. "We don't know, honey. But I'm sure Sheriff Ethan and his deputies will find out for us. There's nothing to worry over for the moment."  
  
"Nothing to - "  
  
"Your mother's right," Lex cut in, dropping his hand from Martha's arm and briefly acknowledging the silent thanks in her gaze. "Let the police do their job, let your Mom and Dad answer any questions they might have." He nodded toward the barn. "Why don't we go up to the loft?"  
  
Hudson appeared ready to argue but Martha chimed in, "Go on, honey. Lex came here to see you. I'm sure he's busy enough that he can't spend all evening here."  
  
Lex held his hand out, waiting for Hudson to take it. She glanced between them, obviously seeing through their ruse to get her away from the house but was apparently disinclined to argue. He was surprised at her easy capitulation, grateful when she took his hand and followed him across the drive toward the faded red barn. They both glanced over at her father and the sheriff as they passed by, neither of whom looked up. Lex squeezed her hand encouragingly and they moved through the door into the relative warmth of the shelter.  
  
Once upstairs, Hudson paced around the loft while Lex stood near the steps, watching her. Pent up energy was pulsing through her and she continued to look toward the barn wall, as if she could somehow see through it to the driveway and her parents, protecting them with her gaze. Lex understood that feeling of inaction, the need to be doing something but he also knew there was nothing that Hudson could do. Her parents would be much more interested in stopping anything from happening to her than allowing her to do her own investigating. He blamed Chloe Sullivan for that particular habit that Hudson had seemed to acquire.  
  
Moving forward, Lex walked over to where Hudson finally stood, fingers thrumming against her thighs nervously. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "You okay?"  
  
She forced a small smile, focusing her gaze on the second button of his shirt. "I guess. Maybe. I don't know. It's just. Someone has deliberately threatened my parents and I don't know where to begin in trying to find out who that person is."  
  
"That's not your job, Hudson," Lex told her quietly but sternly. "Leave that to the police. The last thing your parents need to do is worry about you as well."  
  
Hudson didn't reply.  
  
Noting that she purposely didn't give him an answer, Lex suppressed a sigh and squeezed her shoulders lightly. He knew he had some information that might be helpful in determining who the culprit was, but he was slightly worried about sharing it with her. It was the reason he had come by to see her in the first place. Had Jonathan Kent been a little more receptive to accepting his help, he would have shared the information with the sheriff. As it was, he might have to have his own people step into the investigation.  
  
"Hudson, until this is all cleared up and the culprit is found, I think you should stay away from your friend, Michael Powell."  
  
Frowning, she glanced up at him, searching his face. "Why? What does my friendship with Michael have to do with any of this?"  
  
"He's interested in you - that's no secret. There's the roses you received, with a poem attached that was obviously a threat. Your mother said you received an earlier poem - "  
  
"Wait," Hudson interrupted, stepping away from his hands. "Are you trying to imply that Michael has something to do with this? Give me a break, Lex. He's a nice guy. He's popular at school, he's polite, he doesn't collect bugs. "  
  
Lex reached back to rub at his neck for a moment, stamping down on the urge to yell at her, shake her, something. Calmly, he replied, "Some of the most dangerous people in the world were perfectly charming to friends and family, Hudson. Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there."  
  
"I can't believe you." Hudson shook her head before turning and walking away to stand beside her telescope. She grew silent, obviously lost in her thoughts, before she finally turned back to him, arms folded over her chest. "Did you delineate the rate of danger he was to me from the sixty second conversation in the Talon the other day?"  
  
"Give me some credit," Lex scoffed. "Unlike the majority of habitants in this town, I know better than to judge someone without understanding the facts."  
  
Hudson winced and Lex realized he hadn't meant to implicate her father in his comment but it hung there anyway, unable to be retrieved. She continued to stare at him and he knew she was waiting for an explanation.  
  
Shrugging his shoulders lightly, Lex admitted, "I did some checking into the Powell's and their move here from Edge City. A girl disappeared shortly before they left town, a girl Michael happened to be dating - "  
  
"You what?" Hudson asked, her tone incredulous. Dropping her arms, she moved back over to him quickly, stopping just a few feet in front of him. "What the hell, Lex? Do you plan on doing background checks on every person that speaks to me from now on? Perhaps you'd like fingerprints and blood samples as well!"  
  
"I'm trying to look out for you, dammit!" Lex snapped back at her, fighting the urge to let loose with his temper. "What is so wrong with that?"  
  
"It's wrong because you are prying into their personal lives, Lex! You - you're acting like God, walking around looking into peoples' past, deciding who I should or shouldn't be friends with, playing judge and jury," she accused, her tone rising. "I thought you would have learned your lesson by now, Lex. Or are you still trying to find answers to questions that aren't even there?"  
  
Lex clenched his teeth, refusing to reply. She was clearly referencing his curiosity into the Porsche, his need to know what had happened that day at Loeb's Bridge. He thought it rude of her to bring up something that had no bearing on the current situation, as if she was trying to change the subject, steer the conversation away from Michael Powell. What would it take to get her to understand that whatever he did, he did it because he cared about her, because she was his friend, because he owed her so much? She had come to mean more to him than he could have imagined - certainly more than he was willing to admit to himself.  
  
Or maybe seeing her talking to Michael had pushed him to finally admit the truth to himself.  
  
"I just want to protect you, Hudson," Lex finally told her, breaking the silence between them. "I didn't mean to upset you."  
  
She let out a breath and looked away. "I can take care of myself, Lex."  
  
Her refusal to acknowledge his apology only stirred his anger back to the surface. "And what about your parents, Hudson? Are you protecting them? How about Chloe? Can't you see these two incidents are connected? Or are you too lovesick over some stupid high school prick, who happened to make eyes at you, to see the simple truth?"  
  
Hudson pulled back as if he had slapped her, her expression going from outraged to hurt within seconds. She said nothing in response, simply stared at him.  
  
Immediately regretting his words, Lex took a step toward her, trying not to let the pain he felt when she moved away from him be apparent. He held out a hand to her. "Angel, I'm sorry. I just wanted - "  
  
"I'd like it if you went home now, Lex," she told him quietly.  
  
Dropping his hand, Lex glanced out the hay-portal and into the darkness. He had known that checking into the Powell's could backfire but he proceeded anyway, allowing his desire to watch over Hudson override any concerns he might have otherwise considered. It was a horrible habit of his when it came to her - this loss of sense. More than once, Lex had cursed her presence in his life, the upheaval that had occurred since the day they met. Sometimes he just wished she had left him to die.  
  
But more often than not, he knew he couldn't stand the thought of not having her there. And this - her telling him to leave - hurt like nothing else.  
  
Lex turned to leave, making his way past the couch, stopping just long enough to tell her, "Just. think about what I said, Hudson. Think about the girl who disappeared in Edge City and what her family must be feeling. I'm not saying Michael Powell is responsible, I'm just saying the possibility is there."  
  
He waited a moment for a reply but she turned away in silence. Knowing he would never bring himself to the point of begging for forgiveness - not even from Hudson - Lex moved down the steps and headed back to the mansion.  
  
***  
  
Hudson couldn't get her argument with Lex out of her mind. All through school the next day, she considered his words and the tense expressions of her parents all through dinner that night. She saw Michael at lunch and talked to him for a few minutes, wondering if she was somehow blind and missing some important aspect that would clue her in to his being mentally deficient. Still, she couldn't see it. He was as concerned for her family and her as anyone else was.  
  
Maybe too concerned. And that was what caused her to decide to look into the situation herself.  
  
On her way to Michael's house an hour after school let out, Hudson told herself she was being ridiculous.  
  
No, Lex was being ridiculous; she was just being pulled in by his apparent madness.  
  
Michael was a nice guy, everyone at school liked him, he was fairly popular - there was no reason why he would try to hurt her family or friends. He certainly wasn't the one sending the freaky poetry to her. He seemed to like her, sure, but it wasn't as if he had made any direct move or even behaved as if he were upset when she had to cancel their study date. Hudson could only reason that by talking about him so much and actually having someone interested in her, that Lex was beginning to feel the stirrings of that jealousy he told her he wouldn't feel. A small part of her - okay, a fairly large part of her - was quite pleased at the thought. Even if she did think he was an ass for prying into people's lives.  
  
Michael's family lived in Pleasant Meadows, the housing division created by LuthorCorp for the majority of the chemical plant employees. In fact, as she glanced at the address on the paper in her hand, she realized he was only a few blocks down from Chloe's house. Making a mental note to stop by and see her friend before she returned to the farm, Hudson jogged up the steps to the white porch and rang the doorbell.  
  
A few moments later, a woman who could only be Michael's mother by the resemblance she shared with him, answered the door, smiling curiously at Hudson.  
  
"Mrs. Powell? I'm Hudson Kent, a friend of Michael's. Is he home?"  
  
Mrs. Powell's eyes lit a little with recognition and her smile grew. "Oh, Hudson. Of course. Michael talks about you all of the time. I should have recognized you by the description. I'm so glad we could finally meet!" She held out her arm, waving Hudson into the house. "Michael isn't home at the moment - he said he would be back in a bit. Please, come in and wait for him. It will give us a chance to get to know one another."  
  
Not wishing to appear rude, Hudson nodded and stepped inside, glancing around the sparsely furnished house, noting the few boxes that were still unpacked between the living room and dining room.  
  
"Please excuse the mess," Michael's mother was saying as she led her down the hallway. "I've spent so much time looking for employment that I haven't had much time to unpack. I'm tempted to take my husband's advice and ask for a job at the Plant. Can I get you something to drink? Lemonade? Tea?"  
  
"Tea would be great, thanks."  
  
Hudson flashed a smile at the woman before slowing a little as she looked over the family photos hanging along the wall. There were a few of Michael in his baseball uniform from his old high school, photos of the family from vacations throughout the years, school photos from when Michael was younger that had Hudson stifling laughter. He was obviously well-loved and cherished as the only child.  
  
"Why don't we sit down with our tea and talk until Michael gets back?" Mrs. Powell suggested as she re-entered the hall from the kitchen, carrying a tray with pitcher and glasses.  
  
"Ummm. okay." Hudson wasn't really in the mood to chat with the woman but her mom had always taught her to be polite and she certainly wasn't going to have it getting back to her parents that she was anything but. She settled on the sofa across from Michael's mother and took the glass of tea that was offered to her. "Thank you, Mrs. Powell."  
  
Michael's mother smiled at her, regarding Hudson silently as she sipped at her tea. Finally she commented, "You're much taller than I thought."  
  
Hudson blinked then quickly attempted not to appear confused by the comment. "I. I'm the tallest girl in school," she finished lamely.  
  
"Hmmm. Well, Michael will grow. He's father is six foot three, you know." Mrs. Powell cocked her head to the side for a moment before reaching out to cup Hudson's chin, ignoring her reaction of surprise, and move her head from side to side. "You don't look fifteen. Michael's last girlfriend always seemed so young to me. You seem much more mature."  
  
Michael's last girlfriend? Frowning a little, Hudson pulled back from the woman's touch, asking, "Umm, Mrs. Powell, exactly what kind of relationship do you think I share with your son?"  
  
"Why, you're very much in love, of course. I think you'll make a wonderful daughter-in-law."  
  
"Daughter. " Hudson almost dropped her glass. She shook her head. "I don't know what your son has been telling you, Mrs. Powell, but Michael and I are just friends. There is nothing else going on between us. I'm not interested in him like that."  
  
Mrs. Powell smiled patiently. "But of course you are, dear. We've sent you flowers and poetry. I'll admit, it's been a bit of a problem getting the two of you together but we've tried to take care of that as well."  
  
"Y-you sent the poetry and the flowers?" Hudson repeated, setting her glass carefully on the coffee table in front of her, her eyes never leaving her hostess.  
  
"Of course." Mrs. Powell was still smiling as she placed her glass beside Hudson's. "Who else? My Michael loves you so much I told him to spare no expense on the flowers. Next month we should be able to buy the ring." Her gaze drifted to the tea left in Hudson's glass for a moment before flickering back up to Hudson who was slowly rising to her feet. "Do sit down, dear. I wouldn't want you to fall and hurt yourself."  
  
Hudson blinked. She had thought the beverage tasted a little strange. "You drugged me?" She asked incredulously.  
  
"It will only help you to sleep for awhile until Michael returns. Then we'll all have a little chat and work things out. Now please, Hudson, sit down." Michael's mother gave her a tense smile, as if attempting to lighten her tone.  
  
"You're insane." Hudson turned to leave but the woman leapt up and grabbed her arm.  
  
"You can't leave!" Mrs. Powell shrieked at her. "The last one tried the same thing, threatening to hurt my Michael and I had to take care of her. We're not losing you - once we have a little talk, once you understand the consequences of hurting Michael's delicate heart, then everything will be fine. Now sit down!"  
  
It was all a terrible nightmare or misunderstanding or something. Hudson was in too much shock at the words the woman was uttering to do much more than stand there and stare at her, not even bothering to remove her hand from her wrist. What had happened to Michael's last girlfriend? Was she the one Lex had been talking about? And what did she mean by 'consequences'?  
  
"Wait. Michael hurt Chloe," Hudson commented softly, eyes growing wide with realization. "Because I was going out with her that night. And my parents. That was Michael, too."  
  
"You're clever," his mother commented with a nod. "But not to worry. Once you fully understand the danger your parents and friends are in, you'll cooperate and eventually you'll come to realize that Michael is the only one for you. You're like soul mates, much better suited to one another than that Lex Luthor you are always panting over - "  
  
"Lex?" Hudson cut in quickly. "What does he have to do with this?"  
  
Mrs. Powell's expression seemed to pale a bit and her gaze flickered away for a moment before she changed the subject. "Why aren't you asleep yet? I gave you the regular dosage. Perhaps you should drink more - "  
  
Losing her patience, Hudson snatched her hand away from the woman and grabbed her by the shoulders. With a tiny shake, she demanded, "What does this have to do with Lex? Tell me!"  
  
"I will not!" Came the reply. "You're like a little tramp, the way you follow him around! He's too old for you anyway. He'll never appreciate your beauty the way Michael will. He'll only break your heart! Michael, on the other hand - "  
  
Hudson huffed and pushed the woman away from her. "I don't have time for this."  
  
Moving to leave, she stumbled a little in surprise when Mrs. Powell rushed up behind her with a fireplace poker in hand and hit her over the head. Hudson turned back, ignoring the flash of disbelief in the woman's eyes as she yanked the tool from her hand.  
  
"You. That should have hurt you!"  
  
Hudson smiled tightly. "I guess you picked the wrong girlfriend again, huh?" She remarked before flicking the woman in the forehead, catching her as she fell into unconsciousness. Once she settled Michael's mother onto the couch, Hudson turned and sped toward the mansion.  
  
Arriving at the east side of the property, Hudson glanced around quickly before leaping over the fence and speeding over to the kitchen door. She opened it without knocking, stepping inside to find Dodd working with a huge ball of dough. He glanced up as she entered, frowning instantly.  
  
"If you have no delivery to make then you are wasting a trip. Mr. Luthor is not here," he told her, spilling some flour to the floor.  
  
"Not here?" Hudson repeated, her jaw clenching. "When did he leave? Where is he?"  
  
Obviously noting the concern in her tone, Dodd moved away from the counter, walking over to her. "What is it? What is wrong?"  
  
"I think someone is going to hurt him."  
  
He frowned. "People are always trying to hurt him. Do you have proof?"  
  
Growing impatient, Hudson snapped, "Look, are you going to tell me when he left and where he was going or are we going to stand here and play Perry Mason?"  
  
Dodd regarded her silently for a brief moment before nodding. "He left about fifteen minutes ago. There was a call about a problem at the Plant. He was headed there."  
  
"Thanks," Hudson shouted as she broke into a run out the kitchen door.  
  
Once she was away from the Luthor property, she moved into superspeed once more, heading along the roads she knew Lex took on his way to the Plant each day. As she passed Hobb's Pond, Hudson noticed someone out of the corner of her eye and turned back, slowing to a regular run as she saw Michael standing near one of the willow trees, whistling. Taking a deep breath, she moved over to him, stopping when he lifted his head and smiled at her.  
  
"Hudson! I didn't expect to see you here. I was going to call you - "  
  
"I just had an interesting talk with your mother," Hudson told him. "It's over, Michael. Whatever this sick little game of yours is, I know everything now. The poetry, how you tried to hurt Chloe and my parents. "  
  
Michael shrugged. "It doesn't really matter now, anyway. I'll have what I want. You'll see. Want to hear the latest poem I wrote? Well, Mom actually wrote it. I was going to give it to you tonight." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He smiled at Hudson then began to read:  
  
"My world is yours, yours to command,  
  
every color, every mood, all of me.  
  
My breath starts with yours each morning,  
  
ends as sleep steals you from me each night.  
  
I see your pain and curse his name,  
  
yearn to rip and rend his life away.  
  
His eyes are dead, as is his soul,  
  
hidden behind his lies, his cold false heart.  
  
Only I can see the bitter truth,  
  
deserve your smiles, your oh so gentle love.  
  
I know someday you'll see me here,  
  
forever watching, loving, protecting you.  
  
I've made myself worthy of your love,  
  
slain so many dragons in your name.  
  
I'll slay the one named Lex as well,  
  
then claim you as my own, my precious love."  
  
Hudson's eyes widened in panic and she began searching the woods around them. "Lex!" She shouted. "Lex!"  
  
"Oh, please, Hudson. He can't hear you. I've taken care of everything," Michael assured her.  
  
Ignoring the boy, she continued to search the area until her gaze flickered over the pond, only to see a familiar Ferrari sitting on the bottom, motor still running. Dread filled her. If she lost Lex, it would be all her fault for not listening to him.  
  
"Shit!" She started toward the pond only to have Michael jump out in front of her.  
  
"No!" He shouted. "You're mine! I'm saving you from him!"  
  
"You and your mother are both insane," Hudson told him before tossing him out of her way and diving into the water.  
  
Swimming to the driver's door, Hudson reached for the handle to rip it off, then reconsidered and punched her fist through the slightly rolled down window instead. Reaching through, she tore the seat belt from around Lex's still form and lifted him out, moving back up to the surface quickly. Once on the bank, she laid him down gently and began CPR, silently praying to whoever would listen that she made it there in time again.  
  
"Come on, Lex," she whispered as she carefully applied pressure to his chest. "Come on. just do it once more for me. You know the drill. "  
  
Relief washed over her as he began coughing up pond water, gasping for air. She touched his shoulder as his gaze slowly focused on her, almost expectantly.  
  
"You're safe," she told him quietly, as if she were trying to convince herself of that fact.  
  
Lex dropped his head back against the mud of the bank, closing his eyes momentarily before they opened again. "It. it was that Michael kid."  
  
Hudson nodded. "I know." She glanced over toward the willow tree to see where Michael Powell lay unconscious against the trunk. Apparently she had tossed him a little too hard. Looking back at Lex, she asked, "What happened?"  
  
He seemed to ignore the question for the moment, taking a few breaths and struggling to sit up. Hudson reached out to help him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders so that he leaned against her for support.  
  
Lex stared at Michael as he replied, "When I drove around the corner, he was laying in the middle of the road. I stopped and got out to check on him when he sat up and popped me on the head with something." He reached back to touch the spot Michael had apparently hit. "I came to when the cold water touched me. The car was already in the pond by then. I thought I could just hold my breath until the car filled and the pressure equalized, and I could get the door open, but he broke the lock."  
  
Hudson gasped at the image of Lex sitting there, trapped, waiting to drown. Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead against the back of his. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lex. I should have listened. I should have -- "  
  
"I kept telling myself you'd be there. You wouldn't let me drown after saving me once," he continued. His hand found hers and he squeezed a little. "Lucky for me, you made it just in time."  
  
Lifting her head, Hudson met his gaze and found she couldn't think of anything to say in reply. Lex gave her a half smile.  
  
Swallowing, she hugged him a little closer, trying not to think of the fact that she had almost lost him again. That had she been a few minutes longer. It was bad enough that he had warned her about Michael, that Lex had somehow known that something was wrong with the boy and she had ignored him, argued with him, blamed it on jealousy. Hudson couldn't decide if she should be embarrassed over her behavior or sad because Lex really didn't care if she dated, as long as the guy wasn't some psychotic freak.  
  
"That was a new car, too," Lex commented blandly.  
  
Hudson smiled a little, her gaze following his out toward the pond. "You're not going to try to. you know, keep this one? Like last time?"  
  
Lex turned his head just enough to flash her a long-suffering look.  
  
***  
  
"So anyway, Sheriff Ethan said he spoke with the police chief in Edge City and Dana Riley had turned up missing three months before the Powell's moved here. Of course, no one ever considered that they had anything to do with her disappearance because they were such a well-loved family and Michael apparently seemed very distraught at his girlfriend disappearing. But after they heard about Michael and Mrs. Powell's arrest here, they searched their old house and found her body buried in the cellar. Apparently, Mrs. Powell is getting the wrap for that one." Hudson paused to take a drink of her Coke before grabbing the remote on the couch beside her and flipping over to 'Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown'.  
  
"I miss all of the good stories," Chloe bemoaned on the other side of the phone. "This could have been mine - if I hadn't been one of the victims."  
  
"You could still write something, I'm sure. After all, poor Mr. Powell had nothing to do with it." She frowned at the television before grabbing a fistful of popcorn from the bowl in her lap.  
  
"What's happening to him anyway? Is he staying in town?"  
  
"I doubt it. Lex told me that his father requested the man find employment elsewhere. Mrs. Powell is being taken back to Edge City so she can be charged with murder. And, of course, whatever happens with you and my parents and Lex."  
  
Chloe sighed into the phone. "Well, at least I'm not the only one who gets targeted by the freaks." She laughed. "I can't decide which is more pathetic - that we've both had our run-ins with complete wackos in the past few months or that we're both sitting at home on Valentine's Day, stuffing our faces and watching TV?"  
  
"I think I prefer sitting at home to the alternative," Hudson replied. "I've had my share of romantic interludes."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure you'd be saying that exact thing if Lex showed up at your door with flowers in hand."  
  
Hudson smiled wistfully. "Somehow, I don't think I need to worry about that happening, Chloe."  
  
"Meh." She could feel Chloe's shrug through the phone. "Like Motley Crue said, we're too young to fall in love anyway."  
  
"You've been watching too much VH-1 lately," Hudson told her. "I don't think - " She halted her sentence when the phone beeped in her ear. "Hang on. Call waiting. It's probably mom and dad wanting to make certain I'm not throwing another party tonight."  
  
"We're much too pathetic for that," Chloe commented before Hudson switched over to the other line.  
  
"Kent Farm."  
  
"Nothing to do but answer the phone tonight?"  
  
Hudson smiled. "Hi, Lex. I'm talking to Chloe. What's up?"  
  
"Give my best to Miss Sullivan," he told her. "And I was just wondering if you had been out to your loft lately?"  
  
Brow furrowed, Hudson glanced toward the back door and the darkness beyond the window. "Er. no. Why?"  
  
"Nothing very interesting. Maybe you should go back to talking to Miss Sullivan." The phone clicked and nothing was left but a dial tone.  
  
Rising to her feet, Hudson changed the line back to Chloe as she walked into the kitchen, turning on the light. "That was Lex."  
  
"What did he want?"  
  
"I have no idea. Look, I'll call you back. I have to go outside."  
  
"Outside? It's freezing out there. H.C., what are you smoking? And can I have some?"  
  
"Bye, Chloe."  
  
Hanging up the phone to her friend's protests, Hudson grabbed her dad's P- coat from the coat rack beside the phone, slipping it on over her pajamas before stepping outside and closing the door securely behind her. She peered through the darkness to see a light on in the barn that she knew she had turned out earlier that evening when she had finished with her chores. Curiosity stealing over her, Hudson hurried across the yard, hopping over the picket fence and making her way to the barn door. Pulling it open, she stepped inside, glancing at the horses as the mare nickered to her in greeting. After patting the mare on the nose, Hudson moved up the steps to the loft where she came to an abrupt halt at the sight that lay before her, her mouth falling slightly open in shock.  
  
A small round table sat in the middle of the floor, draped in a deep red table cloth, a pretty yellow candle flickering with firelight in the center. Delicate china and silverware adorned the table and two carved oak chairs with cushions that matched the table cloth sat on either side. The delicious scent of prime rib and some kind of fowl filled the air and there was an enormous electric heater in the corner, filling the loft with warmth.  
  
"Happy Valentine's Day, Hudson."  
  
Hudson spun around as Lex moved out from the shadows where he had been hiding to the right of her. He was wearing a deep red shirt that she had never seen before, a striking contrast against his black slacks and one that she wholly approved of. In his hand he held a single rose - yellow with red tips.  
  
"Dodd was a little baffled when I told him that I wanted a meal fit for a King packed and ready to eat in a barn."  
  
She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.  
  
Lex smiled and held the rose out to her.  
  
Taking it, she stared at the tight bud a moment before glancing up to meet his gaze. "Lex, I. "  
  
Again, she couldn't think of the right words to say. Her eyes blurred as she stared captivated at the yellow and red petals. Lex Luthor was standing in her loft, sharing Valentine's Day with her with a rose and a romantic meal and. She had to be dreaming. That was it. She had fallen asleep on the couch in the house and she was dreaming this whole thing. Okay. So if this was a dream, then Lex would move up to her right now and kiss her. Biting the inside of her lip, Hudson waited as the silence stretched between them. Finally, she lifted her eyes to find Lex watching her, smiling slightly.  
  
Not a dream.  
  
Somewhere, she found her voice. "What. what is all of this?"  
  
Tucking his hands into his pockets, he looked over at the table and shrugged. "I've come to a strange realization." He brought his eyes back to hers. "I told you I wasn't jealous, that I didn't care if you went out with high school kids, that I was simply concerned about Michael Powell. Unfortunately, that was utter bullshit."  
  
Hudson stared up at Lex in silence as he stepped closer.  
  
"The truth is, I can't stand the thought of another male - man or boy - touching you, speaking to you, even looking at you." He gave her a small, self-deprecating smile before reaching out to touch her cheek with his fingers. "You may not know this about me, but I don't like to share."  
  
A small laugh escaped her at his comment, which caused his smile to grow. Hudson shook her head, glancing down once more at the rose. "Lex, what are you saying?"  
  
Stepping away from her, Lex moved over to the couch and sat down, eyeing his hands for a moment before looking back over at her. "I'm not certain, Hudson. I meant what I said about not destroying what we have, not destroying you." He frowned. "Then again, I hadn't counted on feeling like this, such. rage at the idea of another man having your attention."  
  
Hudson smiled, slipped off her father's coat and walked over to sit beside him, twirling the rose between her fingers. "I don't think you need to worry about that, Lex. This recent experience was enough to make me go back to playing with Barbie dolls and forget about guys for awhile."  
  
"You really liked him, didn't you?" Lex asked, taking her hand in his.  
  
Shrugging a little, Hudson cast him a quick look. "I don't know if I liked him so much as I liked the attention. It's not something I'm used to." She smiled at Lex. "Well, I mean from other guys. I guess I was. flattered."  
  
Lex nodded but didn't reply.  
  
"That won't happen again, though," she told him resolutely. "Flattery just isn't worth it. I don't need that kind of attention, that's for certain!"  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
Lex regarded her thoughtfully before settling his arm behind her and leaning over, his mouth brushing against hers softly. When she responded, he increased the pressure, slanting his lips across hers, teasing her lower lip with the tip of his tongue. Hudson trembled beneath the kiss, thrilled that it was real and that he wasn't under the influence of some strange pollen (at least she hoped not) and that the rose in her hand was from him and he had been jealous - jealous!! Her hand moved up around his neck, her fingers caressing his warm, smooth skin, tentatively and curiously touching.  
  
When he broke away, she whimpered a little at the loss of contact, opening her eyes to find him smirking at her. She frowned.  
  
"Are you sure you don't need that kind of attention?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, then leaned forward to kiss her forehead before reaching up to rub the crease of her frown away. "And I think you're a little too old for Barbie."  
  
"And too young for anything else." Hudson pouted, slumping back against the couch.  
  
"At the moment." Lex took her hand in his and stood, pulling her with him to her feet. "You get a little older every day, Hudson. The question is, how patient are you? Can you wait?"  
  
She met his gaze and countered, "Can you?"  
  
Lex grinned. "I always get what I want, Hudson. No matter how long it takes." Tucking her hair behind an ear, Lex pressed a kiss against her earlobe and whispered, "And make no mistake, Hudson. I want you."  
  
Hudson's mouth fell open as he moved away from her, walking over to the table and the cart beyond which held the food that Dodd had carefully prepared. Lex began serving it onto the plates as she finally gathered her wits about her, turning around to stare after him. He flashed her a quick, somewhat reserved smile before returning to the food.  
  
He wanted her. Lex Luthor wanted her -- Hudson Clark Kent! She was close to doing cartwheels through the barn, but that wasn't very mature and he might consider her just the perfect age to go back to playing with Barbies if she were to give in to her impulses. Glancing down at her attire, she felt her face redden; she wasn't exactly dressed for a romantic dinner, even if it was in a barn.  
  
Wandering over to the table, she told him, "I should probably go change."  
  
"You look perfect," Lex replied without hesitation, not looking up from his work.  
  
She smiled. "Maybe you hadn't noticed but I'm wearing my pj's."  
  
Replacing the platter of prime rib onto the cart, Lex set her plate in front of her before moving around the table to pull her chair out, indicating that she should sit down. As she did, he bent down and kissed her neck, replying, "If you think I haven't noticed what you're wearing, you really do have a lot to learn about men, angel."  
  
Face burning, Hudson focused on the plate of food in front of her as Lex took his seat, laying her rose beside her fork. There was a slice of perfectly roasted prime rib, breast of duck, new potatoes in butter sauce and crisp asparagus. A basket of fresh baked French bread sat between them and she quickly reached out to grab a slice to occupy her hands.  
  
Glancing at the flower, she commented, "It's a beautiful rose. Thank you, Lex."  
  
"Did you know that all rose colors have significant meanings to them?" Lex asked, handing her the tiny bowl of butter. "Not just red."  
  
She touched the petals a moment then lifted her gaze to his. "What does this one mean?"  
  
Lex just smiled and shook his head. "Did you really think I would make it that easy for you?" At her soft grunt of frustration, he nodded toward her plate. "Eat your food, angel. And try not to worry about it. yet."  
  
Hudson stared at him in silence, smiling curiously when he flashed her a quick wink. 


	10. Vignette 3 Sweet Sixteen

SWEET SIXTEEN  
  
Lex sat in the corner of the Talon, watching silently as the merriment from the presidential victory celebration died down. Only a few students from the high school were left, including Lana, who was busy cleaning up for the night, and Hudson, who had offered to help. In a manner typical of her, Hudson had been extremely gracious in her loss for the bid for class president. Lex doubted that he would have taken it quite so well. He certainly wouldn't have shown up for the celebration or signed the card that the class was forwarding on to Paul while he recuperated from the bee attack in the hospital.  
  
Attacking bees. Yet another story for Chloe's Wall of Weird and probably one more ecological mishap that would be blamed on LuthorCorp.  
  
Taking a sip of his cappuccino, Lex smiled and shook his head as Lana passed by, asking if he wanted one more refill. He'd already had enough caffeine to keep him up through the night - useful since he had a stack of reports to prepare for a meeting with his father in the morning. Inwardly, he winced at the familiar verbal sparring he would be forced to partake in while he was in Metropolis. Ever since turning down his father's offer to return there and work for him, Lex had been the butt of a constant barrage of disparaging remarks and set-downs. Everything he did lately wasn't good enough, should have been done differently, more quickly, less hastily. He could only imagine what his father's next plan of attack would be.  
  
"I thought you left for home a while ago."  
  
Lex glanced up to see Hudson smiling down at him. "I was waiting to see if you wanted a ride."  
  
"I'm sorry," she apologized as she slid into the seat beside him. "I didn't even know you were here - hiding in the corner and all."  
  
"I chose not to partake in the festivities," he replied with a smile. "I prefer to be the silent observer."  
  
"And what did you observe?"  
  
"That you tend to hide in the shadows quite a bit as well."  
  
Hudson shrugged, brushing her fingers through her thick, dark hair. "It's a habit, I guess. Even after getting acquainted with so many students during the past few weeks of the campaign, I still don't feel completely comfortable around them. Especially in large groups. It makes me feel. conspicuous."  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow as he reached over to set a strand of hair back against her head that had been mussed by her fingers. "I don't think hiding works very well for you, angel," he commented. "You're much too striking for that. People notice you, no matter how much you try to hide."  
  
She frowned and kicked at the leg of the table before glancing up at him. "So why does it work for you? I mean, you're like the most vibrant person I have ever met. When you walk into a room, people know you're there. But tonight. It was like you disappeared."  
  
"Years of practice." Lex finished off his cappuccino in a quick swallow and nodded toward the edge of the booth, indicating that they should leave.  
  
As they stood, he placed a hand at the small of her back and guided her toward the door. "I spent most of my childhood learning how to hide, to not be noticed when I didn't want to be. It wasn't easy. Between staff and nannies and my father's business associates in and out of the house, my mother's charity committees. " He shook his head. "I learned what worked and what didn't."  
  
"Does that include hiding out during New Year's parties?"  
  
Lex smiled. "Christmas parties, too."  
  
Lana waved to the as they neared the door. "Bye! See you tomorrow, Hudson. One o'clock, right?"  
  
Hudson nodded and waved with a smile. "One o'clock."  
  
As they stepped outside, Lex helped Hudson shrug into her coat, frowning slightly. "What's tomorrow at one?"  
  
The shocked and somewhat pained expression on her face should have alerted him instantly. But Lex's thoughts had been so consumed with the meeting tomorrow that he couldn't figure clearly why she appeared so displeased.  
  
"Lex. " She seemed uncertain of what to say for a moment before finally replying, "It's my birthday."  
  
Fuck.  
  
"Shit." Lex ran a hand over his scalp, turning to glance out into the street and away from the hurt in her gaze. Damn his father all to Hell! With everything that had been going on the past few weeks, he had completely forgotten about her birthday celebration. Turning back to Hudson, he held out a hand in supplication. "Angel. I don't know what to say. My father is demanding I be in Metropolis tomorrow for a meeting with some of our distributors."  
  
Hudson didn't reply, just stared after him, her expression neither accusing nor accepting. Lex wondered if she was learning that from him.  
  
He shook his head, mentally kicking himself and cursing his father. "Ever since I refused to return to Metropolis, he has been completely on my ass. First Dominic shows up for a surprise accounting visit and now he calls out of the blue with these ridiculous meetings. "  
  
"Its okay, Lex," she told him quietly, tucking her hands into the pockets of her coat and dropping her eyes to the pavement. "You're a busy man. I mean, it's just a birthday party. You have more important things to attend to."  
  
Now he really did feel like shit. Stepping closer to her, Lex cupped her chin in his hand and lifted her gaze up to his. "I want you to understand something. Nothing - I repeat, nothing is more important to me than you. Do you hear me?"  
  
She nodded a little but told him, "It's not like it's my actual birthday anyway. It's just some date my parents chose after they received the final adoption papers."  
  
"That doesn't make it any less important," he insisted, caressing her jaw line lightly with the pad of his thumb.  
  
He kept from pointing out that it was also her 'sweet sixteenth', which would open the door to questions and hopes that he wasn't prepared to deal with. On Valentine's Day he had taken a step that he probably shouldn't have made, a silent declaration that -- while Hudson hadn't held him to it -- it was still something he should have kept to himself. Sixteen or not, legal or not, Hudson Kent deserved better than him.  
  
"Look, I can't get out of the meeting but I can see what I can do about cutting it short. I'll try to make it back to Smallville in time for at least some of your party."  
  
"You don't have to - "  
  
"Stop it, Hudson," Lex warned, his grip tightening against her chin slightly in frustration. "I said I'm going to try to make it. Stop playing the martyr, all right?"  
  
Hudson shifted uncomfortably beneath his stern gaze, obviously perturbed at being reprimanded. Lex didn't like treating her like a child - even if she was one - but sometimes she behaved that way, especially with him. She had a tendency to be a spoiled brat, like any teenager does, though Lex knew he had set the bar for such behavior during his own teen years. His father would probably say that he was still attempting to do so.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry, angel," he told her, letting go of her chin to trail his fingers back across her cheek. She had the softest skin of anyone he had ever met, and it was always so warm. It was made to be touched and caressed. He often wondered what the skin over her abdomen felt like or the forbidden, untouched area of her inner thighs. How warm would she be? Hudson was living, breathing temptation and Lex thoroughly believed that she had been placed on this earth just to test him.  
  
If he didn't know any better, he would swear his father had created her for just such a purpose.  
  
"We should get you home." Dropping his hand, Lex walked toward the driver's side of his Porsche, hating that she was being so silent, that he seemed to have knocked the enthusiasm she had been showing from the party out of her. He had a strange talent at destroying other people's happiness. Obviously a trait he had picked up from his father.  
  
Once they were inside the car, he started the engine and pulled out, heading down Main Street toward the west side of town where the Kent farm was located. Beside him, Hudson continued to remain silent and Lex fought back the anger at the guilt her obvious upset was creating within him. That he felt guilt over not attending the birthday of a sixteen year old girl was what angered him most. Since when had a teenage girl become so important to him? What did it matter if he didn't have cake and ice cream with the children of Smallville? After all, a birthday at the Kents most likely consisted of rousing rounds of 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey', absurd paper hats and a very bad rendition of a very bad birthday song.  
  
"Do you want me to save you a piece of cake?" Hudson asked softly as Lex turned the car onto Hickory Lane.  
  
"Yes." So much for his hardcore resolution that it didn't matter. "I'd like that." He glanced over at her and smiled. "Vanilla with strawberry filling?"  
  
"And cream cheese frosting," she replied, returning his smile. "At least this will save you from the embarrassment of participating in the birthday festivities."  
  
"It wouldn't be embarrassing, Angel." Liar.  
  
"Liar."  
  
Lex turned his gaze back out the windshield and grinned as he pulled up alongside the farmhouse. Putting the Porsche in park, he slid his arm over the back of the passenger seat and focused his gaze on Hudson. "I'll be by sometime tomorrow, I promise."  
  
"I know." She shifted in her seat a little before meeting his gaze. "Thanks for the ride home, Lex. And good luck tomorrow."  
  
He didn't believe in luck. But he didn't want to negate her offer of hope. Leaning in, he kissed her cheek. "See you tomorrow, Angel."  
  
***  
  
Lex couldn't remember the last time he had been so angry. After over ten hours of meetings, he realized his presence in Metropolis had not actually been needed. Either his father had him there just to annoy the hell out of him or to show him how little power he held within LuthorCorp. Whichever it was, Lex felt more than slightly humiliated as they exited out of the last meeting of the board, where his father had taken every chance to humiliate and degrade him in front of the board members.  
  
"Lex, I don't understand what the hurry is," Lionel drawled as they exited the boardroom toward the main bank of elevators from the executive floor. "Why don't we grab a late dinner together? You can update me on the progress of the plant in Smallville."  
  
"From everything I heard this afternoon, Dad, you don't need a progress report," Lex replied, hitting the call button beside the elevators. "You make it up as you go. Right now, the Plant is doing well because you decided it needed to look good for the board."  
  
"Your grand delusion that everything in this world revolves around you is quite amusing, Son." Lionel smiled, reaching in to stop the elevator as it arrived. "Dinner, Lex. You can spare a few minutes for your father."  
  
"Sorry, Dad." Lex pushed past Lionel into the elevator and released the stop button before lighting up the ground floor. "I promised to meet up with someone in Smallville and I'm already late."  
  
"I see." Lionel entered the elevator, choosing the seventieth floor where his main office was located. He leaned back against the wall and regarded his son. "This someone wouldn't happen to be an underage high school girl with the last name of Kent, would it?" His eyes widened a moment. "Oh, that's right. Today is her sixteenth birthday, isn't it?"  
  
Lex pretended that he wasn't surprised by his father's knowledge of this information. He was also pleased that he continued to affect a perfectly bored expression with the conversation. He even managed to roll his eyes. "You have a point, Dad?" He pushed the ground floor button impatiently while his father looked on in amusement.  
  
"Only that I am surprised you insist on continuing with this foolishness after our conversation a few months ago. I expected better out of you, Lex."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint," he replied sarcastically.  
  
The elevator stopped at the seventieth floor and Lionel moved toward the doors, halting as he stood between them and leaning against the opening, so that they couldn't close. He flashed a smile at Lex. "You had me worried with Victoria, until you proved agreeable to my plans for the takeover. Unfortunately, I can't see anything that you could possibly gain from this ridiculous pursuit of a child, aside from the attempt to get my attention or force the LuthorCorp stock to take a hit."  
  
"Your shareholders aren't going to give a rat's ass whom I happen to be friends with," Lex snapped, flashing a pointed look from his father to the control panel. Hadn't the man tortured him enough for the day? "If you don't have anything more constructive to lecture me with today, would you mind stepping away from the doors? I have a long drive ahead of me."  
  
Lionel regarded Lex for a long moment before leaning in to invade his personal space. "Know this, Son: I will not allow you to jeopardize your future. I will take whatever steps necessary to ensure that. Even if that includes ruining Miss Kent's future. I'm sure her parents would like to see her get into college, and even graduate high school." He allowed the threat to hang between them for a moment before continuing, "Do we understand each other?"  
  
Lex glared at his father angrily. Even though he didn't believe he would actually go to such lengths just to prove a point, it angered him that his father would make such a threat against Hudson at all. Making a mental note to keep close tabs on Hudson's grades and her choices for college just so that he could remain one step ahead of his father, Lex gave a slight push to Lionel, removing him from the opening of the elevator.  
  
"If you don't mind, Dad, I have an appointment to keep."  
  
By the time he reached the garage, Lex was developing a headache. He reached into his coat pocket for some pain killers, tossing two back into his throat before climbing into the Ferrari and heading out of Metropolis. He was within a few miles of the interstate when he realized he hadn't even purchased a gift for Hudson yet. What could he get her? Her parents would reject just about any item he purchased, telling her to return it to him the next day. He doubted they would even allow him to buy her a pack of gum let along something meaningful. It had hurt to realize she wouldn't even wear the phantom's mask pendant he had purchased her for Christmas because she was afraid of her father seeing it. Hudson told him she kept it in her locker at school, her tone indicating that it meant something to her there, that it held some distinction being hidden away in there. Lex would have preferred to see it around her neck, not so much as a vindication that he had purchased and given it to her, but because she wanted to wear it, because something he had chosen would be around her neck, in a place of possession.  
  
Sighing slightly in frustration, Lex reached up to work a knot out of the back of his neck as he silently came to the conclusion that he would never be good enough for the Kents, just as he would never be good enough for his father. Even if Hudson believed him worthy, he knew deep inside that he wasn't. Not worthy of her. He never would be.  
  
As he neared the onramp to I-70, a sign attached to a lamppost caught his eye and Lex pondered the idea for a moment. He doubted even the Kents could have the heart to turn down that kind of gift. Making a quick U- turn, Lex headed in the direction indicated on the sign, hoping that this once he was making the right decision.  
  
***  
  
Hudson glanced down at her watch. Eleven twenty-six. Half an hour ago, when her mother brought her another bowl of strawberry ice cream, she asked her if she planned on waiting all night. Hudson hadn't bothered to tell her that waiting all night would have been pointless - Lex was supposed to be there before her birthday was over. And he only had thirty-four minutes left. Not that she would be angry with him or upset if he didn't show up; she understood that it was silly and childish of her to want her birthday (which wasn't really her birthday in the first place) to matter to Lex. But deep in her heart, the wish was still there. On Valentine's Day, he admitted that he had feelings for her. Then, for the next two months, very little between them had changed. So little in fact, that Hudson began to wonder if she simply made it all up in her mind.  
  
Lex had presented her with a single yellow rose with red tips, pointing out that roses had specific meanings for each color. The first thing she did that night before going to bed was look up the information on the internet. Her parents were home from their dinner date by then and she was forced to stifle the scream of pure joy when she read that one of the meanings of the specific rose from Lex was 'falling in love'. Of course, the first meaning of the rose was listed as 'friendship'. She'd chosen to ignore that one.  
  
Now she wondered if maybe she hadn't jumped the gun. True, Lex had been very busy the past few months at the plant. Production was up and he seemed more determined than ever to prove to his father how capable he was. They still shared their Sunday afternoons together, and seemed closer than ever before, and sometimes Lex kissed her, and sometimes he wouldn't even touch her. It left Hudson confused and hurt and occasionally angry but she never took it out on him. The truth was, she didn't know what she wanted. As much as she was certain she loved Lex, believed in her heart that they belonged together, Hudson was also fully aware of the problems that could occur. It would especially be difficult for Lex, who was already still crawling his way up in the estimation of Smallville's citizens. If he began dating one of their own - let alone one that happened to still be in high school - it was more than likely that the small amount of progress he'd made would be immediately stripped away.  
  
And then there were her parents. Hudson was completely uncertain as to how she would approach the situation with them. Certainly, her mother would take it better than her father would, and maybe she could try to smooth the path for them, but Hudson doubted it. In reality, she didn't think there was very much that would convince her father that Lex would be anything other than harmful to Hudson.  
  
Eleven thirty-seven. Hudson sighed and stood to gather the dishes she had sitting around the loft, including three empty ice cream bowls, two half finished glasses of punch and a piece of stale birthday cake. She was about to turn off the light when the familiar roar of a European sports car. Almost dropping the plates in her excitement, Hudson finally found a spot to place everything in her hands onto the desk, then turned and moved toward the stairs as she heard Lex enter the barn.  
  
He came to a halt a few steps beneath her and met her smile with a small one of his own. "I'm sorry I'm late."  
  
Hudson quickly shook her head and assured him, "It doesn't matter. You made it with twenty minutes to spare."  
  
Lex continued with his half smile before climbing the last few steps to stand beside her. "I wanted to be here sooner. " He trailed off, as if uncertain as to how to continue. Glancing around the barn for a moment, he met her gaze once more and told her, "I have a gift for you."  
  
"You didn't have to - "  
  
"He made a mess in my car," Lex commented as he pulled his hand out from under his coat where Hudson hadn't noticed that it had been hiding. "Happy Birthday."  
  
Tucked in his arm was a fat and fluffy puppy with paws almost as big as Hudson's hands. He squirmed impatiently in Lex's grip, whimpering as he struggled to get down. He was mostly black with a few tan patches over his paws, forehead and nose. He barked once, his tail wagging wildly as Hudson's eyes lit up with joy.  
  
"Oh, Lex! He's the cutest thing ever!" Reaching out, she scooped him from Lex's arm and held the puppy close as he began lapping at her face with his tongue, causing her to laugh. "Thank you so much!"  
  
Lex watched them both silently for a moment before he allowed a smile. "I don't know about that. He's a mutt. No idea what breeds either of his parents were except that they were big. and he's already well on his way to being bigger. He needs to learn not to use Ferraris for a restroom as well."  
  
"He's just a baby," Hudson defended, holding the puppy up in front of her and making kissy faces at him as he licked the tip of her nose. "He doesn't know any better, do you sweetie?" She turned her gaze back to Lex and then launched herself at him, hugging him tightly, the puppy squished between them. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I've always wanted a puppy!"  
  
Lex struggled out of her grasp as the puppy switched from licking her chin to his. "Yes. Well, just don't take him on any road trips," he cautioned as he moved past her over to the couch to sit down. He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at his face with a disgusted expression while Hudson watched in amusement. "What else did you get for your birthday?"  
  
Carrying the puppy with her over to the front of the couch, Hudson sat down on the floor in front of Lex, setting her new pet into her lap. "Ummm, let's see. I got a carousel horse music box from Lana, a hardback book on the supernatural from Chloe and a Shark's football jersey from Pete."  
  
"That's quite an array of gifts." Lex smiled, glancing down as the puppy began tugging on Hudson's shoelace. "What did your parents give you?"  
  
She glanced up as she tugged the shoelace away from the puppy and he went sprawling onto his furry butt. "Money so I can go shopping for summer clothes."  
  
Raising an eyebrow as he stuffed the handkerchief back into his coat, Lex commented, "That seems atypical of you, Hudson."  
  
Shrugging, she grabbed the puppy's tail and tugged on it until he became interested in it enough to being chasing it, running around in circles, barking at it until he toppled over once more. "I guess I have finally found a reason to want to catch up on the latest fashions and look my best." Hudson glanced up at him.  
  
"You know I think you're perfect the way you are, angel," Lex told, holding her gaze as he leaned back against the couch.  
  
"Who said I was talking about you?" She grinned before returning her attention to the puppy.  
  
Lex nudged her thigh with the toe of his shoe. "I think you know better than to stir my jealousy. It's been known to be quite volatile."  
  
Hudson picked up the puppy under his front legs and held him up before her. "Listen to big, bad Lex Luthor, trying to act all tough!" She commented to her new pet in a mocking voice. "We'd better be careful - or he might buy us out!" Looking up at Lex with an expression of sudden inspiration, she added, "You know in elementary school how kids always go around telling each other things like 'If you kick me again, my dad will sue you!' or 'If you take my Barbie again, my dad will sue you!'. I bet when you said it, your dad really did!"  
  
"You're a real comedian." Lex rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should stick to farming."  
  
It wasn't like her to just burst out with the first comment that crossed her mind but the next thing Hudson said was, "Why? So you can visit the 'Farmer's Market'?" The implications of her comment hit her as the words were out and she felt her face instantly flame red.  
  
A slow grin spread across Lex's face. "Hudson Clark Kent. I can't believe you just said that."  
  
"I can't believe I did either," she mumbled, dropping her gaze back to the puppy.  
  
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them during which Hudson just knew Lex was still grinning at her, challenging her to meet his eyes but she just couldn't do it. Her face still felt hot - hell, her ears felt hot, too. She knew she had to be an embarrassing shade of color. Making sexual jokes with Chloe was one thing. Making them in front of Lex. well, she hadn't quite reached that level of comfort with him just yet.  
  
"So. ummm. I saved you a piece of cake," she told him as the puppy scrambled into her lap to begin licking her again.  
  
"No thanks, Angel." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him climb to his feet. "I need to get home and send out some emails tonight."  
  
At the thought of him leaving already, all embarrassment fled and Hudson jumped up, gathering the puppy into her arms. "You have to leave?"  
  
Lex gave her an apologetic smile. "Yeah. But why don't I take you to lunch tomorrow? Kind of a make-up for missing your birthday. You like Rangers, right?"  
  
Hudson's excitement at spending the afternoon with Lex quickly faded. "I can't. I promised Dad I'd go to Hays with him tomorrow to look over a new tractor."  
  
Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Lex asked, "Planning for the future of the farm?"  
  
"No. He won't buy it," Hudson replied with a shake of her head. "He just likes to look and dream."  
  
"Well, some other time then." Lex leaned past the puppy and kissed her cheek. "Happy birthday, Angel."  
  
"Thanks, Lex."  
  
The puppy barked as Lex walked past them toward the stairs.  
  
"Guess what I'm going to name him?" Hudson called out as Lex moved down the steps.  
  
"If you say 'Lex', I'm taking him back to where he came from," he replied with a smirk, continuing towards the door.  
  
"Nah. Lex is too stuffy." She laughed as she leaned over the edge of the railing and looked down at him. "I think 'AJ' fits perfectly."  
  
Lex stopped at the door to look up at her. "You're killing me, Hudson."  
  
She smiled. "Maybe. But aren't you having fun?"  
  
Heaving a great sigh, Lex flashed her a quick look of exasperation before disappearing out the barn door. Cuddling AJ tightly, Hudson glanced down at the puppy as he looked up at her, wagging his tail in happiness. 


	11. My First Taste: Ephemeral

MY FIRST TASTE  
EPISODE EIGHT  
  
"Ephemeral"  
  
With each word your tenderness grows Tearin' my fear apart And that laugh. wrinkles your nose Touches my foolish heart ~  
  
Their lives were changing, and even with all of her abilities, there was nothing Hudson could do to stop it.  
  
She gazed through the rain at the silent crowd of mourners that gathered around Dan Fordman's grave. Her eyes met Whitney's red-rimmed ones, and she found she couldn't even offer him a sympathetic smile. Nothing. She looked away first, uncertain of how one is supposed to behave to someone who just lost a parent far too soon in life. Hudson couldn't imagine losing either of hers - she didn't even want to contemplate it.  
  
The death of Whitney's father had hit Jonathan Kent hard. They'd been friends since early childhood, playing on the football team together through junior high and high school, attending one another's weddings, watching their own children grow up in the same small town they did. He'd been so silent the past few days, looking through old photo albums and, when he did speak, it was only to say how short life was and he would gaze at Hudson with an expression she couldn't begin to identify. Regret? Fear? She hadn't bothered asking her mother about it, since Martha seemed as affected by Dan's death as her husband was. With no one to help her understand, Hudson had simply withdrawn into her own silent musings, wondering if life would ever return to normal.  
  
With that thought, Hudson's gaze drifted over to Lana, who was standing solemnly beside her boyfriend, eyes free of tears though her own pain was evident. In the past week, it seemed like the weight of the world had settled over the girl's shoulders. Last weekend, she had confessed to Hudson that she was considering breaking up with Whitney - they seemed to have drifted apart over the past few months, and now that his student loans were approved for college, he would be leaving for Manhattan in the Fall to attend K-State. Long distant relationships were difficult, especially when there wasn't much holding them together in the first place. His father's health had improved, Whitney seemed happier and Lana just believed it would be a good time to explain her feelings to him and end it.  
  
Then, just as she built up the strength to talk to him, Whitney came to her with the news that his father had passed away. Lana called Hudson that night in tears, torn between wanting her own happiness and wanting to be there for Whitney. They had been so close, meant so much to each other. Even if she didn't feel what she once did for him, she couldn't abandon him now when he needed her most.  
  
Hudson hadn't known what to say. She could understand Lana's wish not to hurt Whitney further but she couldn't live her life for him. She had commented that if Lana felt it wasn't right, why should she continue to put herself through the stress of pretending everything was perfect? Her friend had just cried harder into the phone and Hudson remained silent after that, knowing she likely wouldn't say the right thing in this situation, no matter what she said. She'd never had a boyfriend, so she couldn't exactly place herself in Lana's shoes. But if this were her and Lex. well, that didn't fit either. She couldn't imagine herself ever not wanting to be a part of his life.  
  
Not that such a thing was ever going to happen. As much as Hudson led herself to believe that Lex did want her in the same way, that he did care for her - especially after the rose he had gifted her with on Valentine's - she finally had come to the realization that it was only wishful thinking. In fact, if anything, Lex seemed to be pulling away from her more and more each passing week. She'd hardly seen him since her birthday, when he'd given her the adorable puppy she named AJ. While Hudson told herself he was busy with the Plant and his father's increasing demands, her heart feared that work had nothing to do with it. A conversation with Dodd the week before had only cemented that fear deeper into her mind.  
  
She had stopped by to ask Lex about possibly securing some tickets to the journalism conference for her and Chloe, only to find out that he wasn't home. Dodd was sitting at the kitchen table, peeling potatoes and drinking tea. He invited Hudson to sit down for a while, then proceeded to tell her everything that was going on at the mansion. Sometimes, Hudson believed Dodd had to be the biggest gossip in town - worse than Maggie Saunders, at least when it came to goings-on within the Luthor household. Apparently, Lex's nanny from his childhood had resurfaced and, if Hudson understood correctly, her appearance wasn't necessarily a good thing. Dodd didn't go into too many details, but she got the general idea that this Pamela Jenkins had been very important to Lex when he was a child before the cook quickly proceeded to curse out Lionel Luthor in what sounded like Russian. Hudson figured that if she continued to hang out with Lex's cook, eventually she would be able to cuss all she wanted to at home and her parents would never know what she was saying.  
  
Whatever the full story was, it seemed that Lex had cared about Pamela, and Lionel had something to do with her leaving. What Hudson wanted was for Lex to explain it all to her, to share with her like they had in the past - although, admittedly, he had never really gone out of his way to share his memories with her, not without quite a bit of pressure on her part.  
  
The day after talking to Dodd, Lex stopped by the farm. Hudson was curled up on the couch, reading through 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus'. Lana had suggested that she might be able to find something helpful in it regarding Lex's behavior. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have the answers she was looking for. Men might have been from Mars but Lex wasn't your typical male. She figured he was more than likely from Saturn or something. And, of course, it didn't say anything about the behavior patterns of a female alien from.. Well, wherever she happened to be from.  
  
She looked up as the floorboards creaked under Lex's step. Setting the book beside her thigh on the couch, she flashed him a smile. "Hey, Lex. What are you doing here so late?"  
  
"I came to talk to your parents about the settlement," he replied, moving the flaps of his coat out of the way as he took the seat beside her. "We were talking when there was a phone call so I thought I would come out and say hi. What are you reading?"  
  
Hudson didn't immediately answer, reflecting on the fact that he had really stopped by to see her parents and not her. What had happened? Had she done something to push him away? Or maybe he was simply changing his mind about her. Maybe her sixteenth birthday had really hit her age home with him.  
  
When she didn't say anything, Lex reached out and picked up the book, glancing over it. "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus?" He flashed a look of amusement at her. "Don't tell me this is a class assignment."  
  
"Lana suggested it," Hudson told him quickly. "Since I've never had a boyfriend or anything, I thought I could try to learn something. you know, since I'm older now."  
  
Lex still appeared amused. "I seriously doubt you'll find anything helpful in here. Anything specific on your mind?"  
  
Hudson was extremely uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. Shifting a little to tuck a leg beneath her, she told him, "I don't know. Just. do guys fall in love the way girls do? Do they feel the same kind of things? And if not, why bother? Wouldn't men and women be happier without love if it's such a hassle? Wouldn't it be safer to just. stay friends and use sperm clinics?"  
  
Laughing a little, Lex shook his head. "Hudson, love isn't about playing it safe. It's about risks. Unless you're willing to put yourself out there, you'll never know. I doubt that book is going to teach you anything helpful. It takes experience."  
  
"Have you ever been in love before?" She asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer but curious all the same.  
  
"I've only loved two women in my life," Lex told her with a small smile. He nodded a little. "One died and the other betrayed me."  
  
Who was he referring to? She wondered. Was the one who died his mother? Or could it have been that Amanda girl who killed herself? And the one who betrayed him? Surely he couldn't mean Victoria! Hudson was confused.  
  
Unable to think of anything else to say, she finally replied, "I'm sorry."  
  
Lex shrugged. "Some people are meant to be alone."  
  
And that response had hurt the most. It couldn't have been anything other than a specific message he was trying to send her.  
  
The conversation ended when Hudson's mom had arrived to tell her that Principle Kwan had been killed. The first tragedy of the week. Everything had gone down hill from there.  
  
Hudson was pulled from her musings when she felt her father's hand against her back. Looking up, she offered him a small smile which he returned while shuffling a little closer to both her and her mother, sheltering them all under the big, black umbrella he held. He looked so tired, older than his forty-two years. She made a mental note to take care of all of the chores in the morning before he woke up. It wasn't much, but maybe her father could try to rest a little for the day. Sighing softly, Hudson shifted her feet in the wet grass, uncomfortable as water seeped in through the tiny hole in the bottom of her shoe. She glanced to her right to find Chloe watching her, and they smiled at one another briefly.  
  
Did friendships simply become more difficult as people grew older?  
  
When Hudson had first met Chloe, their friendship formed from a natural curiosity about one another, followed by a sharing of interests - movies, books, television, boys. They could spend hours on the phone or sitting up late at night during sleepovers, talking about everything and nothing. There was never any cause for petty jealousy or arguments between them. Perhaps they were too different from one another for such things to occur.  
  
In the past few months though, they argued quite a bit. Hudson was at a loss to explain what changed, but she was beginning to wonder if it wasn't all her fault. Their recent fight - their worst yet - began with Chloe accusing her of spending too much time with Lex and Lana. That she had tossed aside her oldest and best friends for new ones, new ones that Chloe implied wouldn't stick around for her. While Hudson understood Chloe's anger (it was her fault that she forgot to sign up for the tickets to the journalism conference) she definitely disagreed that Chloe had any right to blame it on Lex and Lana. She'd been spending time with them, true, but that didn't mean she was going to forget all about Pete and Chloe. It simply made time more limited. And apparently, she was very, very bad at managing her time correctly.  
  
Hudson still blamed herself for everything that happened with Justin attacking Chloe. If she hadn't given Chloe reason to be angry with her, to go off and attach herself to the first boy who blinked at her in order to get back at Hudson for spending so much time with Lex, then Chloe would have been safe. Instead, her friend had almost been killed. Realistically, there was nothing that could be done to fix the situation from Hudson's standpoint. She wasn't going to give up on Lex or Lana - Chloe and Pete were just going to have to adjust to the fact that she had other friends now. What she didn't understand was why they couldn't all get along? Okay, so maybe Lex was a little outside the circle but that didn't mean they had to completely ignore him. No matter their individual opinions might be.  
  
As the priest finished with his last prayer, Jonathan touched Hudson's shoulder to indicate that it was time to go. Nodding a little, she glanced once more towards Lana and their eyes met. Lana stared at her for a long moment before smiling a little then turned and followed Whitney and his mother towards the limousine.  
  
Moving to fall in step behind her parents, Hudson ignored her father's soft comment that she needed to join them under the umbrella - she was getting wet. What did it matter? She wondered. The rain wouldn't hurt her. So far, the only thing that seemed capable of hurting her didn't even come from this planet.  
  
Well, at least when it came to hurting her physically. She was learning fairly quickly that there were quite a few people out there capable of hurting her emotionally. Quite deeply, as a matter of fact.  
  
"Hudson?"  
  
At the familiar voice, Hudson stopped and looked to her left to see Lex standing at the edge of the cemetery, hands shoved into the pockets of his black coat, looking as miserable as she felt. What was he doing here?  
  
"H.C."  
  
She turned at her father's voice to see that he and her mother had stopped and were waiting for her. The familiar glance of disapproval from her father was cast in Lex's direction and Hudson's frustration mounted. Why did they have to do this to her? If Lex had come all the way to the cemetery to look for her, then he obviously needed to speak to her. Didn't they understand that?  
  
"I'll be home later," she called out, ignoring the frown from her father as she turned and headed towards the cemetery exit.  
  
Rarely did she outright defy her parents, but the past two weeks had been horrible - positively horrible - and she just needed to get away for a while, to immerse herself in the one person who she thought understood, just a little.  
  
"Lex," she greeted as she approached, speaking a little more loudly than usual to be heard above the rain, which was beginning to fall harder. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Like her, Lex was without an umbrella. The rain fell over his bare scalp, running down his neck into the collar of his dress shirt, soaking it. He didn't seem to notice though, reaching out as Hudson neared him to sweep some of the water from her brow.  
  
"I. wanted to see you," he told her. He looked back out towards the cemetery where her mother and father had hesitated only a moment longer before continuing on. "Do you need to go home?"  
  
"No." She shook her head, blinking as water fell into her eyes.  
  
Lex nodded his head toward the Jaguar that was parked a few feet away, engine running, wipers moving back and forth across the windshield. "Come on. Let's get out of the rain."  
  
Hudson hurried over to the passenger side, climbing in and shutting the door gently behind her, letting out a breath of relief at the warmth inside the car. She looked over at Lex as he slid in beside her, leaning back in his seat, making no move to take the car out of park.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear about Whitney's father. I didn't know Mr. Fordman very well but he seemed like a good man who loved his family very much."  
  
"Yeah. Dad said he was one of the better citizens in Smallville," Hudson replied quietly. She brushed some wet strands of hair off her face and gave Lex a soft smile when she caught him looking over at her. "He'll be missed."  
  
Lex nodded, turning his gaze out the windshield. "I haven't talked with you in a while, Hudson. I mean, really talked." He looked back over at her. "I'm sorry. It's just. " He trailed off and shook his head a little, as if uncertain how to finish the sentence.  
  
"I've missed you," she admitted. "But I figured you've been busy."  
  
"Would you believe hiding?" He glanced back over at her and flashed a sad smile.  
  
"Hiding? I don't understand."  
  
"Sometimes, when you don't want to face the world, to face the mistakes you've made and the people you've hurt and the uncertainty of tomorrow. it's just easier to hide."  
  
Concern filling her, Hudson reached out and laid her hand over Lex's gloved one. "Lex, what is it? What's wrong?"  
  
Silence filled the car and Hudson wondered if maybe he didn't plan on telling her when he finally replied, "I've recently lost someone, too."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Pamela Jenkins." He glanced down at their hands and his thumb moved up to caress the underside of her palm. "She was my nanny. And my last link to my mother. "  
  
Attempting to hide her confusion at the death of a woman who had just reappeared in his life, Hudson squeezed the hand beneath hers and leaned over to lay her head against the wet shoulder of his coat. "I'm sorry, Lex. I'm so sorry."  
  
"I said some things to her. " He didn't complete the sentence.  
  
Remaining silent, Hudson continued holding his hand, staring at the wipers as they scraped the rain from of the window. Moments later, she felt Lex's head lean against her own and his shoulders moved beneath her cheek in a sigh. The comfortable silence continued between them, only the soft hum of the engine and the whirr of the wipers as they worked, breaking it.  
  
Finally, Lex shifted a little beneath Hudson's cheek. "Can you come back to the mansion?"  
  
"Yes." She lifted her head and met his eyes as he gazed at her. "I'll call Mom when we get there to tell her where I am so she doesn't worry."  
  
Lex tried to smile but it didn't work. Instead, he nodded a little as Hudson shifted back fully into her seat, and he took the car out of park and headed out of the cemetery parking lot.  
  
***  
  
When they arrived at the mansion, they first stopped by the kitchen where Lex asked Dodd to prepare something for Hudson to eat. She inquired if he would be joining her, but Lex commented he wasn't in the mood for food. She'd given him an expression that clearly asked if he was insane and how could one ever not be in the mood to eat. Offering nothing in the way of explanation, Lex simply looked on in silence as Dodd proclaimed to Hudson that he believed he had just the meal for her - then ended up serving a fat bacon cheeseburger with all the trimmings. It actually appeared big enough to feed a small army, but Hudson finished the whole thing, along with a root beer float. As they left the kitchen for the study, the cook handed her another float to take with her. She appeared more than pleased.  
  
A few minutes after they settled into the study, Hudson began plying him with questions about Pamela and growing up with her as his nanny. At first, Lex had balked at replying but gradually he warmed to it, finding comfort in the memories of her, and the ability to be able to share with someone. Especially without the need to repress those times that meant the most to him.  
  
"Did she ever go on Space Mountain again?"  
  
Lex smiled and shook his head. "No. Pamela decided to spend her days by the pool while mom and I enjoyed the rest of Disney."  
  
Hudson chuckled and returned to her root beer float while Lex watched her, his smile slowly fading as his thoughts returned to his first and only trip to Disney World. With the three of them out of his father's reach, they were all free to relax and have the time of their lives. It was the summer before the meteor shower, and Lex knew it was the last truly happy time of his life.  
  
Taking another sip of his brandy, his gaze drifted back to Hudson, where she sat across from him, on the floor, leaning back against the leather chair. He watched silently as she licked vanilla ice cream from her spoon then shoved it back into the glass, swirling the vanilla and root beer together to create a horribly disgusting looking mixture. She seemed to enjoy it though, so Lex didn't comment on it. She'd already successfully spilled a drop on the front of her black blouse, which Lex figured was probably her mother's anyway because it was a little too mature for her appearance. Like a little girl playing dress up - something wasn't right. The black skirt fell to her mid-calf, properly understated and respectful for the day's occasion. She'd slipped her shoes and stockings off shortly after entering the study and Lex stared at her feet as her toes wiggled against the floor.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
Snapping from his reverie, he glanced up to find Hudson watching him, the now-empty glass discarded beside her. Her expression was troubled, her lower lip sticking out thoughtfully. "What is it, Angel?"  
  
"Why. " She sighed, dropping her eyes to the floor, a furrow appearing between her eyes. Finally, she asked, "Why didn't you tell me about Pamela before? Why now?"  
  
He worked his jaw for a moment while he considered her question. His eyes focused on the brandy in the bottom of his glass and he shook the glass slightly, watching as the amber liquid swirled around the edges. "I. was ashamed, I guess. For years I've believed that I meant nothing to her, that she only cared about the money and the power she could earn while looking after the Luthor brat." Lex smiled sadly. "I suppose a part of me didn't want you to know that so few people in my life have ever given a damn about me. especially those who meant the most to me."  
  
"That's not true!" Hudson denied vehemently, sounding positively outraged at him for saying such a thing. "Lex, I'm sure - "  
  
"Hudson, don't." He cut her off with a shake of his head. "Please? You haven't. You only see what you want to see. Sometimes you blind yourself to the truth. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, for now, while you're still young. But please don't try to deny what I know to be true. You haven't lived my life. And I wouldn't ever want you too, not even through my own memories."  
  
She grew silent and looked away and Lex knew he'd said too much and wished he could take it back. Sometimes it seemed that he delighted in stamping down on her naivety, picking apart at the innocence that naturally colored her nature, turning the vibrant rose Hudson viewed as life to somber black. He hated himself for that, just as he occasionally hated her for forcing him to do it. He wanted to apologize and knew he wouldn't. Instead, the silence stretched between them and Lex knew he should probably tell her to go home, but he didn't do that either. He just glowered into his brandy and pondered as to why he went searching for her at the cemetery in the first place.  
  
There hadn't been a funeral for Pamela. She had no family - no one but him - and her last wishes were to be buried beside her parents in their family plot located just outside Metropolis. Lex took care of everything, buying her the most beautiful casket and headstone that he could find, staying with her through all of it, even as they lowered her body into the ground. His father had sent flowers but Lex had tossed them into the garbage - he doubted that Pamela would have appreciated any kind of sentiment from Lionel Luthor. She was too honest an individual for that.  
  
And now she was gone. His last link to his mother, the last person who truly understood him, who truly understood how much he needed Lillian Luthor, how much he missed her. He hadn't been given the time to make up the past nine years to her, to tell her how sorry he was, to erase the pain that his father had caused both of them. The last time he'd felt this alone. he'd been standing beside his mother's grave, his father's hand on his shoulder, voice in his ear: Don't cry, son. Luthor's don't cry. It makes us look weak.  
  
Dammit, he wasn't going to cry this time. He hadn't broke down in years, not since his mother's death, and he should be used to this, and fuck that burning in his eyes, which could only be averted by the burning in his throat as he angrily tossed back his brandy.  
  
"Lex. "  
  
He'd almost forgotten that she was still here.  
  
Looking up, Lex found that Hudson had moved closer, that she was on her knees, moving across the floor to him and god, he shouldn't find that so sexy. She had no idea what she was doing and he gripped the glass of brandy harder in his hand, stifling the urge to throw it at her, hurt her and yell at her for being so damned innocent and beautiful. And then she was climbing into his lap, straddling his thighs, her hands cupping his face, soft fingers caressing his skin, blue-green eyes so fucking intent on his.  
  
"I give a damn," she whispered.  
  
And Lex tried not to break with her words, even as her mouth closed over his, warm lips offering comfort he hadn't expected. Not from her. Hudson had never made the first move. Her innocence, as always, was captivating to him. The kiss was uncertain, inexperienced, and absolutely perfect. Lex remained unmoving, allowing her to direct and lead them, the glass finally tumbling from his hand when her tongue brushed hesitantly across his lips and he opened his mouth, inviting her in, arms moving around her waist, pulling her closer.  
  
Her hair smelled like apples, but her tongue was like honey, the taste over- powering even the flavor of root beer and vanilla ice cream. Everything about her was so warm and inviting - Lex wanted to climb inside her, knowing instinctively that once inside, he would be safe and protected forever. Would it scare her to know that? That he longed to climb inside, to even become her? He dreamed of that sometimes - walking around in her skin, sharing every aspect of her life, always being warm, knowing true laughter, real joy again. But then, he would miss out on this.  
  
Lex tried not to make a sound of disappointment as Hudson broke the kiss. He opened his eyes to find her watching him, still so close he could count each individual eyelash.  
  
"Don't push me away, Lex," she pleaded quietly. "I want to be here, like this, with you. I'm not so young that I don't know this."  
  
"This is so wrong, Angel." Lex reached up to thread his fingers through her hair, watching as the strands curled possessively around his wrist. If there was a Hell, he most certainly had a reservation there.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "No, it isn't. It doesn't feel wrong to me." She hesitated a moment, and bit her lip, and Lex's eyes followed the motion as he contemplated biting it for her. "Does it feel wrong to you?"  
  
Lex's fingers tightened in her hair as he pulled her closer. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak," he quoted before giving himself over completely to the temptation the girl/woman in his lap offered, and reclaimed her mouth.  
  
He never really liked 'rules' anyway.  
  
If the kiss offered by Hudson had been about comfort, the one Lex took was all about surrender and possession. He wasn't certain what this was or where it would lead them but he knew he wanted it. And he wanted her. There was no reason to deny himself any longer. The guilt was there and Lex doubted there would be much to make it go away - he was the last person who should be touching someone like her. Then again, he had to often remind himself that Hudson wasn't perfect. He'd caught her in lies, he knew she still lied to him, but that didn't negate the fact that there was something about her that drew him in, something that he couldn't ignore. Be it the mystery that surrounded her or the fact that she was always there when he needed her to be, he couldn't bring himself to simply walk away. Truthfully, there was a purpose behind every person Lex allowed to get close to him. Sometimes he wondered if he wasn't using Hudson as well.  
  
Moving away from her mouth, Lex continued across her jaw to her ear, where he gathered the lobe between his teeth gently, tongue lapping at it, satisfaction washing over him as he felt her body tremble. Her hands moved behind his neck, up to cradle the back of his head, and he tried not to flinch away from the touch, silently reminding himself who this was and that she would never hurt or degrade him for his freakishness. Surprisingly, he felt himself begin to relax beneath her touch, her curious fingers moving over his scalp, her mouth tentatively pressing against his temple, his eyebrow, his forehead. Her kisses were tender, slightly insecure, undeniably sweet. Lex tightened his grip around her waist, fighting back the rising desire building within, telling himself he absolutely would not allow an erection even as he felt his cock grow hard beneath the warmth of her inner thighs as she pressed against him. He found himself wondering what kind of panties she was wearing and pictured something pink, cotton, with maybe little flowers or polka dots on them and dammit, what was it about that image that turned him on? Maybe it was because even the fourteen-year olds he had fucked back in prep school still wore black satin and lace - lingerie they had stolen from their mother's wardrobe. Lex doubted he had ever even touched a pair of pink cotton panties before.  
  
Hudson whimpered as his tongue slipped into her ear and the innocent sound broke Lex from his thoughts, leaving him torn between wanting to throw her to the floor and take her then and there, and reminding himself that he would never do such a thing to her. Not to his angel. No, he wouldn't let that happen. He would seriously hate himself in the morning if he gave into his baser desires and fucked Hudson the way his body was begging to. And there was only so much self-loathing he could handle in one week.  
  
Knowing he needed to focus on something other than his own gratification, Lex removed his tongue from her ear and instead whispered into it, "Do you like that?"  
  
"Mmmm." Hudson nudged her cheek against his. "Y-yes. Is. Is that something you like, too?"  
  
Lex smiled at her question, remembering what it felt like to burn with curiosity about all sexual activity. "Why don't you find out?" He suggested.  
  
Hudson pulled back to look at him, her expression mildly confused and Lex remained silent, returning her stare, waiting patiently for her to make her decision. Time seemed interminable before she finally leaned in to him, her nose nuzzling his ear momentarily before he felt the first swipe of her tongue. Sucking in a sharp breath at the contact, Lex closed his eyes and lost himself in the gentle, exploratory movement. Her tongue traced the shell of his ear lightly, before she finally drew the lobe in, suckling on it. Lex's fingers dug into her waist as she pulled her mouth away, her tongue suddenly pushing into his ear - wet, warm, soft. A moan escaped him before he could contain it. The tender eagerness of her ministrations was almost too much.  
  
All too soon, it was over and Hudson was pulling back, looking at him, her expression clearly registering how pleased with herself she was. "You like that," she told him.  
  
Smiling, Lex touched her lips, tracing his fingers over them, admiring how swollen and red they were from his kisses. Her hair was slightly mussed from his hands and god, she was sexy, face flushed, eyes slightly glazed with desire. He could stare at her forever like this.  
  
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, cupping her face as it colored with his compliment. Smiling, Lex leaned in and brushed his lips over hers once, twice. Unable to hold back, he deepened the kiss, pleased to sense her growing confidence as she returned it, her tongue moving in perfect concert with his.  
  
Lex told himself that clothes would definitely remain between them, and that a few little caresses would be harmless enough. But his hands began to wander before he realized what he was doing. It was impossible not to want to touch her, to explore the parts of her that had always been forbidden. His palms skimmed over the front of her blouse, pausing to cup her breasts, teasing the nipples through the fabric. She moaned into his mouth, and the sound went straight to his cock, and in moments his fingers were working at the tiny pearl buttons, eager to touch her skin, to extract that sound from her again. Hudson shifted slightly in his lap, as if giving him easier access to her clothing, and he thought it was some kind of miracle that he didn't just rip the shirt off of her and to hell with dealing with the buttons that were refusing to cooperate.  
  
It seemed like forever before the fabric finally parted and his fingers moved over her soft skin, delving into the valley between her breasts. More buttons, and he finally touched her belly, grinning against her mouth as her stomach flexed and jumped beneath the contact. He continued to move his fingers over her skin until he felt she was accustomed to it before they drifted back upwards, gliding over her bra. Cotton. Lex fought back the laughter that threatened. Was it pink, too? He was dying to know.  
  
Moving his mouth away from hers, he traced a line along her jaw with his tongue, straight to her ear, where he whispered, "I'm going to remove your blouse now. You can tell me to stop at any time, do you understand?"  
  
Hudson nodded, her fingers curling around his upper arms. At first, her grip was a little painful and Lex couldn't help but wonder what they were feeding her on that farm. Then he remembered this was the same girl who had pulled him from a river and performed many other amazing feats he tried very hard not to question (and didn't always succeed). He kissed her ear as his hands moved over her shoulders, and he waited, until her fingers relaxed against him, began stroking instead of gripping, and he slowly pushed the shirt over her arms. Tugging her hands away from him, he slipped the sleeves over her wrists and gently laid it aside before turning back to her.  
  
She wouldn't meet his gaze. Lex allowed her a moment's shyness while his eyes followed his fingers across her skin. The bra she wore wasn't pink - it was lavender. That was even better. Lavender, soft cotton, with nipples pert beneath the fabric. He drew his middle finger along the edge of one cup, glancing up to watch her face as he explored. She finally raised her gaze to his, eyes uncertain. Lex smiled before giving her a gentle kiss.  
  
"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, searching her eyes.  
  
"N-no." Hudson shook her head, dark hair falling over one breast.  
  
Lex couldn't have that. He pushed the strands back over her shoulder, pausing to play with the lavender strap for a moment. "You're very, very beautiful," he assured her, kissing her shoulder as he slowly, carefully drew the strap downward over her arm. "Do you know that?"  
  
Her head shook again. Lex smiled. Good. He wanted to be the one to tell her, the one to open her eyes and help her to understand the kind of power she held. She didn't know it yet, but one day, when she was older, she could set the entire world on its ear. And Lex wanted to be there to see it.  
  
He continued to kiss her shoulder, lips moving over the hollow of her throat as his hand drifted over the now-exposed breast. She gasped as his fingers touched the nipple, and he paused, suckling against her neck, fingertips slowly beginning to ghost over the nipple once more until he felt her move into the touch, her breath quickening. Certain that she was comfortable and ready for more, Lex kissed his way down over the swell of her breast, pausing for a moment to just breathe against her, drawing in the fruity smell that lingered on her skin, before his mouth closed over the sensitive peak.  
  
"Oh. "  
  
Would every sexual encounter be so amusing? Lex wondered with her very strange and positively adorable reaction. His tongue teased her at first, flicking back and forth over the raised skin, before he began to suckle, eyes drifting closed in simple pleasure as her hands cupped the back of his head. One arm encircled her waist, holding her close, drawing her even closer, while the hand of the other slipped past the fabric of her bra to caress the heretofore neglected breast.  
  
Hudson squirmed and pressed against his mouth. As much as Lex enjoyed knowing that she wanted this, the squirming was about to kill him. The ache was becoming almost too much to ignore and having her constantly rubbing against him, her heat seeping through. Well, he was never going to make it at this rate. And he couldn't remember the last time he had actually lost so much control as to actually come in his pants. Something had to be done. Pulling his mouth away, he kissed her breast gently then kissed her mouth as he grabbed the straps of her bra and replaced them back over her shoulders.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
He flashed her a reassuring smile. "Come on. Let's go somewhere a little more comfortable - with a little less chance of my staff walking in."  
  
Hudson's eyes widened at his comment and she scrambled off his lap for her shirt as Lex carefully stood. He untucked his own shirt from his slacks as her back was turned, feeling it was unnecessary to walk around the house flashing his hard on for all the world to see. When Hudson turned back to him, she was clutching her blouse over her chest, eyes wide, lips ruby red, an erect nipple peering out above the arm that was attempting to cover the rest of her.  
  
Lex took a deep breath, mentally began calculating the profits from the past quarter at the Plant as he reached out to take her hand and pull her closer. Touching her chin, he asked her, "Are you afraid?"  
  
"Huh? No." Her eyes widened, if that was possible. "No, I'm not."  
  
"Good. You have no reason to be." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Not much is going to happen tonight, I want you to understand that now. I just want you to get used to me touching you. You're in control here, all right? If you want to just stay down here, have another float and talk some more, that's okay, too."  
  
She shook her head. Quite emphatically, actually. "I want to go upstairs. with you."  
  
"Okay." He kissed her again before moving past her, holding her hand securely in his, and heading down the hall toward the stairs that led to the third floor.  
  
As they entered his bedroom, he stepped away from her to turn the lamp beside his bed on low, before turning back to find her hugging the blouse a little more tightly to her chest, barely stepping past the threshold. Knowing he had to let her make this decision on her own, Lex sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her, before pointing to the door.  
  
"Are you going to come in? You can close the door behind you."  
  
Hudson glanced at the door beside her, shifting from one foot to the other before she finally reached out for the knob and quietly closed it. "Do you want me to lock it?"  
  
Lex was not going to laugh. "I don't think we need to worry about angry parents storming in, angel."  
  
"Oh. Yeah."  
  
Lex covered his mouth to hide the smile as she turned back to him. He swallowed back his mirth, lowering his hand when it was safe and held it out to her. "C'mere."  
  
She took a few hesitant steps before it seemed that she regained her confidence and walked over to him, taking his hand, allowing him to pull her between his thighs. He pulled the blouse from her grasp, tossing it to the floor, arms going back around her waist to lean in and place a kiss between her breasts. He remained that way for the next few minutes, silent, nose slowly nuzzling her skin, lips occasionally kissing it. Lex thought he could stay like this forever, just holding her, smelling her, feeling her heart beating beneath her chest.  
  
As time passed, he was able to cool his over-heated body. Using long- practiced discipline that he'd burned into himself from the moment he learned how easily women could use sex against him, Lex placed one last kiss beneath Hudson's collarbone before pulling back to look up at her.  
  
"You okay?" He brushed a hair from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear.  
  
She nodded but the slight furrow between her brows said otherwise.  
  
"What's wrong? Talk to me." He settled his arms on her hips, leaning back a little to watch her.  
  
"I. I feel silly. I mean, like stupid for being so. so. "  
  
"Inexperienced?" Lex supplied.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Lex gave her a smile. "It's expected, Hudson," he told her quietly. "And I wouldn't want it any other way." Using his index finger, he drew a line between her breasts, moving under her bra, following the curve of the soft swells. "I don't like the idea of some other man. boy. whatever, touching you like this." He curled his fingers, brushing the back of his knuckles over the fabric that covered a nipple, listening to the hitch in her breath at the brief contact. "I want to be the one to touch you. The one to show you everything."  
  
"I don't want anyone else to touch me."  
  
He looked up to find Hudson's lips parted in the barest hint of a smile. Who was seducing whom here? He narrowed his gaze while his fingers hooked over the straps of her bra, lowering them slowly past her shoulders. "Good," he told her as he leaned in to breathe against an exposed breast. "See that they don't."  
  
This time, he didn't hold back. Suckling one breast, fondling the other, switching between the two until the girl in his arms couldn't seem to hold herself up anymore, whimpers and cries issuing from her throat as she clawed at his shoulders for purchase. God, she was so responsive, uninhibited once the barriers were broken down. What would she be like with more experience? Lex was tempted to give her free rein over his body, just to see how curious she would be, how giving. But he knew it wasn't time for that yet. This night was about her, about building her confidence, teaching her not to fear him, learning what she liked. There would be time enough for his own pleasure.  
  
Scooting back on the bed, Lex pulled her with him, moving over the comforter until they were both lying on their sides, facing one another. He kissed her shoulder and her neck, hands moving over her back, her belly, her supple breasts. Hudson writhed beneath his touch, hips instinctively moving toward him, leg reaching to curl around his own and Lex pushed it away, rolled her on to her back, knowing it was safer that way. She whimpered in denial but didn't fight him and once he moved down her body, his teeth grazing over the skin of her stomach, her displeasure seemed to immediately dissipate.  
  
One hand moved across her hip, down her thigh, over her bent knee and he touched her ankle, wrapping his fingers around it possessively for a moment before slowly easing his hand upwards. Long, muscular calf - god, he could only imagine how it would feel to have those long legs wrapped around him - impossibly perfect thigh, warm beneath his touch, the skin growing warmer still as he continued upwards. Her inner thighs were softer than he imagined and the heat. god. He thrust his tongue into her belly button as his fingers brushed against the fabric of her panties. Cotton. And damp. Lex groaned inwardly, not noticing that Hudson had stiffened beneath him until he went to touch her again.  
  
Kissing the soft skin beneath his mouth, Lex withdrew his hand to her knee, rubbing it soothingly as he lifted his head to look at her. Sure enough, her mouth was drawn in a tight line, eyes hooded. Kissing her stomach once more, he moved back up beside her, hand placed between her ribcage, slowly caressing the skin.  
  
"What is it, angel?" He asked. "What's wrong?"  
  
"N-nothing."  
  
His eyes narrowed a bit at her lie but he figured she was simply shy and a little frightened and embarrassed to admit it. "Talk to me." He leaned over to kiss the corner of her mouth, tongue moving against her lower lip. "You need to talk to me, Hudson. I need to know what you're thinking."  
  
Hudson's eyes darted over to his and Lex realized it appeared as if she had just been caught with her hands in the proverbial cookie jar. He leaned up on his elbow, wondering if this was more than just innocent fear of the unknown.  
  
"You're hiding something, I can see it." He pulled his hand away and, seeing the flicker of distress in her gaze, knew that he was doing the right thing. "If you're not willing to talk, then perhaps you should leave." He began to sit up.  
  
"No." A hand on his shoulder, gentle pressure that tugged him back beside her. "It's not. it's not bad, per se." Her hand fluttered in the air between them, as if trying to make up for the words she seemed reluctant to form. "I just. Oh god."  
  
That wasn't a good response. Lex worked his jaw for a moment, watching her. "I'm waiting."  
  
Sighing in defeat, Hudson glanced toward the end of the bed, worrying her lower lip. Silence stretched between them as her fingers played with the edge of the comforter, her face registering a distinct impression of frustration.  
  
"I. " She began and just as suddenly stopped. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "When you. when you were infected with the Nicodemus toxin, you came by the house. I was alone and you were. Well, you were more receptive to me than ever before and at first, I didn't know why. So I didn't fight it - I just let it happen. "  
  
"Let what happen?" Lex asked quietly, mind already shutting down, refusing to second-guess what she was about to tell him. The anger was growing, deep beneath the surface, waiting to be released.  
  
Her gaze flickered over his face as if she sensed the burning fuse. "You. we kissed and. stuff."  
  
"Stuff?"  
  
"You touched me. like tonight," she admitted softly, lowering her eyes to the mattress. "And your fingers. down. well, like just now only more and - "  
  
"Fuck!"  
  
"Lex -- !"  
  
"God fucking dammit!"  
  
Lex was off the bed in one fluid motion, tossing a nearby chair across the room, sweeping his arm over the top of his dresser, knocking bottles of cologne and two antique humidors to the floor with a loud crash. He paced at the end of the bed, hands moving over his scalp in overpowering frustration and anger.  
  
He had touched her, used her like some common whore, and she hadn't even had the decency to tell him what he'd done! Try as he might, he couldn't remember a moment of that night beyond finding the dead flower on the side of the road and finally waking up in the hospital in Metropolis, his father gloating at his bedside. And now, months later, he finds out that quite a bit more happened - and Hudson had known all along and never told him! When would her lies ever end?  
  
Lex rounded on her, unable to contain his irritation with her perfidy any longer. "Why didn't you tell me?! Another fucking lie, Hudson!" He accused angrily.  
  
"Because I knew you would react like this," she countered, sweeping her arms wide at the destruction he already caused. "Because I knew you would blame yourself for something you had no control over, Lex. It happened. I let it happen. Do you understand? I wanted it to happen, Lex. And even if it wasn't you, specifically, I wouldn't change it." Her lower lip thrust outward in a pout. "After all, up until tonight, it's all you've given me."  
  
Lex glowered at her before turning away, running a hand over his scalp in frustration. He couldn't decide what was worse - that he lost his control so completely, that he could have hurt her or that he couldn't remember getting to third base with Hudson Kent. Fuck.  
  
"Lex, please." He stiffened as he felt her arms move around his waist from behind, her lips pressing against the back of his neck. "Don't do this. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I thought. it just didn't seem necessary."  
  
Lex didn't want to give in. Had someone told him he could feel this kind of anger towards her earlier that day, he would have laughed. It was more than just the lie - it was the fact that he asked her if he'd done anything, that she waited to bring it up until something significant was happening between them, at a time when the information did little more than come between them, instead of bring them together. But her arms held him tightly, fingers moving over his stomach rhythmically, a kiss pressed through the fabric against his shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry. Please, Lex. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to upset you."  
  
Dammit. Since when did he lose all sense of reason when it came to her?  
  
Turning in her embrace, Lex continued to glare, even as he held her. "No more lies, Hudson. Got it? I can't take another goddamned lie. If you want this to work, if you want me to believe in it, then you have to give something in return. I need you to be honest with me."  
  
She swallowed and dropped her gaze and Lex could see her mind working, see that there were a million 'something's' hidden behind her eyes that she might never admit, no matter how many times she might say 'Yes, Lex. I'm telling you the truth'.  
  
When she brought her gaze back to his, she nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry. Please don't be angry?"  
  
Just like that, his anger fled. He still couldn't believe he had forced himself on her, that he couldn't remember having done so, that she had kept it hidden for so long. But a small part of him understood why. He could forgive her; forgiveness for himself would take a while. His arms tightened around her as he nodded, leaning down to kiss her lips.  
  
"If it helps," she commented as he pulled back. "I. ummmm . kinda sorta liked it."  
  
Lex smiled. "I should hope so. Out of my mind or not, I would hope that I'd have the presence of mind to do it right."  
  
Hudson's cheeks colored as she smiled and laughed a little before burying her face against his shirt. They stood that way for a few minutes, Lex's anger cooling, his hands moving over her back, flicking against the band of her bra.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"I. ummm. I really wouldn't mind if you did it again?"  
  
What the hell had he done to deserve her? Pulling back to look down at her flushed face, Lex smirked and shook his head. "Well then, I must have done it right." He kissed her forehead. "I think you've had enough for the night."  
  
"But - "  
  
"No buts." Stepping away, he took her hand and led her back over to the bed, maneuvering her until she sat down on the edge. "Lay back and get some rest. You've had a rough week. I'm going to clean up this mess and then I'll join you."  
  
Hudson was clearly disappointed, and a little angry according to the frown she wore. Lex waited for her to fold her arms over her chest and stamp her foot petulantly. Fortunately, she apparently wasn't in the mood to argue and he held back the sigh of relief that threatened. The desire he'd felt earlier had dissipated with her news of his previous exploits with her body and right now, all he really wanted was a good stiff drink. He watched as she moved back on the bed and laid her head down against his pillows, tucking a hand beneath her cheek. She was staring at him, uncertainty evident in her expression -- all lavender bra and tight black skirt and dammit, he still didn't know what color panties she was wearing. Would she tell him if he asked? It would certainly provide for hours of masturbation material.  
  
Pushing off from the bed, Lex returned to the dresser where he crouched down to begin cleaning up the items he had swept to the ground.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
"Yeah?" He glanced toward the bed, seeing little more than her toes peeking over the edge. He watched as they curled up and then flexed.  
  
"Can we. I mean, someday. will you. "  
  
He smiled. "Someday. very soon, angel."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Her toes curled again and Lex figured his answer was enough.  
  
***  
  
Hudson's first thought as she awoke was that she knew she wasn't in her own bed.  
  
The second that it was a damn good thing she hadn't dreamed about flying.  
  
Opening her eyes, she was pleased to discover that the room was still shrouded in darkness. That meant she hadn't slept too long and would have time to get home before her parents noticed she was gone. She knew they had likely gone to bed early, trusting her to be home by midnight, too exhausted from the events of the past week to stay up and wait for her. Maybe it was wrong to take advantage of the situation as it was, but Hudson couldn't find it in herself to be ashamed. Not when she was this happy.  
  
Lex's arms were around her and she snuggled closer to his side, rubbing her cheek against the fabric of his purple silk shirt, barely remembering that she still wasn't wearing her own. His arms tightened their grip slightly, the fingers of one hand brushing against her arm. Craning her head back, Hudson met his eyes, open and wide and staring at her in the darkness. She offered a smile that was slowly returned, and then she reached up and touched his jaw, tracing her finger along the edge softly.  
  
"How long have you been awake?" Her voice sounded loud to her in the stillness, like there should only be silence between them.  
  
"Not long."  
  
She could tell that he was lying but she didn't call him on it. "What time is it?"  
  
"Just past three."  
  
Her eyes widened at his reply. "I slept a long time."  
  
"You were tired." He brushed his lips across her forehead.  
  
"Is everything all right?" She asked, afraid to hear the answer.  
  
She searched his face for a moment, wishing that he wasn't so difficult to read. Currently, she couldn't tell if he was happy or sad or angry. nothing. And it made her wonder if he was still dwelling on the night he'd been infected with the Nicodemus toxin. She shouldn't have told him, should have chalked her momentary reluctance of his intimate touch to simple fear of the unknown. Unfortunately, Hudson had grown so tired of lying to Lex, she found herself simply wanting to be truthful with him for once. He deserved that much from her. She just wished she could give him so much more.  
  
"If you can't sleep. "  
  
Smiling just a little, Lex moved his hand to her neck, caressing the skin lightly. "Everything's perfect, Angel. I've just been thinking."  
  
Hudson frowned a little, her fingers moving to play with the top buttons of his shirt. "Thinking? I hate it when you do that. It's never good. You're exceptional at talking yourself out of things."  
  
Lex chuckled and Hudson let out a small squeak as he suddenly rolled them over so that she was pinned beneath him, their legs entangled. He smiled down at her while his fingers brushed through the hair at her temples. "My father says I don't think enough. I'll be sure to tell him you disagree."  
  
"Oh no! I don't think you should do that!" Hudson shook her head. "He wouldn't like it."  
  
"What he wouldn't like is that I value your opinion a little more than I do his."  
  
He grew silent, watching her, his eyes probing hers as his fingers continued to play with her hair. Hudson shifted a little beneath him, believing that there couldn't be a greater feeling on earth than having his body pressed against hers. Well, except maybe when his mouth was on her breast and his tongue in her ear and. Oh! There had to be so many other great feelings out there - and she wanted to experience them all. Right now!  
  
"Hudson, do you want this?"  
  
That seemed like an incredibly silly question. Especially considering the flow of her thoughts at the moment. Her brow furrowed. "You know I do."  
  
"No, I want you to think about this." His mouth tightened briefly and his eyes moved to his fingers in her hair. "You're smart enough and old enough to understand that this entire situation is complicated. Your parents - shit, who knows what they'll do."  
  
"We won't tell them."  
  
Lex looked back at her and scowled. "Hudson, I am not sneaking behind your parents' backs - "  
  
"We have to," she broke in, the very thought of telling her parents that she and Lex were together absolutely terrifying. If she knew her father - and she was fairly certain she knew her father well - there would be shotguns and lots of cussing involved. "I mean, just for now. Let me figure out how to tell them, okay? Mr. Fordman just died and there are the problems with the farm and. I just need to think of the right way to tell them about us. I promise, it won't be long. Just. just give me a few days, okay?"  
  
Hudson could tell that Lex wasn't pleased with the idea but he nodded anyway, his fingers moving from her hair to her cheek.  
  
"Perhaps it's a good idea to wait," he commented after a few moments. "It will give you time to decide if this is what you really want."  
  
"Lex - "  
  
"No. Listen to me." Lex sighed and moved to sit up, pulling her with him. He pulled her between his legs, so that she rested against his chest, her legs lying over one wool-clad thigh. Touching her chin, he brought her head around so that their eyes met once more. "I'm not certain what I can promise you, Hudson. Teenage girls tend to have a specific idea about what romance and dating is all about and. I'm just not the guy for that. I can't promise you roses and holding hands and romantic walks through the park. Hell, the longest time I have ever spent with one woman is Victoria and... " He broke off and shook his head, running a hand over his scalp. "We just didn't have that kind of relationship."  
  
Hudson made a face. "It was all about the sex, huh?"  
  
Lex turned to a look at her, his expression registering surprise at her words before he finally grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Sex and power. That's what most of them have been about, Hudson."  
  
"Hmmm." Hudson laid her head against his shoulder, growing quiet while she considered his words. She wasn't certain what she should say to make him understand that she knew that this wasn't like Whitney and Lana or any of the other couples at school. It would be a mature relationship, and she would be expected to approach it in the same manner.  
  
Leaning her head back a little to look up at him as he idly caressed her arm, she asked, "What do you want out of this? I think that's the most important question."  
  
Lex watched her without replying, his fingers moving over the curve of her shoulder as he smiled slightly. "I want to get you home before your parents notice that you're still out." He kissed her forehead and pulled away, sliding to the edge of the bed to put his shoes on.  
  
Hudson fought very hard not to punch the mattress beneath her. "You're so frustrating," she snapped, scooting across the bed to sit next to him. "Why do you do that?"  
  
"Hudson, there are going to be a lot of things you aren't going to like about me," Lex replied smoothly as he stood and looked down at her. "I'm surprised you haven't figured that out by now. The question is, do you have the stamina to stay for the long haul? Most don't." He shrugged. "I've grown accustomed to it."  
  
Dropping to her hands and knees to search for her shoes under the bed, Hudson replied, "I think your talent for pushing people away is more highly developed than you realize." After failing in her search, she sat back up and frowned, casting a quick glare around the room, momentarily using her x- ray vision to discover they were no where nearby.  
  
"My therapists have said the same thing," Lex remarked, leaning back against the dresser, legs crossed at the ankles, watching her with an amused expression. "What makes you so different, then?"  
  
She glanced over her shoulder to look at him. "I'm just the opposite. I cleave tightly to everyone I meet and never want to let them go."  
  
"So opposites attract?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"Hudson?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You left your shoes and stockings downstairs."  
  
Her face flamed. "Oh. Yeah. That's right."  
  
She snatched her blouse up from the nightstand and slipped it on, focusing her attention completely on fastening the buttons and trying very hard to ignore the man standing across from her. How she succeeded in continually making a fool out of herself in front of Lex, she had no idea. Hopefully it was a stage she would grow out of eventually.  
  
Smiling, Lex pushed off from the dresser and held out his hand to help her to her feet. "Come on. Let's get you home."  
  
Hudson started out the bedroom door with him, when she realized it was kind of rude to make him leave his house so late at night. "Oh. You don't need to drive me, Lex. I can just. " She was about to say 'run' when she realized that wouldn't sound right. Especially in heels. "Walk."  
  
Frowning, Lex steered her down the hall with a gentle push to her back. "Walk? Hudson, it's three o'clock in the morning. Small town or not, I'm not about to let a sixteen-year old girl wander dark, country roads by herself. I may be heartless, but I'm not heartless and stupid."  
  
Seeing that she had no other choice in the matter, Hudson remained silent as they made their way down the stairs to the second floor study where she found her shoes and stockings tucked under the chair she'd been leaning against. As she slipped them on, Lex brought her coat to her and helped her into it, lifting her hair out of the way as she shifted it around her shoulders. She sucked in a sharp breath as he leaned down and kissed the edge of her neck where it swept into her shoulder, nipping at the skin lightly. It tickled and sent a tiny shiver down her back. Biting her lip, she turned her head to look at him as he smiled.  
  
"Lex. "  
  
"Come on." He took her hand before she could continue and led her toward the garage.  
  
The drive back to the farm was silent. Hudson sat chewing on a thumbnail while Lex raced down the dark roads, barely putting in the brake around each corner. She hated that he drove so recklessly. Once she had asked him to drive more carefully but he hadn't really taken her words to heart. It worried her because she couldn't always be there. What if he lost control of the car at some point?  
  
Lex parked the Porsche at the end of the driveway, apparently not wanting to wake up her parents, for which she was grateful. The farmhouse was dark, with only the porch light illuminating the front yard. Hudson sighed softly as she stared at her home before looking over to find Lex watching her.  
  
"What?" She shifted a little nervously, wondering if she suddenly had a big zit on the tip of her nose or something.  
  
"Nothing." Lex smiled a little then leaned across the interior to kiss the corner of her mouth. "Thanks for coming back with me tonight. Your presence was. appreciated."  
  
Hudson touched his cheek. "You're welcome. Are you. will you be okay?"  
  
"I always am." He gazed at her intently for a moment. "We need to talk about. everything. I'll be by in the early afternoon."  
  
"Okay - no. Wait!" Hudson sighed, making a face. "I won't be here. Chloe and I are catching the train to Metropolis for the journalism conference." At his frown, she told him, "You got me the tickets, remember? Anyway, I won't be home until Sunday night."  
  
Lex nodded. "I'll be by then."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Hudson opened the door, commenting, "I can only imagine how much you'll talk yourself out of everything in that amount of time."  
  
Lex reached up and tugged on her hair, pulling her back against him. "You're such a brat." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Sleep well, Angel."  
  
"You too." She kissed him back quickly and then slid out of the car, closing the door behind her.  
  
Waving to him through the window, Hudson started her way up the drive toward the house, glancing over her shoulder to see that the car hadn't moved. She smiled as she realized that Lex was waiting to make certain she made it into the house all right. It was sweet - and something a boyfriend would do.  
  
Boyfriend? She'd made out with Lex in his study that night! He'd seen her in her bra and everything!  
  
Hudson tried not to squeal and dance around the driveway in pure happiness, but a grin still stuck to her face all of the way in to the house.  
  
***  
  
"Arf! Grrrrrr.. Arf! Arf!"  
  
"Awww. shut up, AJ!" Hudson grumbled before rolling over in her bed to shove her head under the pillow.  
  
"Arf! Arf! Arf!... Grrrrrrrrr. "  
  
There was a tug on her sheets and the sound of a tear, followed by a few loud thumps. Rolling her eyes, Hudson lifted her head up and glanced across her room to see AJ sprawled on his back, a surprised expression on his furry face as he stared at the torn sheet that had allowed him to unceremoniously tumble across the floor. Once he glowered long enough, he flipped back over onto his chubby paws and attacked the shredded sheet once more.  
  
"Mom is going to kill you," Hudson told him, reaching down to scoop him up with her arm and set him in her lap as she sat up. "Don't you want to live to see your six month birthday?"  
  
The puppy wagged his tail in reply and licked her chin. He was already twice the size he had been when Lex gave him to her on her sixteenth birthday.  
  
"You're a monster, you know that, don't you?" She asked as she craned her head back, trying to avoid direct tongue licks to her mouth. His breath was atrocious. Her mom tried to get her to brush his teeth but there was just something weird about brushing a dog's mouth. Hudson wondered what Lex would do if she used his toothbrush.  
  
Lex.  
  
A smile crossed Hudson's face at the thought of him and the previous night, and she turned to look at AJ who suddenly acquired interest in gnawing on her fingers.  
  
"Can you keep a secret, pup?" Frowning, she pulled her hand out of his mouth and tapped him on the nose gently. "Bad puppy. Don't chew on people. It doesn't hurt me - but it might hurt someone else. Now, listen to me. I have something to tell you."  
  
AJ sat back on the bed, tail wagging expectantly.  
  
"Good boy." Grinning happily, Hudson leaned forward and whispered, " I was over at Lex's last night - you know, moody guy in the expensive clothes. The one whose car you peed in? Anyway, I was at his house and we kissed! Well, we did more than kiss. He - oh, you don't need to know the details. You're too young anyway."  
  
Climbing out of bed, she turned back and lifted AJ into her hands, holding him high above her head as she twirled around.  
  
"He kissed me, AJ! And he called me beautiful!" She laughed, then quickly remembered that she wasn't home alone and glanced toward the door.  
  
Looking back at AJ, whose tail was slapping against her wrists in apparent shared happiness, she laughed again, softer this time. "AJ," she whispered. "I think I'm in love!"  
  
"Arf!"  
  
"H.C., do you plan on sleeping all day?" Her father called out from the hallway. "There are chores to be done."  
  
Damn. "Ummm, I'm up. I'll be right down, Dad."  
  
And here she had been planning to get up early and do the chores ahead of him. Well, maybe she could race her way through them.  
  
Setting AJ back on his feet, she walked over to the door and opened it, letting him out into the hallway. "Go down and tell mom to let you out." She put a finger to her lips. "And shhhh. Don't tell her our secret! Or you'll be Kibbles n' Bits - I promise!"  
  
Watching as the fat puppy toddled his way down the hall, Hudson closed the door and hurriedly dressed.  
  
She did her best to get to all of her father's chores before he could, as well as her own. Three times she sped past him, and he called out to her, asking what the hurry was. Finally, ten minutes later, Hudson came to a halt beside the fence where Jonathan was leaning over the rail, staring out into the empty pasture. She'd finished two hours worth of chores for two people, and she didn't even lose a speck of grain or drop of water from any of the buckets she had carried. Her father glanced over at her as she leaned back against it beside him, a cheeky grin on her face.  
  
"And what, may I ask, was that all about?" His tone indicated he wasn't too pleased with her performance but he was smiling at her all the same.  
  
"I just thought you deserved a break. Can't a daughter with super abilities use them occasionally to do good things for her parents?"  
  
"No," Jonathan replied resolutely. "Not when you could have easily been seen by the paperboy or any one of our neighbors. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a little hard work. We all need to pull our weight around here. And I would prefer you not resort to using your abilities to take care of your problems. The biggest mistake you could make is coming to rely on them, H.C."  
  
Hudson had heard this speech so many times, she sometimes recited it in her sleep. Sighing in frustration, she threw her hands up in the air and pushed off from the fence. "No one said I was relying on them, Dad. I was just trying to do something nice for you. I would have taken hours to do them all the right way, but Chloe and Mr. Sullivan will be by soon so we can leave for the Journalism Conference."  
  
"That's taking the easy way out, H.C.," her father reiterated. "And I don't like it." He paused, frowning a little as he looked at her. "When did you get home from Lex's last night?"  
  
Oh. So that was what this was about. "Five after twelve," she lied.  
  
"What did you do over there?"  
  
I let him stick his tongue down my throat. "He introduced me to the cult he's started. We even sacrificed a live chicken. Next week, we're moving on to babies."  
  
"I don't appreciate your tone with me this morning, Hudson Kent," her father snapped, his annoyance with her more than apparent. "Do you want to be grounded and not get to go to Metropolis?"  
  
She glared at him. "No."  
  
"Then I suggest you wipe that look off your face."  
  
Swallowing once, Hudson did as her father 'suggested' and fought against the gnawing rebellion that was rising inside of her.  
  
Jonathan watched her for a moment before continuing, "Now, I want to know what you and Lex did. I'm sorry if you think I'm being intrusive, H.C., but when a man's sixteen-year old daughter goes over to the house of a twenty-two-year old male - never mind who he happens to be - a father gets nervous." He seemed to soften a little bit and reached out to grasp her shoulder gently. "I don't want to see my little girl get hurt."  
  
Hudson sighed and rolled her eyes in mild amusement. "I don't think that's going to happen, Dad. You seem to forget that your sixteen-year old 'little' girl' is an alien from another planet who can bench press a tractor."  
  
"There are other ways to get hurt than just physically, H.C.," he reminded her gently.  
  
Okay. So her dad had a point. It didn't happen often.  
  
"We just. talked," she told him, only feeling a little guilty. "He's had a rough few weeks and he needed someone to talk to and I listened. Oh! And Dodd made me a big ol' bacon cheeseburger and a root beer float. He's finally learning to cook!"  
  
Jonathan smiled at his daughter's comment. "I doubt Lex Luthor would have a cook who didn't know how to do his job, H.C."  
  
"Well, he doesn't seem to know how to cook normal food."  
  
Chuckling, he slipped his arm around his daughter's waist and started toward the house. "Since you're so speedy this morning, why don't you get inside and help your mom with breakfast? I'm going to run over to Bill O'Reilly's real quick and drop off the feed he ordered."  
  
Hudson nodded, throwing a wave to her father as he moved away from her and headed towards the pickup. Jogging up the steps of the back porch, she pulled open the screen door and stepped in to find her mother, already showered, coffee brewing in the pot, squeezing fresh oranges for juice.  
  
"Morning!"  
  
"Morning, honey." Martha glanced over her shoulder to flash a smile. "Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Ummhmm." Hudson opened the refrigerator door and peered inside, finding nothing that seemed appetizing enough to snack on before breakfast. She swiped her finger through the chocolate cake in front of her, gathering a glop of icing, which she shoved into her mouth. "AJ tore my bed sheet. Where is he anyway?"  
  
"Last I saw he was finishing up his destruction of one of your father's new slippers on the front porch." Martha frowned as she watched her daughter. "H.C., it's too early for cake."  
  
She closed the door and smirked as she licked the rest of the confection from her fingertip. "It's just icing. And that's got dairy in it, right?"  
  
"You're like a walking trash compactor," her mother remarked, turning back to the cut oranges in front of her.  
  
"Dodd said that exact same thing last night. Except, he didn't use quite as flattering terms."  
  
Martha laughed, tossing the orange rinds into the garbage then pouring a small glass for Hudson before carrying it over to her. She kissed her daughter's forehead. "Did you have a good time at Lex's?"  
  
Oh, that would be a definite. "I guess." Hudson shrugged nonchalantly as she sipped at her juice. "His nanny recently died. Cancer. And he needed someone to talk to."  
  
"The poor boy." Martha shook her head as she gathered breakfast items from the refrigerator. "He's lucky to have you for a friend."  
  
Friend. Hudson smiled as she stared at the fruit bowl in front of her. Friend. She stifled a giggle. None of her friends had ever done those things to her before.  
  
"Looking forward to your trip to Metropolis?"  
  
"Yeah," she replied absently, a furrow forming across her brow as she began to remember a very strange dream she'd had before AJ woke her.  
  
She'd been with Lex, in his bed, making out like last night, only this time there were no clothes between them at all. The details were a little fuzzy but she remembered that they discovered she wasn't built like human females - in fact, she had looked just like a Barbie! Hudson's eyes widened as she shifted on the stool she was sitting on. What a disturbing dream, and how much would it suck to find out that she actually couldn't have sex??  
  
Hudson spun around in her seat to face her mother. "Mom?"  
  
"Hmmmm?" Martha was cracking eggs over the edge of the skillet, making each one perfectly sunny-side up before depositing the shells into the sink.  
  
"What if I can't have sex?"  
  
The egg hit the skillet a little too hard that time, and shell and innards went all over the stove as Martha turned to stare at her daughter, open mouthed. "Wh-what?"  
  
"You made a mess," Hudson pointed out, waving toward the stovetop where the egg was now cooking.  
  
"It - I - " Martha broke off, spinning back around to grab the dishtowel and began cleaning the egg and shells away. "Hudson, where did this come from?"  
  
Watching as her mother diligently cleaned off the stove, Hudson's mind wandered as she wondered what Lex was having for breakfast that morning. She hoped it was healthy and wondered if Dodd burned toast. After all, he had all kinds of other weird recipe ideas. Maybe they burnt toast regularly where he came from.  
  
She blinked at her mother's question, not understanding. "Huh? Eggs? From chickens, Mom."  
  
Martha sighed in exasperation and set the towel down on the counter. Removing the skillet from the burner, she turned off the stove and moved over to the island counter to sit down beside her daughter. "I meant, where did your question come from? Why are you asking such a thing?"  
  
Hudson fidgeted for a moment under her mother's intent stare. Chewing on her lower lip, she replied, "I've just been. thinking. I mean, I'm sixteen now and - "  
  
"Turning sixteen doesn't give you a license to have sex, H.C.," Martha pointed out.  
  
Grinning, Hudson shrugged. "Yeah, well. it's bound to happen sooner, rather than later, right?"  
  
Martha ran a hand over her eyes. "I don't know if I'm ready for this conversation, honey."  
  
"Mom, I'm serious," Hudson pleaded.  
  
"Very well." She reached over to the counter to grab her cup of coffee, then turned back to her daughter, appearing to settle herself in for the upcoming conversation. "Why do you think you wouldn't be able to have sex?"  
  
"Well, look at the rest of me." Hudson held her arms wide. "Bullets can't hurt me. Only the sharpest scissors work on the ends of my hair and we still go through a dozen pair in one cutting. What if my. " She broke off and reddened, realizing she had never really had this intimate a talk with her mother. "What if my. you know. is as impenetrable as the rest of me??"  
  
"Your hymen?"  
  
Hudson nodded, face flaming.  
  
"Ah. I see." Martha nodded, pondering for a moment. "Well, I suppose the man you sleep with could always have a penis made of meteor rock. "  
  
"Mom!!" Hudson's mouth fell open in disbelief.  
  
Her mother laughed. "Oh, honey. I'm kidding. Calm down."  
  
"Do you know how distressing it is to hear your mother talk about. about. not to mention green ones!" Hudson shook her head, trying to rid herself of the entire memory of this conversation. Therapy. There was just no way out of it. She was going to need serious therapy as an adult.  
  
"H.C., have you ever even said the word 'penis'?" Martha asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile.  
  
Oh great. Now her mother was making fun of her. "Not in front of you, I haven't. And I don't plan to."  
  
Sighing, her mother replied, "Apparently Chloe is right. We have sheltered you too much."  
  
"Okay. Fine. Tonight at dinner, right in front of dad, I will just yell out the word pe- " Hudson cut herself off. She just couldn't do it. She finished lamely, "And then you'll be sorry for bringing it up!"  
  
Her mother was laughing again.  
  
"Geez, and here I thought mothers were supposed to be supportive and loving of their children," Hudson whined, finishing her orange juice in annoyance.  
  
Laughter fading, Martha reached out to pat her daughter's hand. "You know I love you. It's just, sometimes, I think you've spent too much time with your father and not enough with me."  
  
Still chuckling, she took a sip of her coffee, placing it before her and leaning on her arms to regard Hudson soberly. "Honey, there are a lot of things we don't understand about your body and some of them. we're just going to have to wait until the time comes."  
  
"Don't you think that will be kind of painful? For the guy, I mean."  
  
Martha raised an eyebrow. "I would hope he would understand and that you would face the unknown together. Whoever you fall in love with, when you go to take that step, hopefully you will trust him enough by then to have shared your secret with him."  
  
Hudson shifted in her seat, knowing that no matter how much she professed to love and trust Lex, her parents would never agree to her disclosing any information about what she was. Her mother might but her father would resolutely put his foot down. And how could she argue? They were the ones who raised her, they were the ones who took the chance to take in a child from another world, to accept the responsibility of protecting her and the family they had created. How could she then just defy them and behave as if her secret was simply hers alone to share?  
  
Apparently noting her silence, Martha frowned. "H.C., is there a specific reason you're bringing this up now?"  
  
"Er. no. Why?" Hudson glanced at her empty juice glass quickly.  
  
Silence. She glanced up to find her mother still frowning, eyes narrowing just a little, then suddenly they flew open wide and her color paled just a bit. Hudson bit her lip.  
  
"H.C.. has Lex. ?"  
  
"No, Mom." Hudson sighed and shook her head. "He's never. well, if he wanted to, I would."  
  
"H.C." Martha pinched the bridge of her nose, looking away from her daughter towards the window above the sink. "I don't like this. I don't like it at all. I don't like hearing about it. You're far too young. He's far much more mature than you." She looked back at Hudson. "Honey, don't you see how badly you could get hurt?"  
  
Why did everyone immediately assume that she was the one who would be hurt? "Mom, what about Lex? I'm the one doing the lying here. Not him. I'm the one he trusts, the one he believes to be his friend. And yet every single day, without even opening my mouth, I'm telling him a lie." She kicked at the leg of the table gently. "Yes, I could get hurt. I've seen him with these women he's dated and I know all about his reputation in Metropolis. But I feel like. I'm not afraid to take the chance. He means so much to me, Mom. And he's so good to me. You know that."  
  
"I know." Her mother nodded. "I know he cares about you, H.C. I've seen that much. But that doesn't change the world that he comes from. It doesn't change the exposure you could potentially have to others who might want to cause you harm. I just. please be careful? Take this slowly. Okay?"  
  
"Okay." Hudson smiled a little. "You aren't. you aren't going to tell Dad, are you?"  
  
Martha shook her head. "No. You are." She slid off of the stool and walked over to the stove to continue with breakfast. "And sooner, rather than later."  
  
Hell.  
  
Getting to her feet, Hudson left the kitchen to take her shower and pack for the night's stay in Metropolis, grumbling as she headed up the her room. She seriously doubted that the conversation with her father would include a discussion of green penises.  
  
***  
  
Hudson shifted from one foot to the other, gaze drifting down both directions of the crowded hall, as she searched for Chloe. The acoustics were overly loud in the Metropolis Convention Center and her ears were ringing. The sound system at the last panel she'd attended had been on the fritz and continually sent loud screeches through the tiny room. She silently thanked being what she was for the simple blessing of not acquiring headaches.  
  
Chloe and her dad had arrived to pick Hudson up shortly after breakfast. After hugging her parents goodbye and receiving a small advance on her allowance for spending money, she'd piled her bags into the car and they headed to the train station. Gabe reiterated that Chloe's cousin, Louis Lane, would be meeting them at the conference after the last session that afternoon at five o'clock to take them back to his apartment. They would attend the conference with him the next day, and then he would drive them to the train station where Hudson's parents would pick them up in Smallville that night.  
  
The train ride took forever. Everything seemed to still be a little strained between her and Chloe, and though they talked, it wasn't their usual endless chatter of the past. Eventually, Chloe turned to some notes she'd been making regarding a story for the Torch and Hudson dug out the latest book Lex suggested she read, East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Silence fell between them until the train arrived in Metropolis and they took a cab to the convention center.  
  
They'd missed the opening speech and the first two panels but Chloe already had a full schedule outlined for each of them before they split up. There were so many panels she wanted to attend, but they were all going at the same time, so she asked Hudson to attend the others and take notes for her. Having no particular preference as to where she went, Hudson had shrugged and took the notepad Chloe handed her, moving off to lose herself in the throng of aspiring and professional journalists.  
  
She was already bored out of her ever-loving mind.  
  
Having watched Lex with some of his business associates when she'd visited him at the Plant, and seen Lionel Luthor in press conferences on the news, Hudson thought there was no way any profession could be stuffier and more arrogant than businessmen. Wow, had she been wrong! The most amusing part of all of it was how they tried to outdo one another while talking in panels with ten cent words. Pompous, is how her father would have referred to them. And, apparently, every journalist out there suffered more to get the best story for their readers than any of the others. They'd also all been in life-threatening situations and no one outside the profession seemed to understand how truly hard and unappreciated journalist endeavors were. They should try branding a steer once.  
  
"H.C.!"  
  
Turning at Chloe's call, Hudson tried not to show too much relief at seeing her friend pushing her way through the crowd toward her. "Please tell me it's time to get out of here and get something to eat?" Hudson pleaded.  
  
"I just got out of the most amazing discussion!" Chloe enthused as she rushed up beside her, completely ignoring the question. She dug through the enormous bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out her notes. "It was given by. ummm, oh! Here's his name. Perry White. Anyway, it was all about breaking into the business with that first great article - you know, the one that gets you noticed?" She was practically dancing where she stood. "I have so many ideas, H.C.! Wouldn't it be fantabulous if I had a byline in the Planet even before I interned there??"  
  
Hudson scratched her forehead as she plunged back into the crowd, Chloe quickly following along with her, heading towards the exit where they were supposed to meet Louis. "I don't know, Chloe. I mean, don't you think you'd be kind of shunned when you got there by the staff? Some of these people," she waved her hand to encompass the hall, "Aren't exactly poster children for the Mr. Rogers Show."  
  
"It's a dog-eat-dog business, true," her friend nodded with a shrug. "But I'm getting a head start. By the time I graduate high school, the best news organizations in this country will be knocking down my door to get me. You'll see."  
  
She couldn't help but admire her friend's ambition and drive. Hudson wished she had some. Truthfully, she had no idea what she wanted to do or be when she grew up. She enjoyed helping people, and loved animals, but she couldn't really picture herself as a doctor or veterinarian. Mostly because she became squeamish at the sight of blood. Astronomy was fun but it just seemed a little strange of an occupation to go into - searching to find the answer as to whether there was life on other worlds. Chloe said she had a knack for writing but the problem was, it just didn't interest Hudson that much. At least, it didn't consume her the way it did her friend. Oh well. If all else failed, she could likely find a promising career in the WWE.  
  
"Oh! There's Louis," Chloe exclaimed beside her as she grabbed Hudson's hand and hurried her along through the crowd.  
  
Hudson held back the sigh she longed to utter as they approached Chloe's cousin, Louis Lane. They'd met a few times before, also during weekend trips to Metropolis and once when he had come to visit Gabe and his daughter in Smallville. It wasn't very charitable of her, but Hudson didn't like Louis very much. The first time they'd met, she'd been wearing pigtails and he yanked on one of them and asked if she was 'off to see the Wizard'. Of course, it hadn't hurt but she longed to kick him in return all the same. He seemed fascinated by the fact that she lived on a farm, if only to use that information as fodder to tease her with. The name of the town she had been raised in was enough to provide him with hours of entertainment at her expense.  
  
Chloe, on the other hand, adored her older cousin. She modeled herself after him, aspiring to follow in his footsteps. Whenever they got together, they talked of nothing but journalism for hours. And hours. Hudson knew it was what she had to look forward to for the evening - nothing but reporting and writing and who was going to be the first among them to win a Pulitzer.  
  
"Louis!" Chloe shouted above the din, waving at him. "Hi!"  
  
Louis glanced up from the wall he was leaning against, lighting a cigarette right beneath the 'No Smoking' sign. Dressed in charcoal slacks and white shirt with a dark grey tie, he was obviously at the conference for one reason - making an impression. This June he would be graduating from Metropolis University with top honors in his class. Chloe said she believed the Daily Planet was already saving position on their staff for him but whenever she asked, he never gave her a straight answer.  
  
"Hey, Chloe." He glanced at Hudson and nodded briefly before shaking out the match and tossing it into the garbage can beside him. "Smallville, how's it going? Still tipping cows for fun?"  
  
She made a face at him in return and Louis chuckled.  
  
"You know I'm just kidding, Smallville. Geez, Chloe, tell your friend to lighten up." He reached out with one arm and wrapped it around his cousin's shoulders, giving her a quick hug.  
  
"Ixnay on the owscay," Chloe muttered, making a slashing sign across her throat in a not-so-subtle manner.  
  
Louis stared at her for a moment before his eyes flashed in recognition and he turned his gaze back to Hudson who was now frowning at both of them. "Oh, yeah. That LuthorCorp mess. Did you ever get that taken care of? I was dying to come out there and do a big exposé on the whole thing but I had exams that week."  
  
Hudson shrugged. "Lex is taking care of everything."  
  
"Lex, eh?" Louis raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity.  
  
"She and Lex Luthor are like this." Chloe crossed her fingers and held them up to show her cousin. "It's the talk of the whole town."  
  
"I think you're exaggerating, Chloe," Hudson commented quickly, her face warming under Louis' more intent gaze. She waved her hand behind them, suggesting, "Shouldn't we go get our luggage from the lockers and head out of here?"  
  
Louis sighed, as if he believed they should have made this trek without him, but he headed down the hall, turning to Chloe to ask how Gabe was doing. Hudson followed behind the cousins, pleased for the temporary respite from Louis' probing questions regarding her relationship with Lex. The last thing she needed was for Louis Lane to make his big byline in the Planet by exposing the story of Lex Luthor dating a sixteen-year old girl from Smallville. Not to mention the very unpleasant chat that would lead to with her parents.  
  
There had been a short space of time where Hudson had a crush on Chloe's cousin. Even with all his teasing, she'd found him undeniably cute. Built more like a football player than any journalist she'd ever seen, Louis also had a baby face, with big blue eyes that Gabe said he used to talk his parents into anything. Tales of Louis' exploits ran rampant through the family, his 'puppy eyes' expression, and his notorious use of it, legendary. Chloe once said she figured he developed the arrogant attitude so that he didn't get chewed up in the world of journalism - his face just didn't appear threatening enough to some editors. Hudson thought it was more likely that he could use his looks to draw any stranger into telling him their life history - including each skeleton in their closet. That was, of course, until Louis decided to open his big mouth.  
  
Luckily, her tastes had moved on and developed a much higher level of sophistication. For all that Louis might stand 6'5", with dark hair and blue eyes and dimples when he smiled, Hudson didn't believe he could hold a candle to Lex. Louis was cute (and a jerk), and Lex was. There was no word for Lex. At least, nothing that completely defined him. She could find an entire thesaurus of words to use, but not one of them would specifically stand out as pin-pointing exactly what she felt when she looked at him, when he walked into a room, spoke her name, just stood there and breathed.  
  
After finding their luggage, Chloe and Louis argued for a few moments as to whether Louis should be a gentleman and carry their bags for them, during which Hudson quietly gathered them into her arms and started back toward the main entrance. The cousins finally fell in step beside her, Louis snatching the luggage from her, obviously perturbed. Chloe elbowed her in the side and grinned.  
  
Stepping outside, Louis told them his car was parked in the garage next to the conference center. They were making their way down the long line of steps when Hudson glanced out to the street to see a familiar Ferrari parked in the 'No Parking' zone. Lex was leaning against it, watching her expressionlessly, dressed in his light black coat, slacks, white dress shirt and tie. Hudson couldn't contain the smile that immediately spread across her face.  
  
"Lex!"  
  
Taking the steps two at a time, she hurried down to him, barely stopping herself from throwing her arms around his shoulders and kissing him, just like they did last night. But they were in public, in the city, and there were reporters all over the place.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Lex greeted her with a small smile. "I had a business meeting this afternoon. Thought I would try to catch you and see if you wanted to go to dinner?"  
  
Hudson was prepared to answer with a resounding 'yes' when she remembered that she wasn't visiting Metropolis alone. She turned just as Chloe and Louis joined them.  
  
"Wow, Mr. Luthor. This is brave of you," Chloe commented with a grin. "Facing masses of reporters at the steps of the convention hall."  
  
"I've told you to call me Lex, Chloe," he replied. "And to be fair, I just got here. You're the first to see me."  
  
"So shouting your name wouldn't be a good thing?"  
  
"I wouldn't appreciate it, no."  
  
Uncomfortable with the conversation, Hudson waved her hand toward Louis. "Lex, this is Louis Lane, Chloe's cousin. Louis, Lex Luthor."  
  
Neither seemed inclined to shake hands. Apparently, Lex smelled a reporter, and Louis smelled a story. They both nodded at one another a little stiffly and Louis mumbled something about it being nice to meet him.  
  
Lex ignored the remark and returned his gaze to Hudson. "So? What do you say?"  
  
She wanted to say yes. She was dying to, in fact. But she had promised this weekend to Chloe, and with their recent fight, to abandon her to go out with Lex would be beyond cruel, and certainly not the make of a good friend. Sadly, she shook her head. "I'd love to, Lex. But I was headed back to Louis' apartment with Chloe. We were going to order pizza and watch. " She glanced at Chloe. "What were we going to watch?"  
  
"All the President's Men," Chloe responded.  
  
"Sounds like an exciting evening," Lex commented, leaving the three standing in front of him confused as to whether he was being sarcastic or not. He regarded Hudson silently before glancing over at Chloe and Louis. "Why don't the two of you join us? I promised to take Hudson to lunch for her birthday, but with my schedule lately, this has been the first opportunity."  
  
As much as Hudson wanted to spend some time with Lex, she didn't think the idea was a good one. She was about to decline but Louis beat her to the punch.  
  
"Sounds like a great idea," he responded. "I don't think we'll all fit in your car though." He frowned at the sports car. "Where are we headed? We'll meet you there."  
  
"How about La Bella?" Lex suggested, removing his keys from his pocket. He glanced past Hudson's shoulder and frowned.  
  
Following his gaze, she saw that at least two people had recognized him. One was already pulling out their camera and the other was moving quickly down the steps toward them.  
  
Louis nodded in reply. "We'll see you there. Come on, Chloe. Smallville, you riding with us?"  
  
Chloe turned to look at Hudson and she thought it a little rude of her friend to beseech her in this manner. Besides, she just spent the entire afternoon attending stuff panels all for Chloe's sake. She deserved a little respite. Steeling her will, she shook her head. "No. I'll ride with Lex and see you guys there."  
  
Louis shrugged, not really caring either way. Chloe frowned for a moment but turned and followed her cousin toward the parking garage.  
  
"We'd better get going," Lex suggested, frowning at the approaching reporter just enough to cause the man to hesitate in his steps. Turning, Lex opened the passenger side door, waiting for Hudson to climb in before closing it behind her.  
  
They pulled into traffic and were headed down Broadway before Lex spoke again.  
  
"How was the conference?"  
  
"Boring." Hudson sighed, pleased that she had someone she could confess the truth to. "I wish I could share Chloe's enthusiasm but by the end of the day, I found myself wishing I could do chores instead!"  
  
Lex chuckled. "That is bad. So perhaps journalism isn't your calling?" He glanced over at her, smiling.  
  
"I don't think so." Hudson shook her head, then frowned. "I don't know what my calling is."  
  
"I wouldn't worry about it. You're young yet, Hudson. You'll have plenty of time to make a decision about what you want to do with the rest of your life." He paused, switching gears and lanes, swerving through three cars before pulling back into the lane he started in. "The entire world is at your feet, angel. You can do whatever you want."  
  
"Unfortunately, I don't think there are quite as many options for a farm girl from Smallville as there are for a tycoon's son from Metropolis."  
  
Lex's smooth brow furrowed and he flashed a quick look at her. "People seem to think that because you have money, that automatically means you can do whatever you want in life. But it's not the case. More often than not, those born into privilege have their lives planned out for them before they're out of the crib. Like first sons born into a monarchy - they know they'll one day be king. Even if their true passion lies in music, art.  
  
"At one time in my life, I wanted to be an astronaut. It doesn't matter. My destiny is chosen."  
  
Hudson considered his words silently, realizing not for the first time how different her life was from his. Her parents always told her they didn't care what she did, as long as she was happy. Be it scientist, lawyer or housewife, nothing was truly expected of her except to live her life.  
  
Worrying her lower lip, she commented, "What about King George VI? He abdicated the thrown."  
  
Lex glanced at the rearview mirror with a half-smile. "For love."  
  
"You say that as if he was insane to do so."  
  
Shrugging, Lex whipped into the right hand lane to pass the car in front of him, only to then spin into a left hand turn. He didn't seem to notice Hudson's eyes grow wide at the maneuver. "It just seemed like an unnecessary risk to take - giving up what you are, what you were raised to become for something that might not last."  
  
"You don't believe love can last?"  
  
"I wouldn't know, Hudson." He met her eyes briefly. "Sometimes I think love was made up by poets so that they had something to write about."  
  
"Well, I believe in love."  
  
Lex just smiled, as if he expected that to be her answer. He was laughing at her again and Hudson realized she was used to it. In fact, it was almost comforting. It was when Lex wasn't laughing, wasn't amused by her that something was wrong. If it meant putting a smile on his face, then Hudson figured he was allowed to laugh at her as much as he wanted to.  
  
Hudson watched him silently as he drove them deeper into the heart of the city. The sun was beginning to set and neon signs were flashing on around them. The streets were packed with people shopping, dining, sight-seeing, attending the theatre. She remembered their trip together to see 'Phantom of the Opera' and wondered if Lex would be agreeable to taking her to the theatre again.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"I have to admit, I was really surprised to see you. I mean, in a good way."  
  
He laughed. "That's a relief."  
  
She returned his smile before asking slyly, "Did you really have a business meeting?"  
  
"Hudson Kent, do you think I would drive all of the way from Smallville just to take you to dinner for a few hours?"  
  
Continuing to smile at him, Hudson didn't bother to reply.  
  
***  
  
La Bella was the kind of restaurant one went to in order to impress people. It wasn't the most romantic place in town, it didn't have the best food, it didn't have the best atmosphere. But it did boast the highest prices and one of the highest paid chefs in the restaurant industry. Therefore, it was a regular eating establishment for those carrying the last name of Luthor.  
  
The party of four was led to a private table near the window that looked out over the city. Lex pulled out Hudson's chair for her as the maitre d performed the same service for Chloe. Louis just sat down across the table from Hudson with a roll of his eyes.  
  
"Will you be having wine tonight, Mr. Luthor?" The man asked.  
  
Lex glanced over at Louis who shrugged in reply. Regarding him blankly for a moment, Lex finally turned back to the maitre d. "Mr. Lane and I will. The ladies will not." He looked at Chloe and Hudson. "Would you girls like a soda or tea?"  
  
"Iced tea, please." Chloe nodded.  
  
"Coke."  
  
Smiling at both of them, the man hurried off.  
  
"So, I take it you come here often, Mr. Luthor?" Louis inquired, reaching out for one of the glasses of water that had magically appeared on their table.  
  
"Call me Lex," Lex replied smoothly with a practiced smile. "My father helped finance it's opening. But then, all of Metropolis knows that all ready."  
  
Louis raised an eyebrow at the comment but didn't respond.  
  
Hudson glanced over the menu as she cast furtive glances toward the two men. Something weird was going on there but she couldn't figure it out. She didn't want to believe that Louis was rude enough to attempt to conduct an interview all through dinner, and she refused to think that Lex was rude enough to immediately believe the same thing. But then, they both appeared to be doing exactly that.  
  
"Wow. I can't pronounce half the words on this thing," Chloe commented in a near-whisper to Hudson while frowning down at her menu.  
  
Chloe had a point. Hudson believed they were here only because Chloe and Louis were with them and Lex had an image to maintain. Had it been just them, had they been given the opportunity to go on their own, she was almost positive that they would have been eating at Town Topic again, or maybe even Torrie's Pizza. Unfortunately, very few were allowed a glimpse at the real Lex. And while that caused Hudson to feel oddly special, there were times she wished that everyone around her could see the person she saw.  
  
She couldn't imagine Lionel Luthor being pleased by such a thing, though.  
  
Small talk was the main form of conversation as drinks arrived and hors d'oeuvres were ordered. Lex asked polite questions about the conference, listened intently to Chloe as she enthused over each and every panel she attended and then queried Louis as to where he was attending school and graduating. He showed absolutely no change of expression as Louis explained that he was graduating in six weeks - and that he already had a position secured with the Daily Planet. Hudson glanced over at Chloe who mouthed 'Told you so!'. She made a slight face, wondering how safe it was to have someone who was basically already a reporter for one of the most critical and daring papers in the country. She could only imagine how fast they would run with the story if they knew about her and Lex. She made a mental note to attempt to behave as normally as possible for the rest of the evening.  
  
Well, as far as whatever normal was for her.  
  
"Don't the two of you have a big dance coming up?" Lex asked as he scooped a small helping of what he early explained to be Coriander Seared Tuna and Lobster Risotto into the tiny plate at her left.  
  
She couldn't help but smile at how easily he served her, as if he had always done so. "Ummm. the Spring Formal. Yes. It's in three weeks. I. really wasn't thinking about going though."  
  
Lex frowned, passing the plate of tuna to Louis. "Why not?"  
  
"We don't have dates," Chloe replied with a shrug. "Which is a little embarrassing, considering Pete is going with Erica Foxx."  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes with a grin. "Yeah. And he won't shut up about it, either."  
  
"Just because you don't have dates doesn't mean you shouldn't attend," Lex commented, focusing his gaze on Hudson. "It's high school. You should take advantage of every social opportunity."  
  
"God knows he did," Louis commented blandly.  
  
Lex turned a keen gaze to the man beside him. "If you are referring to the exaggerated stories of my 'wild' youth, I'm afraid you would be extremely disappointed to know that I didn't do more than half of what has been written."  
  
Louis shrugged, making it plainly evident that he didn't believe a word Lex just said. Truthfully, Hudson didn't either but then, she wasn't the one who was used to dealing with the press, so she remained silent.  
  
After a moment's silence, Lex turned back to Hudson and Chloe. "I really believe the two of you should stag it together. You're free to use the limousine, if you would like."  
  
Hudson and Chloe glanced at one another in confirmation quickly before Hudson looked back at Lex and asked, "How about the Maserati? Can we take that instead?"  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow in amusement at her question, while his gaze firmly stated a negative response.  
  
Chloe patted Hudson's hand as she sighed. "It's okay. You tried."  
  
"Must be nice to have such wealthy friends."  
  
Hudson glanced over at Louis' remark. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Oh, he's just jealous," Chloe burst in promptly. "Louis never attended a single dance in high school. He's bitter."  
  
"Bite me, Chloe."  
  
"No, thanks. I've had better offers."  
  
Lex remained silent, a slim index finger tapping lightly against the stem of his wine glass as he regarded first Chloe and then Louis. Hudson was beyond embarrassed at their behavior. She knew it was a bad idea for the four of them to go out to eat - she should have swallowed back her need to spend time with Lex and sent him on his way. Pizza and a political leftist movie about the ultimate in journalistic scoops was sounding better and better at the moment.  
  
Their server came by to remove the empty hors d'oeuvre plates and take their orders. Hudson glanced over her menu furtively while Chloe ordered. She started slightly when she heard Lex whisper in to her ear, "Order that one." His finger pointed to a selection on the menu. "I think you'll like it."  
  
Turning her head just slightly, she found she was almost nose to nose with him. She smiled. "Positive?"  
  
He returned the smile very slightly. "Positively."  
  
Hudson felt his fingers brush across her knee and she wished she'd been wearing a skirt instead of the pantsuit her mother suggested. She wanted to feel his fingers on her skin again. Barely noticing that it was her turn to order, Hudson switched her attention from Lex to the server who stood patiently by her side. Apparently, the dish Lex had pointed out was actually just a filet. He was right - it likely was the one item on the menu she would have preferred above the others. Sometimes it amazed her that Lex knew her so well, that he paid attention to the little things that she doubted her oldest friends even knew about her.  
  
After their meals were ordered, Chloe poked Hudson in the elbow. She looked at her friend with a half-frown. "What?"  
  
"Come to the restroom with me," she whispered.  
  
"I think you're old enough to make that trip on your own," Hudson replied in amusement.  
  
It was Chloe's turn to frown as she tugged on Hudson's sleeve. "No, I think you want to come to the restroom with me - now."  
  
Oh, it was one of those restroom trips.  
  
Barely having enough time to excuse them from the table, Hudson stood, smiling at Lex as he rose to his feet as well - did they really still raise boys like that??? - and Chloe grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her away. She made an awkward stumble, glared at her friend, and then hurriedly followed her through the restaurant towards the restrooms that were located near the elevators where they first entered the establishment.  
  
Once inside, the door slowly swinging closed behind them, Chloe whirled around to confront Hudson. "Okay, what the hell is going on out there? What did I miss?"  
  
Hudson blinked. "Ummm. I don't get it. What are you talking about?"  
  
Folding her arms over her chest, Chloe tapped her foot impatiently. "You. Lex. Him showing up out of nowhere to take you to dinner."  
  
"So he wanted to go to dinner?" Hudson shrugged, moving past Chloe to stand in front of the vanity mirror and brush her fingers through her hair. "What's so odd about that?"  
  
"Oh. Nothing - except for the fact that Smallville is almost three hours away. One doesn't generally drive that far to take a friend out to eat while she's at a conference." Chloe leaned against the counter, staring up at her with a questioning gaze. "Not even Lex Luthor is that eccentric."  
  
"He had a meeting."  
  
"Bull."  
  
Hudson turned to look at Chloe, unable to restrain her smile. "Are you calling Lex a liar?"  
  
"Is he a Luthor?"  
  
Silence. Hudson stared at her friend for a moment before glancing back into the mirror. Her nose looked crooked. Was it? She leaned closer, pushing it from side to side until she was almost positive it wasn't completely straight.  
  
"You're ignoring my question."  
  
"You mean about Lex being a Luthor?"  
  
Chloe sighed dramatically.  
  
"Oh, fine." Turning to lean back against the vanity, Hudson looked once toward the door then back to her friend. "Last night. Well, after the funeral, I ran into Lex and he. well, he was kind of upset from some things that have been going on in his life. We went back to his place and. and I made a move."  
  
Chloe's eyes flew open wide. "You what?!"  
  
"I made a move," Hudson announced proudly, nodding once, chin high. "All on my own, too. I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest I was so freaked about it! But he didn't push me away or anything - of course, the fact that I kind of begged might have had something to do with it."  
  
"What happened?" Her friend moved in close, gaze intent.  
  
"Well, we kissed. A lot. And I found out that Lex likes to have his earlobe sucked on. "  
  
"Was there touching involved? Groping?"  
  
"Y. yeah."  
  
"Over clothing or under?"  
  
Hudson didn't need to look in the mirror to know that her face was deep red. "Ummm. both."  
  
Chloe's eyes opened impossibly wider. "Did you - " She cut off when the bathroom door opened and a matronly woman entered, smiling at the two girls. They returned the smile, remaining silent, watching surreptitiously as she moved into one of the stalls, closing the door behind her. Chloe scooted closer and continued in a whisper, "Was there nakedness?"  
  
"Chloe!" Hudson whispered back in shock.  
  
"Oh, come on! You can't half share! That's teasing!" Her voice rose a little.  
  
Hudson shushed her quickly, glancing back into the restroom before grabbing Chloe's arm and pulling her over to the couch in the corner. They sat down, Chloe practically bouncing with excitement over new gossip.  
  
"Okay." She couldn't believe she was about to give her friend this much information, with which she would likely torture Hudson for the next few weeks. "Yes, there was some nakedness - "  
  
"Yours? His? Both? Is he bald everywhere?"  
  
Hudson stared at her friend in stunned silence for a moment. "I. er. Chloe!"  
  
"Inquiring minds want to know!"  
  
"Inquiring minds always want to know," she accused. Then admitted, "And I don't have that information yet anyway."  
  
"Oh. So the nakedness was on your part then." She sounded disappointed.  
  
"Yes. A little."  
  
Chloe pondered this information quietly, staring at the bright red rug on the ground at their feet. She looked back up at Hudson, eyes glowing with more questions. "Did you like it? I mean, when he touched you and stuff? Was it just hands? Or did he use his mouth?"  
  
Finding herself warming to the conversation, Hudson told her, "Mouth, too. And yes, I liked it. A lot. It was very, very nice. Lex has really soft hands and his mouth is really warm - "  
  
"I can't believe you did this, H.C.!" Her friend exclaimed, grabbing her hand. "Your parents are going to kill you!"  
  
"No, I don't think they will."  
  
"They'll kill Lex, then." Chloe considered her comment, then added, "Which, you have to admit, will make a lot of people happy."  
  
"Chloe!" Hudson glared at her friend, frustration mounting. "If you ever want me to share with you again, then you'd better lighten up on the remarks."  
  
"Christ, H.C., he's just using you for sex, you know. There's no sense in trying to make him nobler than he is."  
  
Hudson couldn't believe Chloe just said that. She stared at her angrily for the next few moments, while the woman exited the stall, washed her hands, applied some powder, then flashed them both another smile before leaving the restroom.  
  
"You don't know Lex, and you don't know anything about our relationship."  
  
"Well, maybe that's because you never tell me anything," Chloe snapped, climbing to her feet restlessly. "Either I have to guess from what I see when you're following him around town or make up with my own imagination during all the times you've blown me off to spend time with Lex."  
  
"I thought we've already covered this?" Hudson sighed in exasperation. "Chloe, I haven't blown you off - at all. I've already said I was sorry about forgetting the journalism conference, and I made up for it - "  
  
"Then why are we here, now, with Lex, instead of at the apartment eating pizza?"  
  
She shook her head. "I told Lex no. I refused his invitation. I was going to do so when he included all four of us but your cousin accepted. That wasn't my fault."  
  
"You're glad to be here, though."  
  
"Not at the moment," Hudson muttered, perturbed. She stood to look down at her friend. "Look, Chloe, the reason I never tell you what is going on with Lex and I is because you have been against our friendship from the beginning. I don't like talking about him with you when all you ever do is put him down. Sometimes you're worse than my father in that respect, and I have enough trouble dealing with him. Can't you just be happy for me? Can't you just listen and be a friend and think that maybe, just maybe, I might be a good judge of character in this instance?"  
  
Chloe was silent, pouting, arms folded defensively as she stared into the restroom. Eventually, a small smile appeared. "Well, I guess you do have a better track record going than me."  
  
Hudson laughed. "Yeah. Lex has yet to try to turn me into a human popsicle."  
  
Chloe nodded, her smile growing. She regarded Hudson silently before reaching out to touch her arm. "I'm sorry. I just. Sometimes I think we're not friends anymore. I used to be the one you always went to when you needed to talk. Now, it seems like you go to Lex instead."  
  
"Maybe you're right." Hudson glanced down at her feet, poking at the carpet with the toe of her shoe. "It's just. there are some things I think Lex understands about me that most people don't. I'm not saying you wouldn't but a lot of times, when stuff happens, he's there when I need him to be. It's just circumstances and timing." She paused and looked back at Chloe. "And, I do like him, Chloe. A lot. A lot lot."  
  
"Like love?"  
  
Hudson hesitated a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Like love. It doesn't mean you're any less important to me. It doesn't mean I don't need you. It's just. he's a part of my life now, too, and I don't want to give that up. Whether it lasts or not."  
  
Chloe drew a deep breath and then nodded. "Okay. I guess I can understand that. And I am sorry for not being more supportive. It's got to be hard, with your parents and all. You could probably use someone on your side, huh?"  
  
"You have no idea," Hudson replied in relief.  
  
On impulse, they hugged one another tightly, the past two weeks of constant bickering instantly falling away.  
  
As Chloe pulled back, she smoothed a piece of Hudson's hair down that had become misplaced. Grinning slyly, she commented, "Besides, I still want to know if Lex is bald everywhere or not."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Hudson grabbed her friend's arm, and led her back into the restaurant.  
  
Dinner went better than expected. Though the girls returned to a table of silence, Lex and Louis were at least polite to one another throughout the rest of the meal. Surprisingly, the four were able to find a few topics they all agreed on - such as movies and books and a few television shows - and the conversation flowed without interruption.  
  
All too soon, the evening ended.  
  
Gathered in the elevator that would take them down to the street, Hudson leaned back against the wall beside Lex, staring at Louis and Chloe who were standing in front of them. She felt Lex's finger accidentally brush up against hers, then realized it wasn't accidental when his pinky briefly closed around hers, squeezing slightly before letting go. Space appeared between them once more, though Hudson was left with a slight smile on her face.  
  
As they stepped out onto the street, Louis explained that he didn't feel like paying for a valet so they were parked in a garage two blocks down. Lex didn't comment as Chloe suggested she and her cousin get the car and come back to pick up Hudson so that she and Lex could say goodbye. Louis' eyebrow raised with her remark and he turned to examine Lex and Hudson closely, both of whom simply returned his stare, like matching bookends. Shrugging, he agreed and Chloe hurried him down the street, turning to call out a quick 'thank you' to Lex for dinner.  
  
"I take it she knows," Lex commented, handing his ticket to the valet before taking Hudson by the elbow and directing her to a secluded area beneath the awning of the building.  
  
"Yeah. I kind of told her." Hudson looked up into his eyes. God, they were blue tonight. "You're not angry, are you?"  
  
"Not as long as she doesn't turn this into a story for the National Enquirer."  
  
Chloe's favorite phrase 'Inquiring minds want to know', flashed through Hudson's mind and she couldn't help but smile. "No. She won't." She paused as Lex's arms moved around her waist and he pulled her close while leaning back against the wall. There was something very intimate about the gesture. She leaned into him just a little. "Mom knows."  
  
Lex's expression didn't change. "And?"  
  
"She told me to be careful."  
  
"Good advice." Lex brushed his fingers against her neck. "What about your father?"  
  
"That's. I'm working up to it."  
  
He smiled.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why are you here? Really?"  
  
His smile faded a little, his gaze dropping from her eyes to her lips and back up again. One finger trailed over her cheek. "Would you believe I missed you?"  
  
A scream of absolute joy threatened. Somehow, Hudson contained it. "Really?"  
  
Lex's brow rose slightly at her question. "Do you need proof?"  
  
Hudson was about to reply but found she couldn't once his mouth covered hers. Fortunately, his kiss was all the proof she needed. 


	12. My First Taste: Shattered

MY FIRST TASTE  
EPISODE 9  
  
'Shattered'  
  
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing Broken your servant I kneel It seems what's left of my human side Is slowly changing in me 'Down With the Sickness' - Disturbed  
  
When Lex was 7 years old, his father hosted an elaborate celebration party for the newly elected Kansas governor, Mike Hayden. Lex had been sent to his room to play with Pamela until bedtime because children were considered a nuisance - not to be tolerated until they were old enough to hold an intelligent conversation. Unfortunately, Lionel's strict and thorough education of his son was enough to have already instilled a strong interest in politics, and Lex couldn't suppress the bitterness he felt at being left out.  
  
After Pamela went to bed, Lex dressed and snuck through the mansion, making his way silently down to the party. He hid in corners and crevices, behind various pieces of furniture, until he found himself right in the heart of the party, tucked safely beneath the buffet table. For over an hour, he watched the feet of the attendees as they gathered around the table, listened to the conversations that floated down to him, acquired information about various affairs and black mailings that he could have cared less about. Only a few conversations held any interest to him - one that involved a new toy store one of his father's guests was opening in Kansas City and another about a polo pony that was for sale.  
  
Other than that, Lex was bored for the most part, sprawling on the marbled floor on his stomach, head tucked against his arms as he occasionally drifted off to sleep. Eventually, he saw his mother's low-heeled pumps approach, stopping just a foot or so from his father who was speaking with the governor about a new tax break for business owners. She announced that she was headed upstairs to check on Lex and kiss him goodnight.  
  
Lex panicked. Knowing he needed to get back upstairs before his mother beat him there, he scrambled as quickly as he could out from under the back of the table, accidentally kicking the table leg in the process. It was enough to knock over one of the candles above, right into a dish of flambéed bananas. The alcohol in the dish instantly ignited and within moments, the entire buffet was in flames.  
  
By the time the fire department departed along with the last remaining guests, Lex could barely remain on his feet from the trembling of his legs as he waited for his punishment. His father wasted little time with yelling - he called Lex a stupid, misbehaved brat and then backhanded him across the face. Lionel's ring caught his upper lip, tearing it open with the hit. Later that night, as Lex lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, the last of his tears streaming down his cheeks, he silently vowed that one day he would kill his father.  
  
Now, that day had come.  
  
Three days earlier.  
  
It was difficult to pay attention to the words on the page in his hand. Lex took a quick breath, blinked and focused again as he moved down the hall toward the study. The anger was simmering just beneath the surface, and so far, he was pleased with how well he'd controlled it. Since he returned to the mansion after the surprise announcement by his father regarding closing the Plant, Lex hadn't destroyed anything. He hadn't yelled at a single staff member or given into the desire for the childish tantrum he was longing to throw. Of course, there was too much on his mind to give in to the numerous emotions raging through him. He had calls to make, plans to devise, a proposal to put together. And somewhere, he had to locate a hell of a lot of money.  
  
Time was of the essence, and it was the one thing Lex knew he had very little of. His father was already far out in front, continuing to make his moves while Lex floundered in the background, trying to figure out where to move next. He wasn't going to lose this one - there was too much at stake. It wasn't so much that he'd found a home, it was that he'd finally taken control of his life. Lex wasn't about to let his father take that from him again. Not ever.  
  
Setting his jaw, Lex rounded the corner into the study, only to come to a halt at the sight of Hudson standing at his desk, her back to him. She'd left messages on his phone all morning, asking him to call her when he had the chance and, unfortunately, he hadn't had the chance. That, coupled with the fact that he didn't know if he could handle her questions at the moment made for an enormous amount of discomfort at the coming conversation.  
  
"Hudson, I got your messages but I've been having a bad day."  
  
She spun around at his voice and a tentative smile appeared on her face. She was holding the strange octagonal disc that his team uncovered in Miller's Field -the same one Dr. Hamilton claimed was made of something unidentifiable. His gaze drifted from the disc to her face, curious at the almost guilty expression that was present. It was possible that Hudson didn't enjoy getting caught touching things that weren't hers in the first place. He was tempted to make a comment to that effect, just to make certain she didn't do it again, but instead decided to let it go.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked, moving to meet him in the center of the room. She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him briefly before glancing up, the expression of guilt having given way to earnestness.  
  
"That's the most ridiculous question I've heard yet," Lex remarked blandly before pulling away from her embrace and moving around the desk.  
  
"Sorry." Hudson dropped her gaze to the object in her hand, twirling it around in her fingers as the silence stretched between them.  
  
Well, he might have made it without attacking his staff but apparently the same couldn't be said of the only person in this town who really seemed to give a damn.  
  
Suppressing a sigh, Lex dropped down into his chair. "No, I'm sorry, Hudson. You didn't deserve that. I'm just. on edge."  
  
She nodded before slipping into the seat across from him, still refusing to meet his gaze. She seemed fascinated by the disc, almost as much as he was.  
  
Trying to lighten the mood a little, Lex folded his arms onto his desk and leaned over with a forced smile. "Sure you can afford to be seen with the town pariah?"  
  
Hudson looked up at that, a smile hovering. "I'll take my chances." Her eyes dropped back to the disc for a brief moment before meeting his once more. "What happened, Lex?"  
  
"The two theories seem to be. " Lex leaned back in his chair thoughtfully, as if taking a moment to remember everything he'd heard so far. "Either I ran the Plant into the ground through incompetence, or did it deliberately so that I could go back to Metropolis."  
  
Hudson frowned over his reply. "But your dad already offered you a job in Metropolis. Just tell people the truth."  
  
Lex shook his head over her naivety. "Then I get stuck with the incompetence rap. Being reviled is the lesser evil."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"No. And I hope you never do, Angel," Lex replied, searching her eyes.  
  
She blinked before glancing back down at the disc that had settled into the palm of her hand. "I guess you're going back to Metropolis then." Her voice was barely above a whisper.  
  
Lex didn't want to get her hopes up, nor did he wish to see her so upset. "That's why my father orchestrated this coup," he told her with a nod. "But this isn't over."  
  
Her head popped back up, gaze curious. "You have a plan?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Sure, he had a plan. Being raised in the family he was, you were taught to always have a plan. The question was, would it work? Was it enough to get past his father, or was he still that many steps ahead of Lex? Had his father already anticipated his next move? There were too many questions. He needed to regroup, think, clear his head before he jumped ahead and possibly made a stupid mistake.  
  
He was not going back to Metropolis.  
  
"You have a lot of work to do."  
  
Lex broke from his reverie at Hudson's voice, glancing at her as she stood. Brow furrowing, he stood as well, moving around the desk to reach her before she walked away. Catching her chin with his fingers, he drew her closer to him and kissed her lips lightly.  
  
"Thanks for stopping by, Angel. It means a lot."  
  
She smiled just a little and Lex tried not to think that he was responsible for the sorrow in her gaze. They'd had so little time together the past few weeks and now with this. Damn his father!  
  
Lifting her eyes to his, she replied, "What're friends for?"  
  
"You mean besides make-out sessions on the couch?" Lex teased softly.  
  
A bigger smile. "Yeah. Besides that."  
  
Smiling for real for the first time that day, Lex drew her closer, his lips pressing against hers gently, before deepening the kiss. He found himself wishing they could go back to yesterday, before he had any idea of the upheaval that was to take place in his life. When he simply looked forward to the summer and Hudson being out of school, more afternoons and later nights to spend together. They'd been interrupted by his father's call yesterday, and today, Lex could barely think of anything other than his father - and how much he wanted to beat him at his own game.  
  
Lex broke the kiss before he became too wrapped up in it and the fact that Hudson tasted like peanut butter. He was suddenly filled with the strangest urge for a peanut butter and honey sandwich.  
  
"You'll be okay?" Hudson's expression was one of disappointment, but for once she wasn't pushing, wasn't using her innocent charm to make him let her stay.  
  
"Yeah. I'll be fine," Lex assured her, taking a step back. "Go on. I'll talk to you later."  
  
She flashed him a smile and turned to leave.  
  
"Hudson?"  
  
"Yeah?" She glanced over her shoulder.  
  
Lex pointed to her hand. "You have something of mine."  
  
She followed his gaze, her eyes widening a little as she seemed to realize she was still holding the octagonal disc. "Oh. Oh! Sorry." Hudson moved back up to him and held it out. "What is it?"  
  
"Just a scrap my team discovered in the field last week." Lex shrugged.  
  
After their conversation in the loft regarding the farmer's claim of a ship coming down with the meteors, he wasn't certain he wanted to share all of his information with Hudson just yet. While she hadn't outright laughed at him, Lex could tell that she'd been upset by his comments, probably believing he would fall for anything. As much as he tried to explain that a part of him simply needed to know what caused the meteor shower, why it happened that particular day -- why he was left bald and freakish and terribly alone - Lex didn't believe that Hudson could ever truly understand. She believed in living for today, ignoring the past, looking on to the future. And he didn't want that to change about her, not ever. He just wished that she would understand he couldn't live the same life as her.  
  
Hudson was staring at the disc as he held it, before finally raising her gaze back to his. "Well, I'm going to go and get my chores done. If you need anything. "  
  
"I know." He smiled again when she leaned up to kiss his cheek. And then she was gone.  
  
Lex lifted his hand, his eyes moving over the octagonal shape before him. Dr. Hamilton's words came back to him 'There is nothing like this alloy on this earth'. He wanted to locate Eddie Cole, question him some more; he wanted to have Dr. Hamilton conduct more research; he wanted.  
  
He had work to do. Sighing, Lex slipped the disc into a small box on his desk before going back to the file he'd been working on.  
  
Present.  
  
Hudson could honestly say that night was the first time she actually was having fun as a teenager with other teenagers. She'd already been asked to dance by two different guys - only one of which was actually in her class - and not counting Pete, with whom she giggled the entire time they danced because she towered so far above him. Chloe had her share of dances as well and, when they weren't dancing, they gathered around with Lana and Erica and talked about dresses and boys and what they were going to do over the summer. The band was an up-and-coming group from Metropolis, and though Hudson didn't recognize any of their music, Chloe said they were quickly becoming one of her favorite bands.  
  
Occasionally, as the conversation around her drifted to topics Hudson wasn't very interested in, her gaze would drop to the corsage that was tied at her wrist. Three lavender roses with tiny lilac hydrangea blossoms and an ivory colored ribbon. She brushed her fingers over the petals, smiling a little at the memory of receiving it that afternoon. Lex had said something about wanting to give her more but knew her parents wouldn't allow her to accept it. She'd been surprised to see him at all, let alone that he would bring her a corsage when there was so much going on in his life at the moment. He'd said. she was that important to him.  
  
That afternoon.  
  
Violet.  
  
That was the color of her dress. Chloe wanted her to go with black, her mother had preferred the pink, her father hadn't liked it in any color. It was strapless, which hadn't pleased him at all, and a little more expensive than what they had agreed to. Hudson produced some extra money she'd stowed away from her allowance and there wasn't much he could say after that. Her mother thought it looked beautiful on her; and she was sixteen now, so there was no reason she shouldn't be allowed to wear a strapless gown.  
  
Hudson chose the violet because it reminded her of the shirts Lex wore. Even though he wasn't attending the dance with her, she thought he would appreciate the color. Of course, she hadn't admitted as much to anyone and she loved harboring the secret, smiling to herself as her mother complimented the color on her, silently thinking how it would be her own little way of having Lex with her throughout the evening. She was such a sap.  
  
It would be another hour before Chloe arrived to pick her up. She was hiding out in the loft, safe from her dad and his camera obsession. With any luck, she and Chloe would be able to hurry off to the dance before he cornered them both, humiliating them through a half hour session of 'Kent Keepsake Photography'. As predicted, the photo album of her freshman year was almost completely filled. Hudson figured they would be purchasing a new album before spring was over.  
  
Picking up the pearl necklace her mom gave her to wear for the evening, Hudson held the clasp back with her fingernail then lifted it up around the back of her neck to secure. Unfortunately, it closed before she could slip the ring into the clasp. Frowning, she brought her hands back around, fiddled with it again, then pulled it behind her neck once more. Letting the clasp close, she let go, only to have the necklace slide over her shoulders, down her collar bone and into the front of her dress.  
  
"Hell!"  
  
Shoving her hand into the bodice, Hudson grabbed the necklace, shook it in her fist for a moment as if she could teach it a lesson, then went through the entire process again. Hearing footsteps, she sighed.  
  
"Mom, I need help!"  
  
"I'm not 'mom', but I'm always willing to come to the rescue of a damsel in distress."  
  
Hudson whirled around, smiling brightly as Lex cleared the last step into the loft, returning her smile with a slight smirk. "Lex, I thought you were holed up in the mansion?"  
  
"I needed to get out and clear my head." He shrugged as he moved closer to her. "And what do you know - I ended up here. Could you use some assistance?"  
  
She held the necklace out to him. "I've got butterfingers tonight, or something. I can't make it behave."  
  
"Turn around." He waited until her back was to him, and then looped the necklace around the front of her neck, clasping it in the back. "There."  
  
"Thanks." Hudson remained still as she felt his fingers drift over her shoulder blades, up around the top of her shoulders, then down her upper arms where his fingers closed over her skin gently. She trembled slightly when his lips pressed against the back of her neck.  
  
"You smell good," he whispered, his nose nudging the back of her ear.  
  
"That's called perfume, dork."  
  
Lex lifted his head and Hudson glanced over her shoulder to see him flashing her a frown. "Did you just call me a dork?"  
  
She nodded, turning back to face him. "I did, indeed. D-O-R-K." She spelled the words out with her finger drawing them in the air between them. "Dork."  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her. "See if I ever give you another compliment."  
  
She grinned.  
  
Shaking his head, Lex took a step back, his gaze sweeping over her. "That's a different color for you."  
  
"Do you like it?" She picked up her skirt and twirled around for him, showing off the gown.  
  
"I'd say yes but I might be called a dork for doing so." He flashed a teasing smile.  
  
Hudson stuck her tongue out at him. "What's got you in such a good mood?"  
  
Lex shrugged, moving up to her once more, one arm slipping around her waist. "I don't know. Maybe you just have that affect on me."  
  
"Or maybe you were sniffing glue in your study."  
  
Lex took a deep breath as he stared at her. "You're in rare form today. Keep that up and Chloe might kill you before the night is over."  
  
"I can take her."  
  
Smiling, Lex pulled her closer, his hands drifting over the curve of her ass. "You're not planning on secretly meeting your new boyfriend at this dance tonight, are you?" Lex asked softly, his gaze intent on hers.  
  
"And what if I am?" Hudson teased, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. They swayed a little, as if dancing.  
  
"Then I might have to get jealous and angry," Lex warned, only half-teasing as he leaned in closer, his mouth hovering over hers.  
  
"And break things?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Hudson shivered a little as his lips brushed lightly across hers, warm breath tickling the edge of her upper lip.  
  
"I'd have to teach you who you belong to," he continued, tongue moving out to caress the corner of her mouth. "So that you never forget."  
  
A sound escaped her throat, a whimper maybe, before Lex completely claimed her mouth with his, tongue quickly pushing past to meet hers, twisting around it. Her fingers curled into the material of his coat, just so that she had something to hold on to, fearing that he might, at any moment, let go of her waist and she knew she couldn't hold herself up. Her toes were curling; his kisses had a way of doing that to her.  
  
Lex broke the kiss, trailing a few brief pecks over her lips before finally pulling away. He smiled at her. "You're getting better at that."  
  
"I have a good teacher."  
  
"We're going to have to resume those lessons soon." He reached into his pocket and held out his hand to her. In it sat a clear plastic container, a spray of fresh flowers inside. "I brought this for you."  
  
"Oh, Lex!"  
  
Sweeping it from his hand, Hudson opened the lid, pulling out the wrist corsage of lavender roses and lilac hydrangeas. It matched her gown perfectly.  
  
She lifted her gaze to his. "But. how did you know what color I was wearing?"  
  
Lex smirked. "A little bird told me." At her frown, he added, "I can't divulge all my secrets, Angel. Then there would be very little mystery left. I wish I could give you more but your parents. " He trailed off and shrugged.  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson slipped the corsage onto her wrist, admiring it for a moment before looking back up at him. "Thank you, Lex. It's perfect. And much more than I expected. I mean, with everything going on right now, I didn't think I'd even see you. "  
  
Cupping her face with his hands, Lex held her gaze silently as his thumbs moved over the line of her jaw. Finally, he replied, "I don't care what's going on in my life, I don't care how many factories my father closes or what kind of hell he is currently raising, nothing is more important to me than you. Nothing. "  
  
Present.  
  
The longer Lex stood there, the wind howling around him, the walls of the castle creaking beneath the strain, his father calling out to him, the more reasons he came up to just leave his father there, to walk away, pretend there was nothing he could do. And it had to do with more than the scar that was permanently affixed on his lip, the one that would always remind him of just what a bastard his father really was. It had to do with more than the fact that he hadn't been allowed to properly mourn for his mother's death (Luthor's don't cry! Stop acting like such a child, Lex!). The list went on, would probably go on for the rest of his life, because Lex was almost certain his father would outlive him, just out of spite, just so that Lex never forgot what it was to be properly humiliated and kicked while he was down. This could be his only chance to be free.  
  
So whatever it was that spurred him to move, to shove aside those thoughts and change his mind, Lex didn't question it. Deep inside, he knew that it was right - he couldn't let his father die. For whatever kind of bastard Lionel Luthor might be, he was still his father and the only family Lex had left. If he lost him now, Lex would never have the chance to show him that he was worthy, that he was good enough. He would never have the chance to make his father proud.  
  
"Dad!" Lex called out to him, moving forward in the hope that he would be able to pull the fallen debris from his father and get him to safety.  
  
At that moment, the wind seemed to grow fiercer and the ceiling above cracked and groaned and more debris began falling around them. Lionel cried out as more chunks of wood and plaster flew toward him.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
Lex panicked, fearing he moved too late. A large piece of plaster slammed into him, knocking him off of his feet. He scrambled to his knees, reaching for his father, who now lay silent and unmoving beneath the column.  
  
One day earlier.  
  
Lex believed that the meeting with the managers of the Plant had gone well. Though they weren't one hundred percent convinced that his plan would work, none of them had outright refused. And Gabe. Lex had a feeling Chloe's father might be his staunchest supporter. There was something in the man's eyes as he listened to Lex's proposal that slowly changed from disbelief to hope. It was something, at least. If Gabe believed in him, then he might be able to fully convince the others. And they might have a chance.  
  
Everything was based on if's at the moment, and Lex hated that. He wanted certainty, he wanted to know absolutely that he would be able to beat his father at this game, that he could walk into LuthorCorp Monday morning, hand over his proposal and a bank draft, and walk out with the ownership papers. But his father would never allow it to happen that way; Lex knew he had to prepare for every eventuality. And that was why when Lex next glanced down at his watch, it was already one o'clock in the morning and he was still staring at stock reports, calculating numbers and plotting his next move. He knew he wouldn't sleep - hell, he probably wouldn't be able to do so until he finally secured his future away from his father. The bastard.  
  
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Lex rubbed at his eyes for a moment, silently willing the exhaustion he felt to go away. He was already irritable enough, something which Dodd would likely vouch for considering the dinner his cook prepared for him ended up all over one of the kitchen walls. Maybe that would teach Dodd the next time Lex says he doesn't want to eat, no amount of coddling will get him to do so. Fuck, sometimes he wondered if he wasn't worse than his father.  
  
"You should be in bed."  
  
Lex sighed. "Don't you start in on me, too, Hudson. I'm not in the mood."  
  
"Ouch. Sorry."  
  
Dropping his hand away, Lex looked up to see her standing in the doorway of the study, a plastic coffee cup in her hand. "Besides, I'm not the one up past my bedtime."  
  
She rolled her eyes and walked into the room, her long legs carrying her over to the desk quite quickly. "I don't have a bedtime, Lex. Here. Lana and I were doing homework at the Talon so I brought you some cappuccino."  
  
Lex took it gratefully from her hand. He might not be hungry but caffeine in large doses was a very good thing. "Thanks." Lifting the lid, he took a tenuous sip, surprised at how warm it still was, and then glanced up at her. "Aren't your parents going to worry about where you are?"  
  
"They think I'm with Lana," she replied with a wave of her hand. "I could be gone for days and they wouldn't worry as long as I'm with her." Hudson leaned over to peer at the monitor screen. "What's all that?"  
  
"Curious much?"  
  
Lex set the cup down and pushed out from his desk slightly, holding out his hand in invitation. Flashing him a smile, Hudson slipped onto his lap, curling against him as he wrapped his arms around her.  
  
Kissing the top of her head once, Lex nodded a little toward the figures in front of them. "That is me."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The sum of everything I'm worth - trust fund, stock in LuthorCorp that I inherited at eighteen, the small return on investment out of the Talon so far." He hated admitting that the whole of his life could be summed up with dollar signs and stock figures. It's what he amounted to - the Luthor heir.  
  
Hudson leaned out of his embrace a little, drawing closer to the screen. "Holy shit, Lex! That's a lot of money!"  
  
He sighed. "Not enough, unfortunately."  
  
She turned back to him, her gaze searching his. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm ten percent short of what I need to proceed with an employee buyout of the Plant." Lex watched her for a moment before looking back at the figures. "I've asked the other managers if they're willing to go in with me - basically put their savings and retirement on the line and take a chance. Either this notion of mine is pure brilliance. or absolutely the stupidest thing I've ever done." Hudson drew his gaze as she shook her head. "What?"  
  
"Oh, I can think of much more stupid things you've done, Lex."  
  
He stared at her before responding, "I'd slap you upside the head for that remark but I'm too tired."  
  
Hudson flashed him a brilliant smile, the kind that Lex quickly learned he couldn't ignore, couldn't say no to, couldn't help but feel as if the world just might be a better place as long as she's in it. "Just trying to make you feel better."  
  
"Usually people turn to Hallmark for such a thing."  
  
"Which would you prefer - a card or me?" She sat up and held out her arms, presenting herself.  
  
Lex sighed again in resignation. "The card would be less mouthy."  
  
"Pot meet Kettle." She took his hand and shook it in hers.  
  
He didn't have the strength to fight the smile that appeared. "What would I do without you?"  
  
"You'd spend the entire evening staring at that screen instead of relaxing." Hudson tugged at the top few buttons on his shirt.  
  
"What are you - "  
  
Lex broke off when her mouth pressed against his collar bone, tongue snaking out to trail over his skin as her fingers moved beneath his shirt. It was on the tip of his tongue to protest but Lex knew that a few minutes weren't really going to make a world of difference in locating the money he needed for the buyout. No one else was up at this time to call, there were a few emails he simply had to wait for replies to and. well, it was difficult to ignore the eager mouth that was currently attached to his neck.  
  
The past week hadn't afforded them much opportunity for time alone with Hudson studying for finals and Lex's on again, off again need to berate himself for allowing a relationship to occur between them in the first place. Lucky for him (or unlucky, depending on his mood), Hudson was tenacious - now that he had given in, she wasn't going to let him back out. Lex couldn't decide if he was pleased with that aspect of her personality or not. Sometimes it caused him to feel a little out of control, which he hated, and at other times he thought he was the one manipulating the relationship, leading her down a path she should have never discovered. He refused to consider whether or not he was pleased with that thought.  
  
When Hudson's mouth closed over his, Lex gave in to the desire burning through him, and silently repeated to himself that he could spare a few minutes. Tangling his fingers into her dark hair, he slowly stood, never breaking contact with her mouth as she slid off his lap to her feet and he pressed her backwards, around the desk, across the study and onto the couch. He tried not to think about how good it felt to lie over her, their bodies rubbing against one another, or how much better it would be if there were fewer clothes separating them. He had to remind himself: Stop thinking, Lex. Just enjoy.  
  
His fingers slipped easily beneath her t-shirt but the jeans she wore were another matter. One day Lex was going to have to explain to her the joy of women in skirts. But for now he fought with the button that didn't wish to cooperate and the zipper that tried to take a hunk of skin from his knuckle. Pushing her shirt up, Lex moved away from her mouth to rain kisses over her stomach while his fingers brushed against the skin just above the edge of her panties. The day's events quickly melted away as he lost himself in the scent of her skin, the soft whimpers from her throat, the continual bucking and squirming of her hips. It'd been years since he'd actually 'dry humped' anyone and Lex couldn't figure out why the thought of doing so with Hudson seemed so. charming. Maybe it was simply the idea of doing something potentially naughty with someone so blatantly innocent.  
  
Lex knew he wouldn't be able to refer to Hudson as innocent for long. She would always be an innocent compared to him - and god help anyone who tried to take that from her, as Lex would have to kill them. But there was a sensuality to her that couldn't be denied. The sexuality that resided within her was screaming for release, and the power that came with being the one to ultimately give that to her was practically overwhelming. If Hudson were anyone else, Lex could train her to use that inborn power to conquer every man she came into contact with. Fortunately, she belonged to him now and Lex would prefer to lose a thousand battles with his father than allow another man to ever touch her.  
  
Present.  
  
"H.C.?"  
  
Turning at the voice, Hudson flashed a smile at Whitney as he appeared beside her. "Hey, Whitney. Having a good time at the last dance of your high school career?"  
  
He grinned and shrugged as his gaze wandered around the dance floor, crowded with students. "Strangely enough, I think I'm going to miss this place."  
  
"One week in Aggieville, and you'll forget all about Smallville High."  
  
"You have a point." He gave her a smile. "Wanna dance?"  
  
Hudson glanced over at Lana who was laughing at something Erica said. "What about Lana?"  
  
"She knows. Besides, she's too busy talking to dance right now. Come on."  
  
Taking her hand without an answer, Whitney tugged Hudson out to the dance floor, moving their way through the crowd until they were closer to the center. Slipping an arm around her waist, he took her hand into his and began swaying to the music. Hudson didn't know what to say so she just danced silently with him, her gaze moving over the students around them, wondering to herself how she could be having fun, yet still feel so out of place.  
  
"Sometimes I forget how tall you are."  
  
Hudson pulled from her reverie to glance back at Whitney. "Oh. Yeah. You're like only the second guy I've danced with tonight who was actually as tall as me."  
  
"The coach must be clamoring for you to be on the basketball team daily," Whitney teased.  
  
"Something like that." Hudson was embarrassed by her height. She couldn't seem to get over that, even when Lex called her beautiful.  
  
"You know, H.C., I haven't been the nicest guy to you this past year and I just wanted to say. well, thank you for sticking by me." He offered a brief smile. "It seems like you're always there to protect any one of us when we need someone, even if we don't deserve it -- "  
  
"Whitney," Hudson broke in, her face flaming with discomfort over the acknowledgment. "I just - "  
  
"Stop. Stop the music, please. Excuse me for a second. Can I have everyone's attention please?"  
  
The music stopped as the vice principal moved up to the microphone. Hudson glanced at Whitney once, who shrugged at her questioning gaze, before they both turned their attention to the stage.  
  
"Um, thank you. The National Weather Service has just issued a tornado warning. Apparently three funnels have been spotted heading toward Smallville."  
  
Murmurs broke out through the crowd as Hudson looked over her shoulder to find Chloe, Pete, Lana and Erica moving up beside them.  
  
"Now, uh, please, everyone stay calm. The twisters are going to set down south of here, but for your own safety, we are going to move everyone down into the basement."  
  
Hudson turned away as he began calling out instructions to get the students in line and down the stairs to the safety beneath the building. Heart hammering her chest, she glanced toward the exit. While she knew her parents were used to seeking cover during tornado season, she wasn't as certain with Lex. Tornadoes rarely ever touched down in Metropolis - he might not be prepared.  
  
"I have to get to Lex," she mumbled, moving past her friends.  
  
"H.C." Chloe grabbed her arm. "I'm sure Lex is fine. Come on. We'll call him before we reach the basement. My purse is by the door."  
  
"Yeah. I'm sure he's fine," Whitney agreed as he began guiding Lana toward the stairs.  
  
Hudson watched as her friends fell in line with the others, then sped her way out of the gym toward the mansion. She feared Lex might have too many other issues on his mind than to worry about the storm around them.  
  
Four days earlier.  
  
Hudson wandered into the open stables, her eyes widening as she glanced around the previously unexplored building. From the fourteen foot stalls to the polished wood and carpeted floor beneath her feet, it certainly didn't resemble any stable she'd ever entered before - though she'd seen a few like it in magazines. It also didn't smell much like a stable, and she couldn't help but wonder if Lex had more people on staff working in the barn than in the mansion.  
  
Setting her backpack down as she moved over to the first occupied stall, she peered in over the door. Hudson also never realized that Lex actually owned horses, which left her curious as to why he invited her over that afternoon to meet in the stables after school in the first place. Apparently he was full of surprises. She clucked to the thoroughbred in the stall, holding out her hand to him as he warily approached. After sniffing at her fingers, he moved in closer and Hudson caressed his nose. He was a dark chestnut color, with four white stockings and stood a good 17 hands tall.  
  
"Like what you see?"  
  
Starting at Lex's voice, Hudson jumped away from the door guiltily, only to come to a surprised halt at the vision that greeted her. Lex was standing at the entrance, dressed in beige riding breeches, tall, shiny black boots and a light blue long-sleeved pullover that clung to his chest and shoulders. She'd seen him dressed in many different styles of clothing but this. God. If she hadn't been in love before, she sure as hell was now. Hudson barely even noticed that he was moving closer, and he could have been sticking his tongue out at her or something and she never would have known because she couldn't stop staring from shoulders down. The breeches were. well, little old ladies might have referred to them as obscene.  
  
"Hudson. You're catching flies."  
  
"Huh?" She glanced up at his comment, wondering at his smirk until he reached out and touched the tip of her chin, pressing upwards to close her mouth. Oh. "Oh. Ummm. Hi. Lex."  
  
Lex chuckled. "You never fail to amuse me, Hudson."  
  
She couldn't decide if that was supposed to be a compliment or not. Then Lex leaned in and kissed her and she decided it didn't really matter anyway. He caught her upper lip gently with his teeth, tugging just a little before letting go. Hudson suppressed a whimper as he pulled away, moving closer to the stall.  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
That I want more, dammit! Oh. He was talking about the horse. "He's beautiful. I didn't know you had horses." Hudson took a step closer to Lex, reaching out to pet the gelding's cheek as he leaned his head over the stall door.  
  
"I don't get much chance to ride anymore but I didn't feel like giving them up." Lex stroked his hand over the soft nose. "This is Bonaparte. I've had him since I was fourteen." Taking her hand in his, Lex led Hudson down the corridor, stopping beside the fifth stall. "This is Cleopatra."  
  
Hudson looked over the door to see a sleek, black mare staring back at her. She smiled. "Oh, Lex! She's beautiful!"  
  
"I thought you'd like her." He held out his hand and the mare immediately walked over him, nickering softly as she pressed her nose against his fingers. "She belonged to my mother. She's seventeen now but still a challenge to ride. My mother always loved the fact that she never seemed completely tamable."  
  
"Did you and your mother ride together a lot?"  
  
Lex grew silent, his gaze on the mare a moment longer before he turned and continued down the hall, replying quietly, "Occasionally."  
  
Realizing she had accidentally wandered into territory that Lex didn't generally invite people to share, Hudson clamped her mouth shut from asking further questions and hurried after him to the last occupied stall. The gelding inside was shorter than the others, and nickered instantly when he saw Lex, hurrying over to be petted. Hudson couldn't help but smile at the obvious affection shared between horse and owner.  
  
"And this is Ulysses, my polo pony," Lex introduced, allowing a slight smile as the gelding nudged his shoulder, knocking him slightly off- balance.  
  
"He's pretty." Hudson patted the silver neck.  
  
"One of the best polo ponies in the country."  
  
Somehow, Hudson wasn't surprised by that information. Though she had never actually seen a complete polo match, she could easily imagine how nice this particular pair must look on the field together. "Do you think you'll ever get back into playing polo regularly?"  
  
"Only if I quit my job at the Plant and become the wastrel I was back in Metropolis," Lex replied blandly.  
  
"That's ridiculous." Hudson shook her head. "You can't work all of the time. You have to put at least a little time aside for recreation and fun."  
  
Lex looked over at her, a smile hovering. "I thought that's what I was doing now."  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes with a smile, causing Lex to chuckle. She gave the gelding a final pat before leaning back against the stall door to regard him for a moment. "You never cease to surprise me, Lex."  
  
"Then we're even," he remarked, glancing away from her, watching Ulysses.  
  
The tone of his voice was too serious to be teasing and Hudson vaguely realized that his comment wasn't meant as a compliment. She suppressed the sigh that threatened at his continual reference to her secrets and turned back to petting the gelding. Silence fell between them, broken only by the occasional snort from one of the other horses in the stable and the buzzing of the cicadas outside. It was on the tip of Hudson's tongue to just excuse herself and go home to do her chores when Lex moved up beside her, slipping his arm around her waist and giving her a soft smile.  
  
"Ready to go riding?"  
  
His mood swings were just one of the tiny inconsistencies regarding Lex Luthor that Hudson was attempting to grow accustomed to. "You're going to expect me to ride in one of those tiny little English saddles, aren't you?"  
  
His smile grew. "Is there any other way to ride?"  
  
She poked his chest with her finger. "This is Kansas, pal. The Old West. We ride in Western saddles."  
  
"Pal?" He repeated incredulously as he grabbed her hand in his, kissing the tip of her finger. "I don't believe anyone has ever called me 'pal' before."  
  
"You're changing the subject, Lex."  
  
"Am I?" He kissed her finger again, his thumb caressing the palm of her hand as he held it. "Or are you just afraid of riding in a saddle that doesn't have a handle?"  
  
"Oh, that's it!" Hudson flashed him a look of mock outrage. "I can ride anything you can ride - and better, too!"  
  
Lex laughed and let go of her hand to pull her against him. "Sounds like a challenge, Miss Kent. Should we make a wager?"  
  
"As long as it doesn't involve cars or large sums of money."  
  
Raising an eyebrow at her reply, Lex tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before trailing his fingers through the length of it over her shoulder. "Hmmm. Then what do you have to offer that I would want?"  
  
There were too many responses that she could formulate in reply to that question. Shoving each of them aside, she grinned up at him. "The chance to take me to the Spring Formal!"  
  
Lex barked with surprised laughter. "As honored as I would be to have you at my side, Hudson, I'm not dance material. Not to mention, we would be the talk of the town the next morning." He turned to move towards the tack room.  
  
"According to Chloe and mom, we already are."  
  
Stopping Lex glanced back at her. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Sighing, Hudson grabbed her backpack from the floor and walked over to him, setting it on a hay bale. "Mom told me that some of our customers have been making comments to her and dad about my being friends with someone so much older and more sophisticated and how it doesn't look good. I guess Mr. Keighley said something like that and dad almost hit him."  
  
Lex frowned but remained silent.  
  
Hudson continued, "And Chloe said she heard some of the jocks say - " She cut herself off quickly, realizing that Lex probably wouldn't want to hear the very rude comments that Chloe had repeated to her. "Well, you don't want to know what they said."  
  
Turning to face her, Lex placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing lightly. He tried to smile but it didn't come out right. "Now do you see why this is a bad idea?"  
  
"No, not really." Hudson shrugged. "I mean, if they were already talking about us that way when we were just friends, what's the difference? What's that song? Let's Give Them Something to Talk About." She grinned.  
  
Lex seemed to fight rolling his eyes, and lost the battle. "What am I going to do with you?"  
  
She smiled, looping her arms around his neck. "Kissing me would be a good start."  
  
"Do you deserve a kiss?"  
  
"I always deserve a kiss. "  
  
Present.  
  
Fields flew past her as Hudson sped her way across town from the school to the Luthor estate. As she neared her destination, rain turned to hail, littering the ground beneath her in ice. She knew she was close. Just as she was about to slow her speed something very large and heavy slammed into her from the opposite direction, picking her up off her feet and flinging her through the air. She landed hard against the ground, glancing up just in time to see the car that had hit her now sailing towards her. Hudson kicked her legs upwards, catching the car as it fell into her and tossing it back. Scrambling to her feet, she glanced around.  
  
The wind was blowing so hard around her that sticks of hay and twigs were saying through the air like missiles. They hit her skin and bounced off but she actually felt the strength of their impact. Her dad once told her about a tornado that came through Smallville when he was a kid and hit the farm. Pieces of hay were lodged into the side of the barn. Now she understood what he meant.  
  
Looking ahead, Hudson saw the funnel only a few yards away from the castle. Screaming Lex's name in fear, she broke into a run once more, determined to get to him, tornado or not.  
  
Yesterday.  
  
The scary part hadn't been the explosion of the farm's truck. While it had been surprising when Hudson turned the ignition key only to have flames erupt around her, she'd never felt a moment's fear. Instead, she calmly kicked the door off, climbed out and discarded her burning t-shirt before her bra decided to catch fire as well. What upset her most about the incident was the idea of telling her parents that one of the most important vehicles on the farm was completely destroyed.  
  
No, the worst was yet to come. Hudson's scariest moment from the explosion came later that day when she stopped by the Talon to drop Lana's English notes off to her. That was when a reporter from the Inquisitor approached her, knowing about the accident, asking her about it. And it wasn't just that he knew the truck had exploded - he somehow knew that she was in it at the time. His knowledge was almost enough to throw her off, enough to cause her to make a mistake. She'd hesitated in her reply to him, only to be saved by Lex's appearance. Luckily, Lex had enough experience with reporters that he'd been able to chase the man, who introduced himself as Roger Nixon, right out of the coffeehouse.  
  
Hudson seriously doubted that a reporter was simply hanging around the farm for no reason and just happened to see the explosion. If he knew about it, then it was very possible he set it up.  
  
Why did these things have to happen to her? Why couldn't she just have a normal teenage life with homework and a boyfriend and late night cow- tipping escapades? Instead she was an alien from another planet, dating an adult male, whose father was one of the richest and most powerful men in the world and seemed to like to prove that to his son over and over again. And don't leave out the part that it was the arrival of her ship that caused her twenty-two-year old boyfriend to lose his hair. He, of course, knew none of this.  
  
God, her life would make a great Lifetime TV movie.  
  
Hudson returned home to find her dad working in the shed, her mother sitting on the table beside him, sipping at a cup of tea while they talked quietly. As she silently watched them, t was hard not to feel as if their lives would be so much easier, so much more peaceful if she wasn't around. They wouldn't have to constantly feel the need to protect her, protect the family. No more would they be forced to suffer the fear that her secret would be revealed, that she might end up in a lab somewhere. That they could lose her. It was difficult not to consider the fact that the life of every person Hudson knew would be better off simply if she wasn't in it.  
  
Her father was the first to notice her standing in the shadows. "Hi, honey."  
  
Taking a few steps forward, Hudson opened her mouth to speak and promptly shut it.  
  
Jonathan frowned. "Something wrong?"  
  
"A journalist from the Inquisitor wants to do a story on me," she told them quietly, dropping her gaze to the floor. "He. he knows I was in the truck. I don't think it was an accident...I think he set it up... To test me." She lifted her eyes, darting her gaze between her parents to watch their reactions.  
  
"How'd he know you'd survive?" Martha queried.  
  
Hudson gnawed her lower lip. "He must have seen me do something before."  
  
Her father sighed and turned away for a moment and Hudson knew what had to be going through his mind - this happened before. Would the cycle never end?  
  
Panicking, she blurted, "Ever since Phalen I've been so careful!"  
  
"H.C., it's not your fault," Jonathan assured her quietly as he turned back to face her.  
  
She felt like crying. "What do I do?"  
  
"Carry on like everything's fine. Go to school, go with Chloe to the dance, and if this reporter's really got something, I'm sure he'll come talk to us."  
  
Martha nodded in response to her husband's advice.  
  
Hudson knew they were right. She had to continue living her life - she couldn't just hide out in the storm cellar like her ship. Not just because some tabloid reporter was threatening to write a story about her. And blowing up their farm equipment. Sighing, she turned to leave the shed, then remembered the other bit of information she hadn't shared with her parents yet. She knew they would panic, especially since they didn't know Lex as well as she did. Still, it was their right to know.  
  
As if sensing her indecision, her mother called out, "Is there something else, honey?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, Hudson turned to face her parents. "I think Lex has a piece of the spaceship."  
  
Jonathan frowned, staring at her intently. "Are you sure?"  
  
"I saw it on his desk," she replied quietly with a nod. "It's the missing piece. He must have found it in the field. I doubt he suspects anything but. you know how persistent Lex can be. He'd never hurt me but -- "  
  
"It's not Lex that worries me," her father broke in. "It's the people around him who could hurt you, H.C. The people he could expose you to."  
  
"He can't trace it to us," Martha commented, shaking her head. "We have no cause to worry yet."  
  
Nodding in agreement, Jonathan added, "You're mother's right, sweetheart. We'll just keep our heads low. When you do your chores, don't use your abilities. And whatever you do, stay away from that storm cellar.."  
  
Present.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
Lex reached his father as the ceiling continued to creak and groan above him, the howling of the wind around him increasing. His hands scrambled for purchase around the column in an attempt to lift it but it was quickly proving to be too heavy for him. Below him, Lionel squirmed, trying to dislodge himself from beneath the debris. There was a loud snap and his father looked up, crying out in fear or warning, causing Lex to follow his gaze just as more debris began raining around them as more of the ceiling began to give way.  
  
A piece of molding broke off, slamming into Lex's shoulders and knocking him to his knees. He blinked against the wind, vision blurred, as he searched once more for his father.  
  
"Dad!" He called out, only this time his call was met with silence.  
  
Panic filled him as he found his father's still form. No, he couldn't be too late.  
  
"Lex! Lex, where are you?!"  
  
Hudson. Somehow, he knew she'd come. He knew she would be there when he needed her.  
  
"Hudson! Help me!" Lex screamed above the wind.  
  
She appeared at the door, a vision in tattered violet. For some reason, it reminded Lex of the night of the Smallville High Homecoming, when he'd found her stumbling along the side of the road and they'd danced. He had yet to actually see Hudson remain in untouched perfection for more than a few minutes - if her clothes weren't torn or dirty, then her hair needed to be brushed or a smudge of dirt marred her cheek.  
  
"Lex!"  
  
Hudson moved quickly to his side, seemingly immobile against the winds, ignorant of the flying and deadly debris that swirled around her. Lex knelt there, motionless as she approached, slightly awed by the fact that the world seemed to move around her, or she moved through it, and neither saw fit to interact with the other. Maybe she wasn't even a part of it - maybe she was just a figment of his imagination.  
  
"Lex, are you all right?" She asked, reaching for him.  
  
Her question seemed to snap him out of the fugue he'd settled into. "My father!" He pointed to Lionel. "You have to help me!"  
  
Nodding once, Hudson moved around Lex, motioning to Lionel's shoulders. "Grab him and pull when I give the signal."  
  
Lex had no idea what she planned on doing but he did as she instructed, grasping his father beneath his arms and looking up to watch in disbelief as Hudson took hold of the column, set her feet apart and lifted it upwards. She looked quickly to Lex, nodding for him to remove Lionel from beneath the structure and he did so automatically.  
  
Letting the column fall back to the floor once Lionel was out of harm's way, Hudson ran to Lex's side, taking the burden from him and pushing him towards the door. "Go to the underside of the staircase. We'll be safe there!"  
  
Following her instructions, Lex stumbled and half-crawled his way out of the study and toward the overhang of the stairs. His vision continued to grow blurrier, a dull throbbing in his head making it difficult to heed much of the atmosphere around him. He collapsed against the wall, whimpering as the back of his head hit a little too hard and stars exploded once more behind his eyes. As the pain settled, he reached up to brush sweat from his forehead that kept dripping into one eye, only to pull his hand back and discover blood covering his fingers. Oh, that was why Hudson seemed so upset.  
  
"It's almost over."  
  
Lex looked up at her voice to see Hudson kneel beside him. His father was lying prone beside them. He tried to focus but he was too dizzy and nauseous to do so. "My father. "  
  
"It'll be all right," she assured him quietly, soft fingers moving against his cheek. "I'll get help for both of you."  
  
There was something he needed to ask her, but at the moment, Lex couldn't remember what it was. He blinked, trying to focus on her face. "Hudson. I. "  
  
"Shhhh." She leaned over and kissed his forehead, pressing a cloth over his eye where he discovered the blood. "Relax. You're safe."  
  
He reached out for her but the world tilted suddenly and he gasped a little at the sensation. His eyes shuddered closed. "Hudson. how did you. "  
  
Darkness claimed him.  
  
To be continued. 


	13. My First Taste: Shattered, Part 2

MY FIRST TASTE  
  
EPISODE 9  
  
'Shattered' - Part Two  
  
so please say you'll stay  
  
I swear that I'm a good man  
  
it's gonna take a little time  
  
if you're waiting on a sign 'Waiting on a Sign' - The Tea Party  
  
When next he opened his eyes, Lex looked up to find a blonde woman, with a round face, leaning over him. He frowned, wincing with movement of his facial features. "Wh - where's Hudson?"  
  
"Miss Kent went home to check on her family. She said she would contact you later, Mr. Luthor."  
  
"My. father?"  
  
"They're loading him into the ambulance now. Do you think you can sit up?"  
  
Lex nodded pulling his arm from the medic's grasp when she went to help him. He didn't need help. Painkillers, that's what he needed. And a bottle of single malt scotch. He drew in a deep breath as he sat up, willing the sudden wave of nausea that swept over him away. For a few brief seconds he simply sat there, staring down the hall where a clutter of papers, glass and bits of wood lay scattered over the floor. The evening's previous events were vague, at best. Lex remembered that he and his father were arguing, then the window shattered and wind swept through the room.  
  
"A tornado. " He muttered, glancing down at his hands which were covered in small cuts and bruises.  
  
"A couple of them touched down in Smallville," the medic supplied, packing some bandages into her bag and zipping it shut. "The entire county is a mess - people missing, dead. The medical centers are packed." She stood. "They're ready to transport your father. You need to visit the ER as well."  
  
He felt her grip his shoulders and this time Lex didn't struggle as she helped him to his feet. His father. his father had been trapped beneath the column and he'd. Lex blinked. He'd hesitated. He'd considered letting his father die there, just to be rid of him, just to be free. Just so his life could be a little easier. What kind of son did that make him? What kind of person?  
  
"Mr. Luthor. ?"  
  
Glancing up, he nodded as the woman held out her arm to help him to the ambulance. He walked past her, gingerly making his way down the hall, over the debris, silently praying that he didn't trip or fall or stumble because god, his head hurt and everything around him kept moving and. and he'd considered killing his father.  
  
"How did you find us?" Lex asked absently, details wavering in and out of his mind. Briefly, he couldn't even remember how long ago he'd awakened. The argument with his father seemed like a lifetime ago.  
  
"Miss Kent called us. She stayed until we arrived."  
  
Hudson.  
  
She was always there when he needed her.  
  
There was something significant in that thought but Lex couldn't recall what it was. Something he was supposed to remember. He reached up to rub at the pounding in his forehead only to encounter a thick bandage. An injury - a cut to the head and a lot more blood than he'd expected. Hudson touching his cheek, assuring him that he was safe. And his father promising to bury him and everyone in Smallville who took his side. The memories were all jumbled together, none of them making sense. He had to think, he had to.  
  
Lex pinched the bridge of his nose as they reached the ambulance. Fuck, that hurt.  
  
Another medic met them beside the doors and once more offered help to Lex as he moved to step up into the truck. Pushing his arm aside, Lex grabbed hold of the side and pulled himself up, swaying a little as he took a few deep breaths, once more stilling the waves of nausea. He froze just inside the door, staring at the still form of his father lying on the gurney before him, his body strapped securely to the backboard beneath him. A third medic leaned over him, checking his vitals, before glancing up at Lex.  
  
"Sit here, Mr. Luthor," he offered as the doors closed shut behind them and Lex heard the engine start up. "We'll be to the medical center soon." He paused, and added as if in assurance, "Your father's going to be all right."  
  
Lex sat down on the bench beside the medic heavily. His father was going to live. but he had hesitated. He went from wanting his father dead to not wanting him dead.  
  
And now, Lex couldn't decide what he wanted.  
  
***  
  
After the medics arrived to see to Lex and Lionel, Hudson sprinted to the back of the castle. Once out of sight, she sped her way home to the farm. Slowing as she reached the end of the driveway, her heart sank as she looked around at the destruction that covered her home - it was obvious that one of the tornadoes passed through there as well.  
  
"Mom? Dad?" She called out, her gaze sweeping over the house, x-ray vision peering past the walls to see both floors were empty. Hudson took a few steps toward the barn, once more using her sight to see inside the structure. "Mom? Dad?"  
  
A noise toward the shed caused her to turn in that direction quickly, hope springing through her. But what emerged through the fallen walls wasn't human at all - it was a scruffy, brown fur ball covered in mud and leaves.  
  
"Arf! Arf!"  
  
"AJ!" Hudson ran toward the puppy as it hurried toward her and she scooped him up into her arms, hugging him tightly as he covered her face with licks from his soft tongue. "I'm so glad you're safe! Come on. Let's see if mom and dad made it to the storm cellar."  
  
Tucking AJ under her arm, Hudson hurried around the shed until she could see the entrance to the storm cellar. She stopped abruptly, heart hammering in her chest when she saw that the door was wide open. Slipping AJ onto the ground, Hudson ran toward the cellar, the puppy chasing her heels.  
  
"Mom! Dad!"  
  
Speeding her way down the stairs, she immediately found her mom lying unconscious beside the shelves. Kneeling down beside her, Hudson x-rayed her body to check for any signs of broken bones before she finally noticed the hubcap beside her mother's head. Where had that come from? Glancing around, she took into account the other various odds and ends that were unfamiliar to her - obviously debris that came in through the opened cellar door during the storm. Why was it open? And where was her dad?  
  
"Mom?" She touched her shoulder, shaking her gently. "Mom, wake up."  
  
Stirring at the voice, Martha opened her eyes before turning her head to glance up at Hudson. "H.C.? Honey. we have to find your father!" She struggled to sit up, using Hudson for support as she reached up to touch the bump on her head. "He was outside when the tornado hit."  
  
It was on the tip of Hudson's tongue to ask what her father was doing out there but she knew her mom was hurt and she had to take care of her first. "I have to get you to the hospital." She helped her mom to her feet.  
  
"No, no! Hudson, you don't understand!" Martha grabbed her arm, shaking it a little. "Listen to me! That reporter was in the cellar!"  
  
Hudson blinked with her mom's words. "Nixon?"  
  
"He videotaped the ship," her mom told her, her voice rising in panic. "He's going to expose your secret, H.C.! Your father chased him out into the storm!"  
  
Already moving toward the steps, Hudson replied, "I've got to go find him," before glancing over her mom's shoulder to the ship. Her eyes widened. "Mom, where's the ship??"  
  
Martha turned to follow her daughter's gaze, her hands clutching against Hudson's arm as she stared at the empty space that was once filled with the ship Hudson arrived in. She swung her gaze back to her daughter, shaking her head. "I. I don't know! It. it activated while Nixon was here. There were lights and it was floating. " She peered toward the exit. "Do you think. ?"  
  
Running her hand through her hair, knocking bobby pins from it as she did so, Hudson shook her head without a response and turned, taking the steps two at a time. There would be time enough to worry about the ship. Some matters were more immediate at the moment. "I have to find Dad. "  
  
Hudson spent the rest of the evening until far past dusk searching the surrounding area for her father. When her dress was finally overly torn and tattered and impeding her progress, she quickly sped to her room, changed her clothes then hurried back out to the barn to search for a flashlight and try again. It took some convincing before her mother finally left for the hospital to have her head looked at from the injury sustained during the storm but once there, Martha called and left a message to say she was going in to town to help with the establishment of a rescue shelter at the Talon. Hudson knew her mom's real reason for being there - in the hope that someone might have seen or found Jonathan and taken him to the hospital if he needed it. There had to be news out there somewhere - Hudson refused to believe that Jonathan Kent would have allowed himself to get too close to the funnel.  
  
Hearing footsteps, Hudson jumped up from the box she was rifling through and stumbled her way over the clutter toward the door hopefully. "Dad?"  
  
Lex stepped in, stopping for a moment to stare at her before continuing forward. "Hudson. I ran into your mother at the hospital. She told me about your dad."  
  
Nodding, Hudson moved up to meet him, allowing herself to lean a little against him as he pulled her into his arms. "I've searched every acre of this place and. nothing. I'm going to have to check the woods next." Lifting her head from his shoulder, she reached up to touch the bandage covering the cut above his eye. "How are you?"  
  
"Fine." Lex caught her hand, pulling it away and kissing it before holding it tightly in his. "I'm all right," he insisted when Hudson continued to stare up at him. "Really."  
  
Accepting his reply but knowing that even if Lex were internally bleeding, he wouldn't tell her about it, she nodded and asked, "And your father? How is he?"  
  
"Not so good." Lex held her a moment longer before stepping away and walking over to a pile of debris, crouching down to sift through the various odds and ends, his back to her. "Ruptured spleen, swelling in his vertebrae, damage to his optic nerve." He sighed and stood, turning back to Hudson as he wiped his hands against the front of his trousers. "It's my fault."  
  
"What? You control the weather now, too?" Hudson teased lightly.  
  
Lex shook his head, his gaze dropping to the ground between them. "I hesitated. He was lying there, trapped, calling out to me and. and all I could do was think to myself that maybe my life would be better off if I just left him to die."  
  
Hudson swallowed and looked away, trying to imagine what it would be like to have a father that actually caused you to consider thoughts of patricide. Sure, she'd been angry at her dad before, felt he treated her unfairly but she'd never once considered not having him in her life. The truth was, she couldn't imagine not having Jonathan Kent as a part of her life. Which was why his disappearance had her so frightened.  
  
Turning back to Lex, she saw that he still seemed unable to bring his gaze back to hers. She walked over to him, reaching out for his hand. "What's important is that you did try to save him, Lex. Your thoughts. They were only fleeting, a momentary consideration. It doesn't mean anything."  
  
"Maybe I waited too long." Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand over his head, shaking it. "Either way, my dad won't accept the outcome. He'll probably see my changing my mind as some form of weakness." Lex finally raised his eyes to hers. "Good thing you showed up when you did."  
  
Hudson forced a smile, wondering how much he remembered. "Yeah. Good thing." She turned to go back to her flashlight search.  
  
Lex followed her. "Just. how did you get that column off my father? I recall attempting to move it myself and I couldn't."  
  
She'd been taught for so long to come up with plausible lies that the words flowed as easily from her mouth as the truth, "It must have been because of your injury - it really wasn't all that heavy. I used. there was a piece of wood, like a two-by-four. I used it for leverage. Don't you remember?" Finding the flashlight, she spun back to him and smiled brightly. "I need to get back out there. " She started past Lex.  
  
He grabbed her by the arm, stopping her progress. "Hey."  
  
Worrying her lower lip, Hudson met his gaze. Please, Lex, she thought. Please, don't start asking me questions now. I don't think I can handle it. "Yeah?"  
  
His fingers moved over her arm, caressing it lightly. "Do you have an extra flashlight?" Lex nodded his head toward the doors. "I'd like to help you find your dad."  
  
Relied washed over her. Smiling brightly at Lex, Hudson handed the one she held to him before going back to the box to grab another. Surely with both of them looking, they would find her dad. Moving back to Lex, she flashed him another quick, grateful smile before heading out into the darkness while he followed on her heels.  
  
They didn't speak as they moved across the property toward the woods, Hudson casting furtive glances at the house that stood dark and silent at the edge of the driveway. She was certain that at any moment, the porch door would swing open and her dad would walk out, demanding to know where his dinner was and why Hudson had been ignoring her chores all evening. Actually, she would have given anything right then for him to yell at her for something silly like not wanting to finish her homework or spending too much time on the computer talking to Chloe or being at Lex's far too late in the evening.  
  
Hudson was pulled from her thoughts when she felt Lex take her hand as he fell into step beside her. She glanced up at him as he squeezed her fingers. His eyes were dark, the half moon reflecting off of them. She could barely discern a slight tilt of his lips in the shadows that fell across his face. She wanted to express how grateful she was that he was here beside her now when he should have been at the hospital, worrying about his own father, but she couldn't find the right words to say it. Besides, she knew Lex would likely shrug it off and what needed to be said felt more important than that. So instead, Hudson simply curled her fingers around his and held on tightly.  
  
"We'll find him, Hudson. Your dad's strong. He'll be okay."  
  
"I know." She gnawed on her lower lip before glancing back out at the woods as they approached. A twig snapped under her foot, the crack piercing the silence around them. Even the insects seemed hidden tonight.  
  
"How was the dance?"  
  
Hudson blinked at the question before turning to look at Lex who flashed her a quick grin, teeth and all. She felt the first bubble of laughter since that afternoon. "It wasn't half bad. A couple of guys asked me to dance and stuff."  
  
"What were their names?" Lex asked blandly, his gaze sweeping over the trees as they passed beneath them, the moon above them disappearing behind the leaves. "I need to add them to my blacklist."  
  
"Oh, please." Hudson giggled, elbowing him in the side.  
  
"Ow!" He danced away from her a little, rubbing the area where she barely tapped him. Pointing to his bandage, he told her, "Be nice. I'm injured."  
  
"That's convenient."  
  
Lex shook his head. "You're so mean to me."  
  
Smiling, Hudson grabbed his hand once more and pulled him back to her before focusing her attention on the woods around them. The area was littered with clothing, shingles, siding in various colors, cancelled checks from as far east as Kansas City. She moved her flashlight over the swath cut through the trees in front of them - a good hundred feet wide from edge to edge. Here they were forced to carefully make their way over felled trees and torn underbrush. Hudson knew that she could have made better time without Lex slowing her down but she was grateful for his company, grateful for his help. Whatever her dad might say about him, proof of his character existed in the fact that he was here now, helping her family when they needed it most. And he hadn't offered by writing a check, either. She would have to point that out to her dad when they found him.  
  
"Dad!" She called out, sweeping her flashlight ahead where the path of the funnel seemed to end. "Dad!"  
  
Dropping her hand, Lex moved twenty feet away from her, keeping the same course as he flashed his light through the opposite section of trees. "Mr. Kent!... Mr. Kent!"  
  
At the end of the path, the debris became thicker. Here the funnel deposited every item it had collected during it's destruction of Smallville. Hudson jumped when she stepped on a doll that squealed at her, sounding almost indignant in its protest. Frowning a little, she knelt down to see if she recognized it but the doll didn't appear to belong to any of the children she occasionally babysat. Standing back up, she brushed the mud that collected on her fingertips onto her jeans and looked around for Lex.  
  
He was standing a few yards in front of her, staring up into the trees. Lifting her flashlight to follow his, she wandered over beside him, examining the car that lay hood down in the treetops above. Well, there was something you didn't see everyday.  
  
With his close perusal of it, Hudson couldn't help but ask, "Do you know whose car that is?"  
  
Lex looked over at her, as if he hadn't realized she was there. "No." He glanced around, peering through the darkness. "But I think we can cover more ground if we split up."  
  
He was right, though Hudson worried about him stumbling around out here in the dark. Lex suffered a bad concussion earlier that day -what if he became dizzy and fell down, hurting himself further? Of course, she couldn't say anything about it because it would only anger him, the thought that she might consider him weak, so staying close to him was her only option. But they might never find her dad if she didn't take the chance to leave him for a few moments.  
  
"Okay. I'll meet you back here in half an hour." She turned to go, then stopped and turned back, moving over beside Lex to lean up and kiss his cheek. "Thanks for being here. It means a lot to me."  
  
"You're welcome, Angel," he replied, cupping her cheek, his thumb moving over her jaw lightly. "Thank you for being there for me earlier."  
  
Smiling, Hudson kissed him again then moved away, heading off deeper into the trees, following a trail of debris until she was far enough away from Lex to break into a run. Speeding through the woods, she covered over half a square mile of ground in seconds, stopping only when she reached the edge of the gorge that bordered their farm and Lana's aunt's property. Taking a deep breath, she peered over it, forcing herself to ignore the fear that swept through her over the slight drop in front of her as she swept her flashlight across the ground. Relief moved through her when she realized it was empty, save for a few shirts, three shoes and a mailbox. For the moment, Hudson was still certain that her dad was safe.  
  
Glancing at her watch, she knew she was early but decided to head back to where she left Lex anyway. She didn't want to risk the chance of him causing himself further injury and she could just tell him she only planned on checking the gorge. Hudson didn't believe her dad was in this area anyway - something didn't feel right.  
  
Moving through the trees, she kept her mind focused, listening for any sounds that might be out of the ordinary. That was when she heard Lex's voice. Wondering if he might have found her dad, she hurried forward, slowing only when his voice became clearer.  
  
"Nixon? You still there?"  
  
Heart hammering in her chest, Hudson continued into the swath of flattened trees, staring at Lex's back until he whirled around, his eyes meeting hers. There was just the slightest flash of guilt in his gaze before he quickly masked it.  
  
"Hudson. I was just trying to call the fire department, see if we can get a rescue team out here," he explained.  
  
Hudson stilled the anger that washed through her at his blatant lie. She yanked the phone from his hand, checking the display. Unfortunately, it was dead. "No you weren't. I heard you talking to Roger Nixon," she practically spat before meeting his gaze. "My mom said he was snooping around the farm today. He's the reason my dad wasn't in the storm cellar - safe where he was supposed to be!"  
  
Lex's face paled in the partial moonlight. "Hudson, I didn't know Nixon was involved in this - "  
  
"Why should I believe you?" She demanded, not wanting to accept the fact that Lex could be responsible for her dad's disappearance. Nor was it easy to deal with the realization that this was Lex's second lie to her regarding Nixon - yesterday in the Talon he pretended not to know who he was. Her gaze narrowed. "You already lied about knowing him once!"  
  
The admission of guilt reflected through his silence. Lex opened his mouth to speak, but it was a moment too late.  
  
Pain tore through her. "That's the second time you hesitated today, Lex," she commented softly, her fingers curling around the phone. Had she been wrong about him all along? "I'm beginning to wonder if what my dad says about you is true."  
  
That seemed to snap Lex out of the silence that had fallen over him. As Hudson turned to leave, he called out, "Angel, wait. You're tired and upset and - "  
  
Hudson whirled around, angrier than she thought she could ever be with Lex. Every kindness she had ever visited upon him, every moment that she stood up for him to someone else, explained away his actions and choices, the sneaking behind her dad's back so she could have a relationship with him - it all seemed like a waste suddenly, like a joke. Maybe Pete was right. You can't trust a Luthor.  
  
"Don't try to turn this around on me, Lex!" She shouted at him. "I've seen you do this to other people - you get caught in your own lies and you turn the guilt on to them. Well, I'm not going to let you do that to me. This is about the accident on the bridge, isn't it?" She glared at him, waiting for a reply, another excuse but Lex remained silent. Setting her jaw, Hudson demanded, "Are you really here to find my dad or to find Nixon?"  
  
The shock of her question registered in his expression. "Do you even have to ask?" His voice was soft, hurt.  
  
Hudson didn't feel like examining the fact that Lex truly appeared regretful. Tossing his phone back to him, she snapped, "I don't have time for this!"  
  
Spinning on her heel, Hudson headed back out to look for her dad, ignoring Lex's plaintive calls behind her.  
  
***  
  
The sun was just peering over the horizon when Hudson returned to the house. Her mother was sitting on the porch, sipping at a cup of coffee; Lex's car was blessedly nowhere in sight. AJ ran up to meet her as she entered the yard. Hudson paused for a few moments to lean down and scratch the puppy behind the ears and accept a few licks to her hand before she continued on to join her mom on the steps. They remained in companionable silence the next few minutes while the sun slowly rose, casting an orange glow over the farmland. One of the horses nickered from the pasture.  
  
"Chores need to be done," Martha commented softly. "Do you want me to make breakfast?"  
  
Hudson shook her head. "I'll have toast later."  
  
For once, her mom didn't argue with her unhealthy choice of breakfast. "I saw Lex at the hospital last night. Lionel is in bad shape."  
  
Frowning, Hudson dropped her gaze to her jeans, noticing for the first time a tear in the right knee. Her fingers played with a string that dangled from the hole. She'd spent a good part of the night recalling the discovery of Lex on the phone with Nixon as she searched for her father. A part of her wanted to find a viable excuse for his lies to her but in the wake of her dad's disappearance, she just couldn't bring herself to do so. Maybe this was what you got for having blind faith in someone. After all, Lex lied to her before regarding the Nicodemus flower. Why should she expect any different from him?  
  
After a brief silence, Hudson nodded. "Yeah. He came by last night to help look for dad. "  
  
Martha glanced over at her. "He must have left early. I got in before midnight and didn't see his car."  
  
"We had a fight. I don't know what time he finally left."  
  
"Honey, I'm sorry." Her mom laid her hand over her knee.  
  
"I'm not." Hudson stood abruptly, startling AJ who had been chewing on an old shoe at the bottom of the steps. He barked once as he searched the yard for an intruder. She stared down at the puppy before shoving her hands into her pockets and wandering to the edge of the porch. "I'm afraid dad might be right about Lex." She looked over her shoulder to find her mom frowning in her direction.  
  
"H.C., what - ?"  
  
"Lex knows Nixon," she replied before Martha could finish her question. "He lied to me about that the other day. And. and last night I caught him talking to Nixon on the phone."  
  
"What?" Her mom set her coffee cup down with a loud clatter and jumped to her feet. "Did he say where he was? Where your father is?"  
  
Hudson shook her head. "The phone was dead by the time I grabbed it. Lex seemed to be asking Nixon where he was when he lost the connection."  
  
Martha watched her for a moment before asking, "Did he explain why?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Hudson demanded. "It all goes back to the accident and Lex's eternal need to know what happened that day."  
  
"Do you. Do you think he suspects anything?"  
  
Frowning briefly, Hudson shook her head. "No. No, I think he's more confused than anything. I mean, we spend a lot of time together and. no, he's never given any indication that he suspects the truth."  
  
"He also never gave any indication that he knew Roger Nixon."  
  
Her mom had a point. But no, Hudson still didn't believe that Lex was anywhere near believing that she was an alien. If anything, he might wonder if she's been affected by the meteor rocks the same as so many others. Hopefully though, he wasn't even that close to the truth. Such a suspicion might cause him to dig even deeper, and that could put him in danger, just like so many others. God, she was supposed to be angry with him and now she was worried about Lex getting hurt. Just whose side was her heart on?  
  
". Lex's explanation?"  
  
Blinking, Hudson turned to face her mom. "What? I'm sorry. I wasn't listening."  
  
Martha sighed, as if it was something she was used to hearing from her daughter. "I asked what Lex's explanation was about Nixon?"  
  
"I. well, we didn't quite get to that part," Hudson admitted. "I yelled a little and then walked off."  
  
Her mom smiled a little. "You truly are your father's daughter, aren't you?"  
  
That comment caused Hudson to blanch. How many times had she begged her dad to give Lex the benefit of the doubt? How many times had she accused her him of not seeing Lex's side of things? She remembered the expression on Lex's face when she hinted at him being there to look for Nixon and not her dad. The hurt, if nothing else, had been real.  
  
"I need to get in to town," her mom told her, bending over to pick up her discarded mug. She cast another glance at Hudson. "Are you going back out to search?"  
  
Hudson nodded, her thoughts torn between her dad and her conversation last night with Lex. "Yeah."  
  
"I've already put in a call to the Sheriff. A search party will be here by eight to help." She moved across the porch to stand beside Hudson, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. "I'll be at the Talon. Will you be all right here alone?"  
  
"Sure." Hudson looked over at her mom and smiled a little. "It's going to be okay, right?" She didn't know if she was asking about her dad or Lex or everything.  
  
"Of course it is," Martha replied, returning her small smile. "We're Kents. We're survivors." She kissed Hudson's cheek then pulled her close for a tight hug. "Do the chores and have some breakfast, okay? By then the search crew should be here and they can help you look for your father."  
  
Frowning a little as her mom pulled away and headed for the back door, Hudson asked, "You aren't going to stay and help?"  
  
Martha looked back at her before dropping her gaze and giving a brief shake of her head. "I need. I want something to do. I need to focus on someone else's problems for a few hours."  
  
Hudson nodded in reply as her mom stepped into the house. She found herself understanding that necessity only too well.  
  
***  
  
"Considering the amount of damage done to all three floors of this wing, I'd estimate construction taking a good four weeks, Mr. Luthor."  
  
Standing in the entryway, Lex frowned as he looked over at Kenny Dakotas, the head foreman with Walker Construction. "Not good enough. I want it done in two, no more."  
  
The foreman shook his head. "Mr. Luthor, my crew would have to work around the clock - "  
  
"Then they work around the clock," Lex snapped, wondering why the pain killers he took an hour before, and the shot of vodka he swallowed them down with, already seemed to have worn off. "I'm paying you to make this place livable again. Not to sit around and sip tea. If that's a problem, I'm sure there's another construction company in the county that would be all too happy to oblige."  
  
Great way to make friends, Lex. Kenny glared at him for a moment before looking away. "Of course, Mr. Luthor. Two weeks it is."  
  
Nodding once, Lex stalked away from the foreman, heading down the hall toward the study.  
  
After leaving the Kent farm the night before, Lex returned to the castle to brood, only to remember that his favorite brooding spot looked more like a demilitarized zone than a study. Electricity had yet to be restored to this section of Smallville, and no amount of calls to Kansas Electric was going to change that. He ended up wandering through the halls in the dark until he finally found Dodd sitting in the kitchen, sharpening knives by candlelight. Lex hadn't bothered commenting on the danger of such an undertaking. His cook tended to do odd things.  
  
Over the next hour that they sat together, Dodd informed him that all of the members of the staff were safe and accounted for. Being that it had been Saturday, most were home for the weekend and only two lived in the path of the tornadoes. The gardener was working when the storm hit, and quickly took shelter in the stables, before heading home to check on his family. Dodd had been. out. He didn't offer any other information on his whereabouts, as was typical, only commenting that it was lucky the Kent girl was around. Lex didn't bother telling him that she seemingly appeared out of nowhere.  
  
Now, as Lex wandered into the study for the first time since the storm, he found himself recalling the events of the day before. He clearly remembered attempting to lift the column and not being able to do so. Just when any rescue of his father appeared hopeless, he'd looked up to find Hudson standing in the doorway, as if completely oblivious to the storm around her. It could have been a fanciful imagination on his part but Lex swore he could remember pieces of debris glancing off of her like a brick wall. Frowning at the image in his mind, Lex's gaze swept over the destruction of the room.  
  
Kenny suggested a complete overhaul of the design, updating the look and feel of the study, including new doors and pushing the archway back that led up to the balcony library. The stained glass windows were going to cost thousands to replace and Lex knew his father wasn't going to be too pleased with the amount of irreplaceable antiques that were destroyed. Then there was the pool table, which had a tree branch the size of Lex's thigh lodged through the center of it. Oh well, the felt needed to be replaced anyway.  
  
Trying, in vain, to ignore the column that lay in the center of the room, Lex finally allowed his attention to focus on it, searching for a moment for the two-by-four Hudson claimed to use to move it. While there were innumerable pieces of wood scattered around the room, none of them seemed to match the description of what Hudson would have needed in order to complete her task. He could be missing something, or the wind could have swept it away. Anything was possible.  
  
Lex had no idea how long he stood there, staring at the column, before he finally moved forward and crouched down beside it. There was no way he was going to find the answers he was searching for unless he tried it himself. Why he was putting it off, why it seemed as if he was ignoring the viable solution, was beyond him. Maybe his injury was clouding his logic. Sighing, Lex slipped his arms beneath the column, finding the most comfortable grip, then set his weight in his legs and attempted to stand, just as he remembered Hudson doing.  
  
He made it an inch. Maybe two, if he was generous. Wincing under the weight, he let it fall back to the floor, painting chipping off of it as it hit. Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Lex closed his eyes and ran through all possible explanations in his head. It was possible that she used a two-by-four as described and the storm swept it away when they left the room for shelter beneath the staircase. Just as it was possible that a contingent of little gnomes had hurried in beneath their noses, lifting the column for them in order to save his father.  
  
Fuck, he needed a drink.  
  
"Mr. Luthor?"  
  
Lex glanced up to see Dodd walk through the doorway - or what was left of it - carrying a large scroll of some sort in his hand. "What is it, Dodd?"  
  
The cook looked over the room for a moment with a frown before dropping his gaze to Lex. "The staff is going to expect overtime if you want them to pick up this mess."  
  
"Funny." Lex stood. "Do you have anything important to say? Or did you decide to regale me with your comedy act?"  
  
"I have the map you wanted." Dodd unrolled the paper in his hands, pointing with his thumb into the northwest corner. "There's a cell tower located here - probably the one Nixon would have been getting power from. Its position would indicate he could be found in this square mile here."  
  
Lex stared at the map. "And Jonathan Kent might be there as well."  
  
Dodd nodded. "What do you think Nixon was after?"  
  
"No idea." Lex shook his head as he took the map from Dodd's hands and rolled it back up. "He's unstable. I've known that since he first approached me. I should have taken care of him then."  
  
"I can do it," Dodd offered.  
  
"We'll talk once Mr. Kent is safe." Lex clenched his jaw. "If need be, then I'll carry through the threat I made to Roger when we first met."  
  
Dodd was silent for a moment before commenting, "Makes you wonder what Nixon felt was so important to brave a storm and Jonathan Kent's wrath for."  
  
Lex glanced back over at the column and narrowed his eyes. "That it does."  
  
Though Lex had the feeling he would never find out. Their track record already proved that Hudson was as likely to be completely honest with him as he was with her. So why did he keep going back? Because she single- handedly changed his life that day at the bridge? Because he simply couldn't help himself? Or was it something deeper? Something that pulled at him, that drew them to one another, whether it be mystery or chemistry or love. Lex might never find the answers to his questions but that didn't mean he would ever stop trying. And it certainly didn't mean that he could ever forget about Hudson and simply move on.  
  
After showering and changing his clothes, Lex took the map with him and headed back to the Kent farm. He might not be welcomed there, not after last night, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. It didn't mean he didn't want to help find Hudson's father. Jonathan Kent might not like him, might not trust him - and maybe he had viable reasons not to - but that didn't change Lex's respect for the man. If his own father were more like Hudson's, then maybe Lex would be a different man, too.  
  
When he arrived, there was no one around. The house was empty, as were the barn and shed. AJ greeted him with a few happy barks and a wagging tail and Lex was pleased to know there was at least one being at the Kent farm that didn't find reason to cause blame. He crouched down and petted the puppy for a few minutes, wishing that humans had the same capacity for such unconditional love before standing and walking back to his car. Hudson was likely still out searching for her father, Martha might be with her. He would just wait for one of them to return.  
  
During the interim, Lex called Metropolis General to get an update on the specialists he requested to fly in and examine his father. They would be there within the hour. He called the castle next to speak with Dodd regarding the repairs to the castle and the files he needed recovered from his laptop for the employee buyout of the Plant. Lex had no doubt that the injuries sustained would slow his father down in making certain he didn't succeed with his plan to reopen the factory. The storm only placed a momentary hold on the proceedings. Lex needed to be prepared to hit the ground running the moment his father was able to speak with Dominic. In fact, he planned on making his case to the Board before that happened.  
  
Dodd informed him that the technician arrived and was already retrieving the files needed when Hudson emerged from the barn, which she apparently entered from the opposite end. Ending his call, Lex slipped the phone into his pocket and stepped away from the car to meet her.  
  
"Hudson. "  
  
"What do you want?" She snapped, immediately veering out of his path to head toward the house.  
  
Lex sighed, hesitating a moment as he wondered why he thought she might have forgiven him all on her own over night. AJ barked while scurrying past him to run happily in circles around Hudson's feet as she walked. Remembering his thoughts on unconditional love, Lex started after Hudson.  
  
"I should have come out and told you the truth right away, Angel. I do know Roger Nixon," he admitted, coming to a halt, hoping she did the same. "I was just trying to protect you."  
  
Hudson stopped, her shoulders tensing at his words. She turned around, her expression one of extreme frustration. "Protect me from what?" Her tone was laced with exasperation, impatience.  
  
Glancing away, Lex found himself forming the words that he thought would work best for the situation. "Before the tornado, Nixon approached me. He offered to sell me information about your family."  
  
He wasn't lying; he just wasn't offering her everything. Where was the harm in that? If she asked, he would tell her what she wanted to know. But it seemed easier, less confrontational, if they didn't get into details about his association with Nixon. Besides, he was afraid that if she knew everything, Hudson might want nothing to do with him anymore. He might lose her for good, and he just couldn't allow that to happen.  
  
She frowned as she stared at him. "What kind of information?" She asked, her voice lowering.  
  
"That doesn't matter now, Angel," Lex replied, not wanting to admit that he really didn't know. He had his suspicions as to what Nixon was up to, what he was leading to, but he doubted that the man had any conclusive evidence. Nixon's greatest flaw was that he was too cocky, too sure of himself, and had been so from the moment Lex first met him.  
  
"The man's a liar," he continued, wondering to himself how much Nixon really lied and how much he told the truth. "He'll do anything for a story."  
  
Hudson didn't seem convinced.  
  
"I warned him to stay away from your family," Lex told her, hoping that meant something. "When I saw his car, I. I realized he might have had something to do with your father's disappearance."  
  
Fear flashed across her features at his words. Lex realized he didn't like seeing that, didn't like seeing Hudson scared. He wanted to reach out to her but didn't know if she would accept it.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me before?" She demanded.  
  
"I didn't want to alarm you unless I knew for sure." Not to mention, he knew she would react like this, he knew she would accuse him of things that she simply didn't understand. Deep inside, he was afraid she would think he was as insane as he sometimes felt.  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson looked away from him, her mouth drawn tightly into a frown. "You know, Lex, I don't know what to believe anymore."  
  
This was his chance; Lex could sense her softening. "Believe that I care about you, Hudson. And I would never do anything that would bring harm to you and your family."  
  
At least, intentionally. Now wouldn't be a good time for her to remember the herd or the Nicodemus flower or numerous other infractions that he somehow got pulled into the middle of.  
  
Reaching out cautiously, Lex took her hand. He waited just a moment before he finally felt her fingers curl against his, and then he tugged a little and she moved toward him, sinking into his embrace. Relief flowed through him at Hudson's capitulation and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, kissing the top of her head as she rested it against his shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry," he told her quietly. "I never meant to hurt you."  
  
Hudson sighed. "I know." Her arms moved around his waist. "I'm sorry I blew up at you last night. It's just with my dad missing and then you - "  
  
"Don't apologize," Lex cut in quickly. He didn't need more guilt. Soon he would end up telling her everything and then they would be back to square one. It was better to forget and move on.  
  
Kissing her forehead, he pulled away and started back toward his car. "I've got something to show you." Reaching in, he pulled out the map and moved back to Hudson who walked closer to him. Lex rolled it open, explaining, "This is a cellular frequency grid. I had my people look into it."  
  
Hudson glanced over at him, brow furrowed in confusion.  
  
Lex pointed to the location Dodd showed him earlier. "Only one cell tower survived the storm, meaning Nixon, and possibly your father, had to be within a one mile radius of where we were last night."  
  
She took the map, her gaze scanning it.  
  
"I don't know if it will help," Lex added, watching her. "But it's worth a shot."  
  
Nodding, Hudson rolled it back up and turned to face him. "It's something. Thank you, Lex."  
  
Silence fell between them. Lex slipped his hands into his pockets, glancing down at the ground as AJ plopped between them, dropping a piece of bark between his paws which he apparently was chewing on. The puppy looked up at both of them, tail flopping against the dirt, causing dust to rise up. Lex lifted his gaze back to Hudson to find her staring off into the woods, near the area that they entered through the night before. She was worrying her lower lip, expression thoughtful.  
  
"Is there something I can do?" He asked.  
  
She glanced over at him, blinking as if startled from her thoughts before shaking her head. "No. This is good." She looked down at the map in her hand before meeting his eyes once more. "How's your dad?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "The same. I'm meeting with the doctors in a few hours to discuss the options for surgery. They seem optimistic."  
  
"That's good." Hudson shifted her feet, causing AJ to jump to his and search for anything suspicious in the area. "Well, I'd better go call mom and tell her about the map - "  
  
"Can I help you search?" Lex touched her arm, bridging the distance between them. "Something. "  
  
"We'll be fine." She flashed him a hesitant smile. "You have your own father to worry about."  
  
"That doesn't make me any less concerned for yours."  
  
Hudson didn't reply.  
  
Maybe there was no fixing this. Lex wondered if he screwed up beyond the point of receiving her forgiveness. There wasn't much more he could do, apart from beg, and he wouldn't lower himself to doing that for anyone, not even Hudson. If he were the type to beg, he would have done so with his father long ago. Pulling his keys from his pocket, Lex watched her a moment longer before taking a step back toward his car.  
  
"Well, I'd better get going. I hope the map helps. If you need anything. just call."  
  
There was no reply. Hudson still stood there, twirling the map between her hands as Lex moved away. He reached his car door when he heard her call out, "Lex?"  
  
Turning, Lex found her hurrying over to him, stopping just a foot away, her gaze intent on his. "Yes?" He tried his best not be hopeful.  
  
"I. " She trailed off and gestured toward the map. "Thank you. Really."  
  
Shrugging, Lex replied, "It was nothing. I wish I could do more."  
  
"I know."  
  
Hudson leaned forward then and brushed her lips over his - just a chaste, sweet kiss but it meant more to Lex in that moment than she could have possibly understood. Everything was going to be okay. He saw that as she pulled back, the familiar light of trust and caring, that he had grown accustomed to seeing, returned to her eyes. Having it back now made him more determined than ever not to lose it again. Reaching out to brush her hair back off of her shoulder, Lex gave her a small smile.  
  
"I'll see you later?" She asked.  
  
"Yes." He nodded.  
  
"Call me when you hear about your dad, okay?"  
  
"I will." His fingers played along the skin at the side of her neck. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to hold her until the anxiety he still felt burning inside went away. Instead, he dropped his hand back to his side and pulled open the car door. "Take care, Angel."  
  
Hudson stepped away as he slid into the seat and started the engine. As he pulled down the driveway, Lex looked in the rearview mirror to see her still standing in the same spot, hugging the map close to her, watching him speed away. She was still there when he pulled onto Hickory Lane and headed toward the hospital.  
  
***  
  
Lex hated hospitals. Ever since the meteor shower and he was forced to undergo test after test, poked and prodded, unsympathetic nurses and doctors who stared at him like some kind of freak show. And just when it seemed to be over, his mother became ill, and it was back to the hospital again. It was even worse to see her go through the torture and embarrassment of being subjected to so many needles and x-rays and strangers prying into her life. Especially when, in the end, they could do nothing for her. After her death, Lex found he held very little respect for medical doctors. They seemed more like undertakers - searching for brutal and humiliating ways to extend their patient's lives when they knew there was little hope of saving them.  
  
Shifting in the uncomfortable chair of the waiting room, he glanced at the clock on the wall to see it had only been an hour since Doctors Davis and Hurwitz, the specialist from Metropolis, began his father's surgery. One hour. Before going in, they told him it could take as long as eight before they were finished. Fuck. He hated waiting. Hated sitting there, unable to do anything, while his father's life lay in the hands of utter strangers. They didn't care if he lived or died or was ever able to walk again. They got paid either way.  
  
Too, they didn't have anything to make up for. Not like Lex did.  
  
Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he stood and wandered down the hall to the vending machines, glaring in disgust at the crap the distributors tried to pull off as food. He finally located a granola bar, but when he took a bite out of it, it was only to discover it was dry and slightly stale. Taking a chance on the coffee, Lex waited until the little cup filled before taking a hesitant sip. God, wasn't it illegal to charge people to drink hot shit? And if not, it damn well should be.  
  
Tossing both the barely touched coffee and old granola bar into a nearby trash can, Lex stalked his way back to the waiting area. He didn't feel like going all of the way to the cafeteria, where the food was only minutely better than what he'd just tried to eat. There were too many people in hospital cafeterias, and he just wasn't in the mood to deal with a crowd, whether anyone spoke to him or not.  
  
Leaning his head back against the wall behind him, Lex spent the next few minutes counting the ceiling tiles above. His mind wandered from numbers to money and the amount of capital that still needed to be raised in order to follow through with the employee buyout. Christ. How could he sit here and think about business while his father was in surgery?  
  
"I thought I'd find you here."  
  
Lex glanced up to see Dodd slipping into the seat beside him. He was never surprised when the man showed up out of nowhere. Kind of like Hudson. "Where else would I be?"  
  
Dodd shrugged. "I thought this might interest you." He pulled out a folded piece of paper and opened it, handing it to Lex.  
  
"It's a map." Lex glanced over the markings, noting a few landmarks of Smallville but otherwise, the layout was different.  
  
"A copy of an older one, yes. Nineteen twenty-five to be exact."  
  
"So? What does this have to do with anything?"  
  
Dodd pointed to Hobson's pond and a structure beside it. The number on the marking corresponded with a church along the index. "That cell tower would be over here, about a quarter mile away."  
  
"I didn't see a church near there."  
  
"No, you wouldn't. It was destroyed in the meteor shower in eighty-nine. But, according to the clerk down at city hall that I was talking to, an old crypt was built beneath the church, which is still there." He shrugged. "It's possible that Mr. Kent knows about the crypt and sought shelter there. Nixon might be with him."  
  
Lex frowned over the possibility, wondering what the conversation between them must be like. Mr. Kent, Roger Nixon. Lex hired me to do some digging into your family. This is the same man who claims to be a friend. You're right not to trust him.  
  
Sighing, Lex folded the paper and placed it in his jacket pocket. "Thanks. I'll get out there right away and see what I can find."  
  
Dodd stood with him. "What about your father?"  
  
Lex glanced down the hall toward the doors that led to surgery. "He'll be hours still. There's nothing I can do here. I might as well go and try to be of some use to someone."  
  
"Need help?" Dodd asked as they walked through the corridor.  
  
"No." Lex exited the main entrance, heading toward his Ferrari. "See if you can learn anything more - call me if you do. And try calling the Kent farm - tell Mrs. Kent what you've found and that I've gone out searching for the crypt."  
  
As Lex reached into his pant's pocket for his keys, he felt Dodd grab his arm. Turning, he glanced down to find the man pulling a gun from his coat. "Here, take this."  
  
"Think that's really necessary?" Lex looked up to make certain there was no one nearby.  
  
"Don't take any chances," Dodd told him, placing it into his hand. "If Nixon really believes he has a story, he's likely to do whatever it takes to keep you from ruining that for him. For all his bravado, he's scared of you, Lex. And a frightened dog, backed into a corner, will turn on you."  
  
"Let's just hope he hasn't turned on Mr. Kent." Lex shoved the handgun into an inner pocket of his jacket and slid into the car.  
  
Lex headed out of the hospital onto Main and straight on to Hickory, past the Kent Farm towards Hobson's pond. The Hobson's at one time owned the largest farm in Smallville, their property spreading north over a five thousand acres. Throughout the decades, the children lost interest in farming and moved on to the city and little by little, the property was sold off, a good chunk of it now owned by LuthorCorp. The name of the pond remained though, and Hudson once told Lex it used to be her favorite swimming spot in the summer. Her and her dad also fished for catfish there. Lex couldn't imagine swimming in a dirty pond with catfish but the memory brought an enormous smile to her face, and he hadn't been about to ruin that with a snide remark. He envied her ability to get so much joy out of such a little thing.  
  
Pulling on to the dirt road that led back in to the woods toward the pond, Lex drove little more than half a mile in until he realized he couldn't take the car much further. The ruts in the road were meant for four- wheelers and work trucks, not sports cars. Bringing the car to a stop, he climbed out, pocketed his keys and pulled out the map to get his bearings. He'd passed by the pond the other night, so he knew it was to the west of him, about two hundred yards. According to the map, if he headed east, he should pass directly within sight of the old church foundation.  
  
The storms that came through cooled off the air, making the hike much easier than it might have been if the humidity were still high. The mosquitoes were already out in full force, and Lex spent half his walk swatting at them. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be walking through insect-infested woods, in the middle of nowhere, after a tornado, searching for a farmer, who was the father of his sixteen-year old girlfriend, he would have had them committed. Hell, sometimes he thought he should be committed whenever the realization crossed his mind that he enjoyed living in Smallville, that he didn't miss Metropolis or the people he'd known there one bit. Would he grow old in Smallville? Well, of that he wasn't so certain. At the moment, he was the big fish in a small pond and Lex knew that eventually he'd grow bored and search for something more.  
  
Lex was pulled abruptly from his musings when he heard the unmistakable beep of a car alarm turning on. Nixon's car. It had to be. Breaking into a jog, Lex headed deeper into the woods, his surroundings becoming more and more familiar. He slowed when he came upon a discarded trailer home, ridiculously dropped out of place by the twister. Beside it was an opening into the ground - the crypt that Dodd told him about. He paused for a moment, his gaze moving past a plastic pink flamingo stuck in the ground, when the sounds of a struggle echoed from the trees to his right.  
  
Turning, Lex hurried out of the clearing and back into the woods, following a trail of debris until he saw someone lying on the ground in front of him. Recognizing the jacket, he ran quickly to Hudson, kneeling down beside her.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
Her eyes opened -they were glazed over, unfocused. "Lex. my dad.. Nixon is. " She gasped.  
  
Lex wanted to stay and help her but with her words, he brought his head up and looked around, ears trained on the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Jumping back up to his feet, he reached into his pocket, pulling the gun free just in case he needed it and moved past Hudson, following the sounds. He only took a few steps before he saw Nixon in front of him, a metal rod raised over his head, Jonathan Kent lying on the ground before him, unable to escape the killing blow that was likely to come.  
  
He didn't think. Lex just held the gun out and fired. It was so simple. He pulled the trigger and the force kicked his arm back a bit and then the rod fell and Nixon was slowly crumpling, his body falling on his intended victim. Lex didn't even know where the bullet hit him.  
  
Jonathan Kent rolled the man off of him before struggling to his feet. "Hudson!"  
  
Lex found himself moving forward automatically to meet the man as he hurried toward his daughter. "Mr. Kent, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah." Jonathan nodded.  
  
He didn't look okay. His face was cut, covered in blood, and he was holding on to his left arm. But Lex didn't argue as Jonathan hurried off to check on Hudson. Instead, his feet seemed drawn to Nixon, pulling him toward the man he shot, his gaze roaming over the small hole in the front of his chest where blood was trickling from. Right through his heart. Dodd would be so proud. He hadn't even aimed.  
  
Or had he?  
  
"Lex?"  
  
Lex had no idea how long he'd been standing there, staring down at Nixon's sightless eyes when Hudson was beside him, touching his arm. He glanced over to see her looking wide-eyed at the body. He didn't want her to see this. She should never be subjected to death.  
  
"Is. is he dead?"  
  
"Yes." And he'll never hurt you and your family again. But Lex didn't tell her that. He didn't need to.  
  
Her hand tightened on his arm and she didn't say anything for a long moment. Finally, her bright green eyes lifted to his. "I found my dad."  
  
"I know. I told you he would be all right."  
  
Hudson gave him a small smile.  
  
"Are you okay?" Lex touched her cheek. He could hear sirens in the distance.  
  
"I'm fine." Her hand closed over his and she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. They stood there silently for a few seconds before her eyes opened, the sirens drawing closer. "Mom knew I was headed out here. I think she went to get a rescue team."  
  
"That's good. Your dad needs medical attention."  
  
They both looked back down at Nixon. Lex felt Hudson take his hand, tug on it a little. "Come on. There's nothing you can do here." She moved backwards a few steps, pulling him with her. "It might take both of us to convince my dad to let a medic look over his injuries."  
  
Lex followed her mechanically, the gun still clenched in his hand.  
  
Hudson had been correct. Martha showed up with the Sheriff and two of his deputies. Once they got a look at Jonathan's condition, they radioed for an ambulance, along with the coroner for Nixon's body. The deputies questioned Jonathan while the medics checked his injuries and patched him up. Lex spent his time with Sheriff Ethan, explaining the events that led to the reporter's death. He offered very little about his own association, beyond the fact that Roger wrote a few articles about him in The Inquisitor. When asked about the gun, Lex told him that ever since Ryan's step dad, James Gibson, took him hostage, he'd been carrying a gun for protection. The sheriff accepted the explanation, saying only that they would need to run the serial number. Lex nodded and handed over the gun, knowing that Dodd would have already taken care of the necessary information.  
  
"If I have any more questions, I'll give you a call, Mr. Luthor," Sheriff Ethan told him as he flipped the pad closed that he'd been taking notes on and placed it in his pocket.  
  
Nodding once, Lex glanced over to where Hudson and her parents stood talking. Over the past hour, he'd watched them each surreptitiously, trying to gage their reactions to what he'd done. Mainly, they all seemed too happy at being reunited after having spent so much time apart. Mr. Kent appeared to be all right, even though his ribs were tightly wrapped in bandages, and Mrs. Kent couldn't seem to contain her smile. Lex was happy for them. It was how their family was meant to be. In a small way, he knew he was responsible for giving them that. Of course, now came the hard part.  
  
Lex had no doubt that Nixon told Mr. Kent everything during their time in the crypt. He would be lucky to ever be allowed near the Kent farm again. The only thing he could do was try to explain his side of things, apologize profusely and hope that Hudson's father would understand Lex never meant to cause them any harm.  
  
The family turned to him as he approached but Lex kept his gaze trained on Jonathan. He knew if he looked at Hudson now, he'd likely lose all his nerve. "Mr. Kent."  
  
Jonathan nodded. "Lex."  
  
An awkward silence stretched between them. Lex wasn't certain how to begin. Jonathan Kent looked away from him and he knew then that he had been right - Nixon told him everything. His hopes for ever receiving the other man's respect were quickly dashed. Taking a breath, he struggled to explain, "Look - "  
  
"Lex." Surprisingly, Jonathan cut him off. The man glanced at his wife and daughter for a moment before turning back to Lex. "You saved my life. and I want to say thank you."  
  
It wasn't what Lex had been expecting. He stared at Jonathan, waiting for the inevitable 'But.', or some other stinging set down that he was so used to receiving from his own father. Instead, no other words were forthcoming. Jonathan's gaze was sincere.  
  
Lex opened his mouth, trying to think of what to say, but a suitable response escaped him. He drew in a breath and finally offered, "To a fresh start." He held out his hand, the same one which Jonathan Kent so often ignored.  
  
But this time he took it, and they shook.  
  
It was a beginning.  
  
Letting go, Lex glanced over at Hudson to see her flashing him one of her megawatt smiles. It hurt something inside of him, to see her that happy, and he didn't understand it. He wanted her to be happy, so why couldn't he share in it with her? He stared at her while Martha made a comment about getting everyone home and putting some food in their stomachs. Hudson pushed her way between her parents, moving toward Lex. He watched her approach but wasn't prepared when she threw herself against him, hugging him tightly before her lips sought his. He hadn't realized how much he needed her until the warmth of her mouth was against him and the scent of her skin, just beneath the dirt that clung to her, permeated his senses. Moving his arms around her, Lex returned the strong embrace, and tried to drink in her joy.  
  
Silence fell behind them. It should have been a warning but Lex was too caught up in the young woman against him to understand what was happening. It wasn't until he heard Jonathan's voice that he realized the sacrifice he'd made earlier could have all been for nothing.  
  
"Hudson! Hudson Clark Kent!"  
  
Hudson broke the kiss, but didn't remove her arms as she turned to glance back at her father. Maybe it still hadn't occurred to her that her open display of affection was a bad thing. "What?"  
  
Jonathan was glaring at both of them. Martha held his arm but his manner appeared just as perturbed with her. "We are going home. Now!"  
  
Lex knew the look the moment it appeared on Hudson's face - she was preparing herself for battle. Before the situation became worse, he pulled out of her embrace, drawing her attention back to him in protest.  
  
"It's been a long day, Angel," he told her quietly. "And my father should be out of surgery soon. Go on home. I'll talk to you later."  
  
"But - "  
  
Taking a chance, he leaned forward and kissed the edge of her mouth quickly. "Go on. Get some rest."  
  
Hudson still appeared ready to argue but her father called out to her again and her mother joined in. With a resigned sigh, she flashed him a quick smile before turning and moving off to join her parents. Watching them go, Lex finally turned to head back to his own car and the hospital. He passed by the coroner's truck, his gaze straying to the body in the back just as they slammed the doors shut.  
  
***  
  
Silence permeated the cab of the truck as Jonathan drove his family home. Hudson sat on the passenger side, elbow leaning on the door as she quietly chewed on a fingernail. Her mother pulled her hand away from her mouth once, but it eventually found its way back. She'd said nothing since they climbed into the truck.  
  
Martha sat between them, an obvious 'buffer zone', though Jonathan was just as angry with his wife at the moment as he was his daughter. She'd obviously known about this apparent relationship between Hudson and Lex Luthor by the lack of reaction in her face when their daughter launched herself into his arms, kissing him.  
  
His daughter - kissing Lex Luthor!  
  
It took every ounce of control Jonathan had not to rip the steering wheel from the column at the memory. He drove a little faster than usual in his bid to get home, to try to get things back to normal. This on top of everything else. He tried to ignore the fact that he allowed himself to trust Nixon, that he told the man everything about Hudson while they were in that crypt together, that he actually fell for the man's false empathy. It was possible that a part of him just needed to talk about it all with someone - someone other than his wife. That he just needed to get it out in the open. But he refused to accept that. Hudson was precious to him - she was everything that he and Martha could have wished for in a child and more. She was unique, a miracle. And Jonathan had always known how important it was to keep her safe, to keep the secret of her origins safe.  
  
And in the past twenty-four hours he'd told everything to a virtual stranger. Worse than that, the man had been a reporter as well. On top of that, Martha quietly informed him that the ship was missing. After having seen it activate in the cellar, Jonathan wasn't surprised. Nothing surprised him anymore. A part of him hoped that it was gone, that maybe it returned to wherever it came from and they wouldn't have to worry about its discovery anymore. It was selfish of him, and it wouldn't help his daughter if there was information contained within it that she was meant to have. But Jonathan knew they would all be a lot better off if all traces of Hudson's arrival completely disappeared. It would be easier to hide her, if there was nothing to hide.  
  
As the truck pulled up alongside the barn, Hudson pushed open the door and was out of the cab before Jonathan put it in park. Glancing over at Martha who seemed to sigh in resignation, he yanked the keys out of the ignition and climbed out, heading toward the house on his daughter's heels as Martha trailed behind him. He caught the door just as it swung shut and entered the kitchen to see Hudson heading for the stairs.  
  
"H.C. Sit down."  
  
She hesitated, foot poised over the second step. "I was just going to take a shower."  
  
"The shower can wait."  
  
"But - "  
  
"Now, Hudson!" He barked as Martha walked in, closing the door quietly behind her.  
  
Hudson glowered at her father, hand gripping the rail of the stairs tight enough that Jonathan was waiting for it to snap off.  
  
"Maybe we should all go up, take our showers, get comfortable and then talk," Martha suggested, moving up alongside her husband.  
  
"No. This isn't going to wait." He flashed a glare at his wife. "You're no innocent in this, Martha. You knew about this and you didn't tell me."  
  
"I was waiting for Hudson to do so." Martha frowned over at her daughter who huffed in reply and stomped across the kitchen to throw herself into a chair at the table.  
  
"Well, obviously she had no intentions of doing so, did she?" Jonathan countered before turning back to Hudson, watching as she folded her arms over her chest defensively, prepared to do battle. He knew the stance well. Sometimes he wondered how it wasn't possible for them to share the same blood. "Did you ever plan on telling me, H.C.? Or was this supposed to be your little secret between you, Lex and your mother?"  
  
Hudson glanced over at him, lips pursed. "Obviously I didn't tell you because I knew you would react like this."  
  
"And how it 'this', exactly?" He demanded. "How am I supposed to react to the discovery that my daughter is apparently having a relationship with a man six years her senior? And behind my back, even!"  
  
She opened her mouth, then closed it, turning away to stare out the window for a moment. Finally, she replied quietly, "You told me grandma was twelve years younger than grandpa."  
  
"She was eighteen when they got together," Jonathan defended.  
  
"Eighteen? Two years makes that big of a difference?!"  
  
"A lot can happen in two years," he argued. "Things were different back then. Besides, this isn't about my parents. This is about you."  
  
"And Lex," Hudson added, turning his gaze back to him. "That's what this is about, isn't it? Because it's Lex Luthor. If this was any other guy, you wouldn't be throwing a tantrum."  
  
"I am not throwing a tantrum!" Jonathan yelled.  
  
"Jonathan." Martha placed a warning hand on his arm.  
  
He looked over to see Hudson pale a little, her jaw setting before she turned her gaze away once more, fingernail digging into the crease of the table. His wife was right - yelling wasn't going to get him anywhere, no matter how much he wanted to do it. Deep inside, he just felt the need to yell, to scream, to throw things. And maybe that had nothing to do with the situation between Lex and Hudson. And maybe it did. Jonathan didn't know. The one thing he did know after his recent experience was that Hudson's safety came first. Both as his daughter and as her own individual.  
  
Sighing, he moved over to the table and sat down beside his daughter, searching for a different approach. Martha set her purse on the counter before moving to the refrigerator to remove a beer and a can of Coke. He listened to her bustle about the kitchen, pouring the beverages into glasses before setting them down in front of her husband and daughter. Squeezing Jonathan's shoulder, she took a seat beside him.  
  
"H.C., at the moment this has nothing to do with Lex," Jonathan began, his anger controlled. "You're sixteen years old. He's twenty-two. How can you possibly share anything in common? You haven't had the same experiences. You still have to make it through high school. Do you think he'll actually accompany you to the prom? Or are you going to sit at home and miss out on every high school experience?"  
  
"I went to the Spring Formal," she replied, finally turning to look at him. "Lex wanted me to. He said he didn't want anything I would have done without him around to change."  
  
Hell. This would happen to be the one instance where Lex was showing a little sense. How was he supposed to argue with that? Jonathan glanced over at his wife, who shrugged silently in reply.  
  
"Dad," Hudson began, bringing Jonathan's gaze back to her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, okay? I know how you feel about Lex and. well, it wasn't like I expected this to happen or anything. Although I did want it to. I've liked Lex for a very long time but he wouldn't let anything happen."  
  
Jonathan ran a hand over his face in frustration. He really didn't want to hear about this. "Hudson - "  
  
"I love him, dad."  
  
Oh hell. Jonathan stared at his daughter in disbelief. "H.C., you are sixteen! You can't possibly know what love is. You're too young for this kind of relationship, too young for - "  
  
"How do you know?" She demanded. "How do you know how old I am? How do you know how mature I am? Did this information come documented in that ship I arrived in? Because if it did, you sure as hell haven't shared it with me! But then, it seems when it comes to this family, the whole keeping secrets thing is a one-way street."  
  
"Now, Hudson, that isn't fair - "  
  
"No, it isn't. Is it?"  
  
His daughter stood, fists clenched at her sides as she glared down at him from her impressive height. Jonathan knew the look well; he'd glimpsed it many times in the mirror. Again, sometimes he forgot that Hudson wasn't really his daughter at all, wasn't even human, when she was so much like him in manner and reaction and all-out stubbornness.  
  
"It isn't fair," she continued, as the fight seemed to drain out of her. "But I'm beginning to learn that there are a lot of things in life that aren't fair. And you not allowing me to be happy is one of them." She turned and started toward the stairs.  
  
"H.C., I have nothing against you being happy."  
  
Hudson ignored him. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll set the table for dinner when I'm done, mom."  
  
"Okay, honey."  
  
Jonathan said nothing as he watched his daughter disappear up the staircase. Sighing when she was gone, he slumped in his chair and stared at the table. Martha reached out and laid a hand over his, giving it a slight squeeze.  
  
"You should go up and shower, too," she told him. "Relax for a bit."  
  
"What are we going to do?" Jonathan dismissed her suggestion, his mind too consumed with the fear that his family was falling apart. "We can't let this continue."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
He turned to stare at his wife in shock. "What?"  
  
Martha sighed and dropped her gaze for a moment, her fingers caressing his hand soothingly. "Our daughter is sixteen years old and in love for the first time. Any girl at that age already believes the world is against her and the boy she cares about. If we push, we're only proving her right. And then you'll have a rebellious teenager on your hands, who will go to any lengths to prove that her love is 'meant to be'." She brought her gaze back to his and smiled a little. "I know. I've been there. I was fifteen when I fell in love with Tom Shumaker and I was willing to run away to Mexico with him."  
  
Shaking his head, Jonathan looked away. "Martha, we're not talking about you and some ordinary boy. Hudson isn't. Well, you know the reasons we have to keep her safe. And Lex Luthor?" He glanced back over at his wife. "Certainly you see how dangerous this is?"  
  
"I see how there could be dangers, yes." She nodded. "I also see what could happen if we tried to stop Hudson from seeing him." Martha squeezed his hand again. "Jonathan, for whatever problems you might have with Lionel Luthor, I believe Lex isn't like his father. He saved your life today. For that reason alone, I think we need to give him a chance."  
  
"A chance with our daughter."  
  
She shrugged. "What choice do we have? You know how stubborn Hudson is." Martha smiled a little. "She takes after someone I know."  
  
Jonathan just couldn't find humor in any of this. He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought over his wife's words. He knew she was right. But he didn't want to accept it. "So what now? We just let Hudson carry on with a twenty-two year old guy? Christ, Martha. I'll have nightmares just thinking about it."  
  
"I've had a few of those myself," she admitted. "I may not have been a twenty-two year old male but I've dealt with my share of them."  
  
"We don't even know if she's capable of. well. "Jonathan felt his face flame at the thought of Hudson having sex. He couldn't voice the words.  
  
"Sex?" Martha supplied. "Hudson's already brought that up herself."  
  
Jonathan tried not to yell.  
  
"These are things she's going to have to discover on her own. What I suggest we do is talk to her - calmly and rationally - and explain to her our fears and hesitation. Let her know that we think she should take this slowly and talk to us, keep us informed as to the progress of her relationship with Lex."  
  
"You mean just let it happen," Jonathan grunted.  
  
"With ground rules," Martha added, frowning at him a little. "We'll set rules that they will both be expected to abide by and we'll have a talk with Lex, let him know what we expect as well. Don't look at me like that. This is the best way. It will be far better for us to have Lex on our side from the start because currently he has more sway over Hudson than we do. If we appear encouraging and supportive, then eventually she will come to trust us in this matter as well."  
  
"And what if he begins to suspect, Martha?" Jonathan asked quietly, leaning forward. "What if being close to Hudson only brings him close to the truth? What then?"  
  
Martha offered him a small smile and uttered the words that for so long, Jonathan secretly never wanted to hear, "We have to accept the fact that, someday, Hudson is going to have to be honest about her origins with the person she loves."  
  
Jonathan just prayed that person never turned out to be a Luthor.  
  
***  
  
Lex woke up screaming.  
  
The nightmare had been real. Well, real enough. Nixon had been in the castle, stalking him, blood still seeping from the wound in his chest. He'd held the octagon piece in his hand, taunting Lex that now he'd never know the truth - only the voice that came from his mouth was that of Sam Phelan. Lex had turned to run from the dead reporter but he hadn't been fast enough. Nixon pulled a gun from his coat and shot Lex in the back as he tried to escape. He was falling over the balustrade from the third floor when he'd awakened.  
  
Sitting up in bed, he glanced over at the clock to see that it was just past one. He'd been asleep exactly twenty-three minutes. Rubbing a hand over his eyes, which ached from the pounding in his head, Lex swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood to grab his robe from the bedpost where he hung it after showering earlier that evening. He'd been too tired to bother dressing and simply laid back, and apparently drifted off to sleep.  
  
Slipping the robe on and tying the belt around his waist, he padded over to the antique dresser where a decanter of scotch and four glasses sat in waiting. One he already used before his shower. He picked up a clean one and filled it to the top, swallowing back a large mouthful before glancing around the room with a frown. He wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. He might as well accept that.  
  
Exiting his bedroom, Lex made his way down the steps to the second floor, wondering as he entered through the study doors what continued to pull him back to that room. It lay in shambles and Kenny Dakotas already warned him it was safer to stay out of it - plaster was still falling from the ceiling and he didn't know how stable the outside wall would remain. Still, Lex was drawn to it over and over again, either trying to mentally relive that night's events, or tempt fate by walking amidst the hazards of the room. He never really made it much past the column, his gaze always dropping to it, as if eventually it would open up some invisible mouth and talk to him, offering the answers he sought. Tonight, as before, it remained aggravatingly silent.  
  
Lex skirted around it, casting one last look over his shoulder before moving to what was left of his desk. The technician successfully recovered the files from his laptop but there was very little else left of his office. The hard copy files were. scattered. He had no doubt a few of them could have ended up in another county. Thankfully, he never kept anything confidential in the cabinets. Crouching down beside his overturned chair, he sifted through a pile of debris, finding the empty container that once held the octagon before Nixon apparently stole it from him. The hinge on the lid was broken; he tossed it aside. There was a copy of the Ledger announcing the closing of the Plant. Lex knew he burned his copy the afternoon it arrived at his house - this one must have traveled with the funnel. Frowning, he crumpled the paper, having no desire to think about the fact that he still had that entire mess to deal with. There were messages on his machine from the managers he'd asked to join him in the employee buyout that he hadn't had time to call back since returning from the hospital.  
  
His exploration stopped suddenly when the removal of a piece of plaster revealed the music box Hudson gave him as a gift for Christmas. The beautiful lid displaying hand-painted lilies was cracked in two, hanging on by one hinge. The glass over the mechanism had shattered. Lex turned the key on the back, staring blankly at his ruined gift as an eerie version of 'Chances Are' squeaked and groaned it's way into the silence. It was fitting, really. A perfect way to end one of the most horrible days of his life. He'd killed a man and caused his father to lose his sight. That must be some kind of record, even for him.  
  
His mother would be so proud.  
  
Swallowing against the ache in his throat, Lex stilled the urge to throw the music box across the room and finish the job. Instead, he continued to cradle it gently in his hands, wondering if there might be a way to mend it. Hoping. He didn't want to believe that it was as irretrievably broken as everything else in his life.  
  
"You shouldn't be walking around in here. It's dangerous."  
  
Lex smiled sadly, not turning to greet Hudson as he heard her footsteps coming toward him carefully through the debris. His thumb moved over the edge of the music box but he didn't bother to reply.  
  
"Lex?" She was beside him now, her fingers drifting over his arm, warm through the cloth of the robe. "Are you all right?"  
  
"It's broken," he whispered.  
  
Hudson glanced down at the box in his hands, biting her lower lip before raising her gaze back to his. "It's all right. I'm sure it can be fixed." She reached out to take it from his hands. "You need to get out of here, Lex. There's glass everywhere. Why aren't you wearing your slippers or something?"  
  
At first, Lex didn't want to let go of the box but he finally relented, allowing her to take it from him, watching closely as she tucked it under her arm. She went to reach for his hand but he ignored it, stepping past her to make his way to the hall, somehow missing the glass on the floor though he didn't really bother to look for it. It didn't seem as if Hudson planned on following, and then he heard her footsteps coming up behind him, down the hall and up the stairs to his room. Lex wanted to tell her to go home, to go away and never come back, but was afraid that if he opened his mouth he would just start screaming and never stop. And then she would just think he was insane.  
  
He went straight to the glass of scotch that he'd left half empty on top of the dresser. Finishing it, he poured another before turning to watch as Hudson entered the room, closing the door behind her. She glanced up, her gaze sweeping over him silently before moving over to the nightstand where she laid the music box gently on the tabletop.  
  
"What are you doing here, Hudson?" He finally asked when the silence between them became unbearable.  
  
Hudson looked up at him as she gingerly sat down on the edge of his bed. "Do I have to have a reason?"  
  
"At one-thirty in the morning you do," Lex snapped, lifting the glass to his lips once more.  
  
"I couldn't sleep," she admitted, drumming the fingers of one hand against her thigh.  
  
She was dressed in shorts and a tank and Lex found his gaze drawn to where her hand rested just above her knee. Her skin seemed more golden in the shadows and he wanted to place his lips there. He wanted, more than anything, to just bury his head between her legs and forget about. everything. And that desire warred with everything else in his mind at the moment so badly that it angered him. Clenching the glass firmly in his hand, Lex wondered if there would ever be a moment in his life when he would be allowed to simply enjoy what was being offered to him.  
  
"Go home, Hudson." He turned his back to her, finished off the glass of scotch and considered pouring another.  
  
"I don't want to go home."  
  
Lex gave a snort. "Apparently my feelings in the matter have absolutely no bearing." Turning, he glared at her. "I want you to go home, Hudson. I don't want you here. Do you understand?"  
  
Pain flashed across her features. "What. what'd I do?"  
  
God, he hated himself. "It's not what you did, Angel," he replied, voice softening. "It's what I did." He glanced at his empty glass, realized he didn't have the strength to refill it and instead, carried it with him over to the leather chair in the corner where he sat down. Holding the glass between his fingers, he stared into it, continuing, "You deserve better. You deserve. You shouldn't be with someone who's a. a. " He trailed off, not wanting to voice the word aloud.  
  
"A what?" Hudson pressed, moving off the bed to walk over to him. She knelt in front of him, one hand resting on his right knee. "Lex?"  
  
He wished she wouldn't look at him like that. He wished her voice wasn't so pleading. The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. "A murderer."  
  
Hudson's mouth formed a little 'O' with his admission. Her eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. "Lex. no. You're not. What you did today - do you know how grateful I am? You saved my dad's life. And very possibly mine." Her fingers curled against his knee. "You. you only did what was necessary."  
  
"Was it?" Lex frowned and dropped his gaze back to his glass. "Tell me, Hudson, would your father have done the same if he'd held the gun in his hand?"  
  
"I. "  
  
Her hesitation was all he needed to hear. Lex blew a quick breath through his nose in self-disgust and looked away.  
  
Removing her hand from his knee, she took the glass away, setting it on the ground beside them, before taking his hands in hers. "Baby, don't. Don't compare yourself to my dad and don't wonder what anyone else would do in the situation you were placed in today." Hudson tugged on his hands until he brought his eyes back to hers. "If I thought your life were in danger, I would do whatever it took to protect you."  
  
"You wouldn't kill, Hudson."  
  
"Maybe I would," she replied without hesitation. "I wouldn't know until it happened, would I? Lex, you didn't murder Roger Nixon. You aren't capable of that. What you did today was save my dad's life. Something which you are very capable of."  
  
What would she think if he admitted to her that things were easier with Roger out of the way? Would she be singing his praises and offering him comfort if he told her that a part of him, deep inside, felt the slime deserved to die? Now he wouldn't be forced to answer her questions regarding his true association with Roger. With Roger dead, they could start over again. A clean slate.  
  
And god, Lex hoped those thoughts were new. He hoped with every fiber of his being that they hadn't been there before he pulled the trigger.  
  
"Why do you have so much faith in me?" He asked quietly, brushing a fingertip over her cheek. "I've lied to you, I've hurt you - "  
  
"Because I love you."  
  
So simply said. Lex stared at the girl kneeling before him, wondering how she could know what love was. He certainly didn't. Was love a mother who plays buffer zone between warring son and husband until her health becomes so bad that her body finally gives up on life, just to escape it all? Or a father who teaches lessons with swords and backhands and humiliation of his son for all the public to see? Or maybe it was a nanny who ran out on her charge, only to return with just a few weeks to live in order to say goodbye? No, it had been a long time since Lex felt the emotion of love and he really couldn't recall what it was supposed to feel like. But he thought, if there was anyone on this earth who could teach him, it would more than likely be the beautiful young woman holding his hands.  
  
Hudson Clark Kent loved him. Lex wasn't certain what to do with that information. He would have to think it over later.  
  
"I don't see why," he replied finally, his thumb moving over her lips.  
  
"You're a lot more deserving of love than you seem to think, Lex."  
  
Lex half-laughed at that. "Tell that to my father."  
  
Hudson frowned, asking what he meant with her expression.  
  
Might as well admit everything. "He's blind. And it's my fault. Does that make me incredibly loveable, do you think?"  
  
Sighing, Hudson dropped her gaze for a moment, her fingers stroking his hand soothingly before looking up. "I'm sorry about your father. But how can you possibly blame yourself?"  
  
"I gave them the go-ahead for the operation when they should have waited. It was too soon."  
  
"So now you're a doctor, too?" Hudson shook her head. "Jesus, Lex. Medical science isn't an absolute. Your decision has no bearing on how the operation turned out."  
  
"That's not the way my father sees it," Lex told her, pulling his hand from hers and leaning back in the chair.  
  
"I don't give a damn what your father thinks!" She half-yelled, then blinked in shock, as if she surprised herself, as well as Lex, with her outburst. Reddening a little with embarrassment, Hudson continued, "From everything I have seen and heard regarding your father, he's a very. weird man. I don't understand him at all."  
  
For the first time since that morning, Lex found a smile creeping across his face. "A weird man. I don't think I've ever heard him referred to in that manner before."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry," she quickly amended. "But it's the only description I can think of."  
  
Lex shook his head. "Don't apologize. It's actually one of the nicest things I've heard said about him."  
  
They smiled at each other.  
  
Leaning forward, elbows on his knees, Lex kissed the tip of her nose. What was it about Hudson that gave her the ability to make his problems seem less important with her presence?  
  
"What are you doing here? After this afternoon, I was certain your dad would never let you near me again. I was waiting for the restraining order to arrive in the mail."  
  
Hudson made a face, nose wrinkling a little. "He's not happy - that much is certain. But we talked and mom mediated and I think things are okay. I mean, he's giving this a chance, I guess." She met Lex's gaze. "He, uh, wants to talk to you, though."  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow. "Great. Is his shotgun accompanying him?"  
  
"Nah. Mom and I will lock all of those away before then."  
  
"All of those?" Lex repeated, aghast at the idea of Jonathan Kent owning more than one gun. "Now I really feel safe." He rolled his eyes.  
  
"It'll be fine." Hudson stood and stretched, her long arms raising high over her head. Her top rose with her action, showing a flash of belly. Lex resisted the urge to lean forward and lick it. "Mind if I stay here tonight?"  
  
He looked up at her face. "Are you sure you should?"  
  
"As long as I get home before dad gets up." She shrugged, dropping her arms to her sides. "It's not like they check on me or anything."  
  
"I don't know, Hudson. "  
  
"Oh, Lex. Come on!" She leaned over and grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet. "We've hardly seen one another the past week. Every opportunity something awful has happened. I keep waiting for the sun to explode next. Just give me a few hours. Please?" She wrapped her arms around his waist and gazed up at him earnestly.  
  
A part of him wanted to send her home. Another part of him was just beginning to realize she was here. Hell. And apparently, Hudson was well aware of that fact because a sneaky little grin appeared on her face and she pressed a little closer to him.  
  
"What're you wearing under there?"  
  
"Nothing," he replied blandly.  
  
She raised her eyebrows. Now maybe his frightened little doe would run home. "Really?"  
  
By the tone of her voice, that wasn't happening. Curiosity had struck. Hell.  
  
"Can I see?"  
  
"No." Lex grabbed her hands as they reached for his belt and placed them at her sides.  
  
"Geez, Lex. You're more modest than I am." She was almost whining.  
  
"I am not," he denied. "I just. I don't think you're ready for that." Letting go of her hands, he walked over to the bed and sat down.  
  
"Is it me who's not ready, Lex? Or you?" Hudson moved over to stand in front of him, one hand straying up to his shoulder to touch the fabric of his robe. "I want. I want you to touch me, Lex. And I want to touch you. Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
Lifting his eyes to hers, Lex smiled a little and shook his head. "No, Angel. There's nothing wrong with that."  
  
How could he possibly resist the hormonal urgings of a curious teenager? Let alone his own. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her closer, kissing her lips as she leaned in to him. A brief, chaste kiss quickly grew deeper and Lex reached up to tangle his hand in her thick hair, drawing her to him, pulling her down to the bed where he rolled over against her, tongue pushing past her lips to drink her in. God, he couldn't get enough. Her mouth was better than the finest wine and the little sigh she made against his lips, pure Heaven. Lex realized how good she was getting at the whole kissing thing when she sucked his upper lip into her mouth, grazing it lightly with her teeth while she grinned up at him before her tongue traced over his scar. That little motion sent all the blood in his body straight to his cock. He groaned softly into her mouth before pulling his lip loose and pressing his tongue against hers once more.  
  
Keeping her mouth occupied, Lex moved a hand over her belly, skirting beneath her tank to caress the soft skin of her abdomen. She moved into his touch, wriggling a little when he took a moment to tease her belly button with his thumb, an area he knew to be particularly ticklish on her. Breaking away from the kiss, Lex moved down her body, pushing her tank out of the way to run his tongue along the edge of her shorts, upwards into her belly button, causing her to squeal. Smiling against her skin, he nipped at her skin gently before his tongue continued in a straight course up, his hands moving the fabric of her shirt until she took it from him and pulled it up over her head, tossing it to the side. Perfect.  
  
Lex placed a kiss between her ribs as he peered up at her; she was flashing a tiny smile at him, her face just visible above her breasts. He crawled back up over her, hands gripping the sides of her waist before brushing teasingly across the front of her bra, pausing over each nipple. Hudson's eyes widened just a little before she pressed up into his touch.  
  
"Your bra seems to be in the way," Lex commented with a smirk.  
  
Hudson bit her lip.  
  
God, that was adorable. Lex leaned in and kissed her while one hand moved behind her back to work at the hooks. He teased her lips the way she previously teased his own as he slipped the straps of her bra from her shoulders, working slowly in case she changed her mind. Once her bra was removed, Lex set it to the side, giving her mouth one last, brief kiss before raising up on his elbow to look at her. Almost immediately a pale blush fell across her skin, moving from shoulders to breasts to stomach. Lex hid his smile as he brought his gaze back to hers, finding that her face was even redder, and her eyes were planted firmly on the ceiling above. He hoped she never got over her bashfulness.  
  
Leaning over, he kissed a bare nipple, pulling back to watch it pucker before commenting, "Uncomfortable, Angel?"  
  
"N-no."  
  
Liar.  
  
Lex moved away from her, scooting up the bed to reach the lamp and turn it off. Darkness fell over the room, only the dimmest amount of light seeping in from the moon outside.  
  
"Better?"  
  
His answer came in the form of a warm, enthusiastic female body flopping over his and a wet kiss.  
  
"I guess so," he chuckled lightly, grabbing Hudson around the waist and rolling them so that he partially lay over her. He could just see her eyes shining in the dark and a flash of teeth from her smile. "You must be special. Normally I like to take my time to look at the women I'm with."  
  
"Ooh! Don't talk about them," Hudson admonished, her fingers slipping beneath his robe to caress his neck and collar bone.  
  
"Why ever not?" Lex wondered if she could hear the smile in his tone.  
  
"I don't want to hear about them - women like Victoria. It makes me. " She trailed off, as if unable to think of the word she wanted to use.  
  
"Jealous?" He supplied helpfully.  
  
"I'm not - " Hudson began to argue then cut herself off. "Okay. Maybe. Yes, that could be jealousy. Whatever it is, I don't like it. And I don't like the idea of other women touching you and kissing you and lying here with you. I don't like it at all."  
  
Lex loved the possessiveness in her voice. It was quite vehement for one so young. Still, it felt good to be wanted like that, to know that Hudson would likely fight for him if the situation presented itself. Not that Lex ever meant it to. Well, not for real anyway. Although it would be fun to play a trick on her, just to see her reaction. Maybe he was selfish that way - he wanted to see with his own eyes how far she would go to make certain he remained hers.  
  
Bending his head down, he swiped at a nipple with his tongue, smiling against her skin when he heard Hudson drawn in a deep breath. Closing his mouth around the puckered skin, he suckled lightly, closing his eyes when he felt her hands cup the back of his head, holding him in place. Lex quickly lost himself in the clean taste of her skin and the soft whimpers that issued from her throat. There was an honesty in her reactions that Lex had never experienced from the women he'd been with in the past. He had no doubt that she would always let him know what she liked, and what she didn't like.  
  
Breaking away from her nipple, Lex moved over to her other breast, suckling against it in the same manner while his fingers moved over the wet skin of the previous, caressing and squeezing as it continued to harden beneath his touch. Hudson squirmed beneath him, alternately pressing upwards and pulling back, obviously torn between what she wanted. Lex simply moved with her, pleased when she seemed to settle into it, a sigh of what sounded like contentment escaping her.  
  
Lifting his head, Lex kissed her lips gently before asking, "Do you like that?" His hand moved over the recently abandoned breast, rolling the nipple between thumb and index finger.  
  
"Mmmmmm." She smiled and stretched, her arms coming to rest against his shoulders. "It's very nice." She arched into his hand a little. "No wonder parents warn you against the 'evil's' of sexual activity. If we all discovered at too early an age how good it feels, no kid would ever make it through school. We'd all be having sex in the hallways."  
  
Lex laughed a little. "I suppose that could be one possibility." He stared down at Hudson for a moment. "Your mind certainly works in mysterious ways," he quipped.  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment." Hudson leaned up and kissed him. "Don't stop. It was just getting fun."  
  
"Talking to me isn't fun?" Lex asked in disbelief, wondering if he hadn't yet seen the full potential for demand in the girl beneath him.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "That isn't what I meant and you know it. Why must you be so difficult?"  
  
"It's in my nature," he replied, his fingers trailing down her ribs to rest against her belly. "Why must you whine so much?"  
  
"Because it's in my nature," Hudson returned, poking him in the shoulder. "Besides, I like your mouth."  
  
"Is that so?" Lex leaned down and brushed his nose against her neck before nipping lightly at her collar bone, then kissing it.  
  
"I - Oh!... Yes. You have a very nice mouth. It's warm and soft and sometimes your tongue is ticklish." She paused. "Like right now."  
  
Lex never had his mouth described to him before. Knowing that she took such care to notice every little thing about him touched something deep inside. He moved from the spot he was licking behind her ear back down to her neck where he drew a sliver of skin into his mouth and sucked on it. Hudson's hands curled over his shoulders, her hips arching upwards against him.  
  
"Oh. I like that. A lot."  
  
As if he couldn't tell. While he continued to work at her neck, Lex's fingers traced against the waistband of her shorts, back and forth lazily, before skirting over the front of them to rest at the apex of her thighs. Even through the fabric, he could feel her heat. Cupping his fingers against her, he pressed lightly, smiling knowingly when she pressed back, whimpering. He'd palmed her a few times in the past weeks, getting her used to the feeling before taking it any further. Tonight though, he was the impatient one. He wanted to know the warmth there, to feel her wetness on his fingers.  
  
Moving his mouth back up to hers, he tugged at her lips and brushed his tongue over hers while his fingers worked at the buttons on her shorts. Slowly, one by one, reminding himself not to rush. His hand caressed the fabric of her panties - satin this time, instead of cotton, with a little bow at the top. He played with it a moment while his thumb stroked her skin just beneath it. Finally, Lex slipped his fingers under the material, stilling them against the soft skin before continuing downward and into the silky curls. Hudson froze briefly but as he kissed her, he felt her body relax once more and he allowed his fingers to explore.  
  
Over the rounded flesh, where the heat was strongest, her panties slightly damp against his knuckles. Lex deepened the kiss, wanting to taste more of her even as his fingers pushed past the slick folds to find her wet and ready. Fuck. His cock was ready for that call, throbbing with an urgency to fulfill her body's silent request. He moved against her hip, groaning a little at the friction the material of his robe caused as it brushed over his skin. To make matters worse, Hudson continued to relax under his exploration, her thighs parting slightly, allowing him more access. Lex wanted to tear the clothing that was between them away and take all that his body was aching for, but control prevailed. It wasn't time yet.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Lex broke away from her mouth and moved back down to a breast, capturing the nipple between his teeth, grazing it lightly while his tongue brushed over it. His thumb moved slowly through her curls before pressing gently against her clit. Hudson practically launched off the bed.  
  
"Uhn. " Her fingers gripped his shoulders as her breathing accelerated. "Lex. "  
  
There was a soft plea in her voice, an expression of need. Her hips arched upwards again and Lex responded, his thumb flicking back and forth against the swollen nub while his fingers continued to move between the folds, allowing her to grow accustomed to the invasion.  
  
Hudson moaned and Lex thought it the sexiest sound he'd ever heard her utter. He sucked her nipple deeper into his mouth, as if he might devour her flesh entirely and her whole body moved with him, her back arching upwards, and then her hips.  
  
"Lex. " She gasped, fingers pulling at his robe. "I want. I want to touch you."  
  
Well, he wasn't going to say no to that.  
  
Removing his hand from beneath her panties, and ignoring the little sound of protest the involuntarily escaped her, Lex took her hand in his and brought it down between them. Pushing his robe aside, he laid her hand over his cock and slipped his own back beneath her panties and into the warmth he already missed.  
  
"I. what do I do?"  
  
Oh yeah. This would be a first for her, wouldn't it? Pulling away from her breast, Lex kissed the wet flesh once before lifting his eyes to hers. They were wide, the tiniest trace of fear of the unknown evident in her gaze. He gave her an encouraging smile.  
  
"Why don't you try touching me the way you like to be touched?" He suggested, brushing his fingers gently through her folds as an example. His hips moved involuntarily toward her touch, just to feel her skin against his own.  
  
Licking her lips, Hudson moved her fingers lightly along the length of him, the barest of touches. Lex remained silent, though his body was crying out for more. He didn't want her to be timid right now; he needed her touch. He suddenly sucked in a sharp breath when her hand moved back upward and her fingertips trailed over the sensitive tip. Yeah, just like that.  
  
"Does that feel good?" Her hand stopped and she was watching him curiously.  
  
Lex could barely nod. "Hmm." He pressed into her touch again. Silent encouragement.  
  
Slowly, Hudson grew bolder, her fingers moving from tip to base and back again, learning the shape and feel and reactions of him. Once he was certain he wasn't going to simply explode from her touch, Lex leaned back down to engage her mouth while his own hand resumed its ministrations. His thumb pressed more insistently against her clit, rubbing in time with his fingers which slowly began to explore more deeply.  
  
Lex moved his mouth across hers, trailing over her cheek with soft kisses to her ear. He licked the shell as Hudson's whimpers grew in pitch, her hips rotating more aggressively against his hand as the seconds passed.  
  
"Grip me a little harder, baby," he whispered into her ear. "Wrap your fingers around me and stroke."  
  
Her fingers curled around him, wrapping his cock in warmth, and hesitantly she pulled her hand along the length of him, straight to the tip, and back down again. Fuck. Lex closed his eyes, burying his face against her neck to lick the skin as he moved with her, thrusting into her touch.  
  
"Is this right?" Hudson questioned quietly between her soft moans.  
  
"Perfect," he replied against her neck before bringing his mouth back to her breasts, moving from one to the other to nip and lap at her skin.  
  
Her gentle touch grew stronger, as if she were still testing the boundaries. Eventually she became more and more creative, trailing her fingers over the head of his cock when she reached the tip before stroking back down again. She varied the strength she used, sometimes almost too gentle, other times almost too hard, but never quite crossing the line of either. Following her timing, Lex increased his own touch against her as one finger pushed further into the folds, discovering the tight entrance and slipping a fingertip into it. Hudson's whimpers soon became cries, her hips urging him on. Unable to withstand the silent need within him any longer, Lex moved down her body, ignoring his cock's inner protest when he pulled away from her touch. Removing his hand, Lex grabbed hold of Hudson's shorts and tugged them over her hips and down her long, long legs.  
  
"Lex. ?"  
  
"Shhhhhh."  
  
He kissed her abdomen as his hands hooked into the edge of her panties and removed them as well. Moving between her legs, he placed his hands against her inner thighs and gently pushed them apart. Hudson squirmed a little, her body tensing as if she sensed his intention. Lex caressed her skin until her felt her muscles begin to relax, then leaned in to blow his breath lightly over her curls. She stilled suddenly, waiting in apparent anticipation. His thumbs moved inwards, over the folds which he slowly parted before blowing once more against her heated skin.  
  
"Oh. "  
  
Smiling at her soft exclamation, Lex moved in, waiting no longer as he swiped his tongue along the cleft, tasting her, smelling her, drinking in the very essence of her. Hudson cried out at the touch, her hips surging up against him in response. He gripped her thighs and pulled her close, lapping at the moisture, breathing in deeply as his tongue pressed into her. God, he could become addicted to this - her taste, her scent, her warmth, the sounds she made as he brought her to the very pinnacle of ecstasy.  
  
"Lex. oh god. god. I. fuck!"  
  
Finally taking pity on her near hysteric state, Lex latched on to her swollen clit, sucking it into his mouth and drawing on it as she screamed, hips arching up one last time as her body shook with her orgasm. He only let go when her cries began to subside, then took a moment to taste her again, just a few licks before he slid back up her body. Over the slightly damp skin that was quickly cooling, kissing her stomach, her ribs, her beautiful breasts before finding her mouth. She started a little as he offered her a taste of herself, pulling back just slightly from the kiss.  
  
Lex didn't allow her any quarter though. She had nowhere to go.  
  
He leaned in and captured her mouth, pushing his tongue past her lips as his body settled over hers. Reaching between them, he lifted slightly to part his robe, his cock sliding between her thighs, over the wet folds. He shuddered a little at the feeling, reminding himself for the hundredth time in the space of seconds that there was going to be no penetration tonight. Instead, he slowly drew his length through the slick cleft, back and forth, brushing over her clit as he did so. He could feel her begin to arch into him once more, moving with him while she seemed to grow accustomed to her taste, welcoming his tongue into her mouth, sliding and twisting her own around it.  
  
Lex thrust faster against her, hands gripping the mattress. He wanted to be inside. He wanted to bury himself deep within her, where he knew he would be warm and safe and loved the rest of his life. Where it didn't matter that he'd killed someone, that he was a failure to his father - where he couldn't let Hudson down, ever again.  
  
Pulling away from her mouth, he laid his forehead against her shoulder as he felt the familiar tingle along his spine. Reaching between them, he placed two fingers against the already swollen nub and rubbed, forcing Hudson to the brink once more. She whimpered, as if she didn't think she could handle such an experience again.  
  
"Come for me again, sweetie," he whispered, kissing the skin beneath his mouth as the increasing pain/pleasure gathered at the base of his spine and began pushing it's way forward. Fuck. "One more time. "  
  
Lex's own body shuddered slightly as he stiffened and came, cock twitching against Hudson while she shook and cried out again beneath him. He remained silent, closing his eyes briefly until his body relaxed, spent, and he laid his full weight over her body, removing his finger from her folds. Hudson was still whimpering faintly, her fingers clenching and unclenching against his waist. Taking a deep breath, Lex rose upwards, kissed her lips tenderly and moved to the mattress beside her.  
  
"Come here." He pulled her close against him, holding her until the tremors in her body ceased. "You all right?"  
  
"I. I think so." Her tone was slightly hesitant. "That was. "  
  
Lex waited patiently as Hudson seemed to search for the right word.  
  
"Awesome."  
  
He smiled and kissed the top of her head as she tucked her face against his neck. "Awesome. I like that." His hand smoothed down her back, which was damp with sweat. "Did I frighten you?"  
  
"A little. at first. But then it all went away." Hudson grew silent for a moment before adding, "I liked it." She lifted her head, searching for his gaze in the dark. "Can we do it again?"  
  
Lex chuckled and leaned up to kiss her lips. "Not tonight, Angel. Get some sleep. You've only got a few hours before you have to get home."  
  
"Oh." Her voice indicated her disappointment. She laid her head back down against his shoulder, huffing once slightly, before her body slowly began to relax.  
  
Burying his face in her hair, Lex closed his eyes to sleep but immediately the image of how he found her in the woods, obviously hurt and left to the mercy of Roger Nixon once he finished with her father, rushed over him.  
  
At the memory of how he almost lost her to the reporter, his curiosity overrode the haze of temporary euphoria and he couldn't help but ask quietly, "Hudson, what was Roger after? Why was he prepared to kill your father and what was he planning to do with you?"  
  
There was an overly long pause before she replied, "I. I don't know, Lex. The man was obviously insane. It's the only explanation."  
  
Lex didn't believe it was the only one. But he let it go, for now. 


	14. Vignette 4 By The Light of Day

By the Light of Day  
  
Ground Rule Number One: No staying at Lex's place past nine o'clock.  
  
Oh yeah, like they couldn't 'do it' in the daylight.  
  
Ground Rule Number Two: Hudson must spend time with her other friends, i.e., Pete and Lana.  
  
Luckily, Lana thinks Hudson and Lex's relationship is romantic. She'll gladly sacrifice her time with her friend to allow the two 'star-crossed lovers' time to spend together.  
  
Ground Rule Number Three: If her parents think Hudson is spending too much time with Lex and neglecting her friends and chores, there will be a discussion and, very likely, the relationship won't be allowed to continue.  
  
See solution to Rule Number Two.  
  
Ground Rule Number Four: Hudson must be open to talking about her relationship with Lex with her parents. If they feel she is hiding anything or being dishonest, see consequences of Ground Rule Number Three.  
  
Hudson hadn't figured out a way around this one yet, considering how easily her parents could read her facial expressions. So far, she was able to keep the really embarrassing stuff for her mom's ears only. She wondered if her mom then told her dad later because, for the past few weeks, every time she tried talking to him, he never seemed able to look her in the eye. Hmmmm.  
  
Ground Rule Number Five: Hudson's parents reserve the right to call a halt to the relationship at anytime if they feel it is becoming detrimental to Hudson's emotional well-being. Lex agreed with this.  
  
Blah, blah, blah. Over her dead body.  
  
Hudson explained these rules and the current situation around the household to Chloe during their monthly scheduled phone call while she spent the summer at her internship in Metropolis.  
  
"So, like, Lex is okay with all of this?" Chloe asked curiously. "I mean, don't you think, at his age, he should find all of this kind of weird and constraining?"  
  
Snorting into the phone, Hudson flopped onto her bed, laying with her head hanging backwards over the edge, staring at her image in the mirror across the room. "You know Lex. He has this whole thing about wanting my parents to accept and respect him. When they discussed the rules with him, they wouldn't allow me in the room. I had to go do chores until they called me in. Then they were all laughing and chummy when it was over. It was kind of scary. Later, Lex told me that it would be best if we followed the guidelines they set down and it wasn't really all that bad. Yada, yada, yada. I bend a rule, he puts it firmly back in place. Sometimes I wonder if I'm dating Lex Luthor, or Mr. Rogers."  
  
"Oooh. That's a frightening image." Chloe took a moment to eat some chips, crunching into the receiver. "So tell me the more exciting things. Like what you and Lex do when you are alone. Have you 'you know' yet?"  
  
Hudson giggled. "Chloe! Like I would tell you if we had!"  
  
"You so would! Who else could you tell?? Pete would kill Lex and Lana would pass out."  
  
Hudson snorted again as she twirled the phone cord around her fingers. "Well, for your information, we haven't done 'it' yet. Lex says there are too many responsibilities that go along with sex and when I'm ready to tell my dad I want to go on the Pill, then we can talk about it."  
  
Chloe laughed. "Dude, your dad would fly into a fit of apoplexy!"  
  
"I know." Hudson sighed. "So I told Lex he had a point. I figure I'll just wear him down. He's twenty-two. He's got to want sex. I mean, we're fooling around and all but it isn't the actual, honest-to-god thing. So I'll keep asking and eventually point out that as long as he's got a condom handy, why not?"  
  
"You are so out of your league."  
  
"Oh, bite me."  
  
Her friend munched extra loudly on a chip. "Can't. My mouth is full."  
  
"And disgusting. Stop eating on the phone. My mother would smack you."  
  
"Good thing she isn't here then." There was a rustling of a bag as Chloe set the chips away. "So, tell me, what does the ever-magnificent Lex Luthor look like naked? Impressive? Or not so much?"  
  
"Christ, Chloe."  
  
"Seriously, these are the important things. So, spill."  
  
Sighing, Hudson gnawed on a finger nail for a moment.  
  
"Well. ?"  
  
"Umm. to tell you the truth, I don't know. The lights are always off."  
  
"Is this his handicap or yours?"  
  
"Oh, totally mine!" Hudson admitted. "I go beet-red and get all squirmy. But he just has this way of looking at me. " She sighed. "I get nervous."  
  
"Freak. Did you ever think he looks at you like that because he likes looking at you?"  
  
"Well. yeah. But that doesn't make it any easier."  
  
"You're such a basket case." A beep sounded over the phone. "Shit, that's probably Louis. He's taking me down to Crown Center today. I'm going to talk to the stores about the recent shoplifting issues! Talk to you later, babes!"  
  
"Sure. Bye, Chloe."  
  
Hudson hung up the phone and rolled onto her stomach, staring ahead at the mirror, wondering if what Chloe said was true. Did Lex like looking at her? She couldn't possibly imagine why. After all, she'd seen Victoria - way too much of Victoria when Jeff attempted to drown her - and they looked nothing alike. For one, Hudson didn't have Victoria's boobs and likely never would. Not without a little help. She would also have to be cut off at the knees to be the right height, wear a padded ass and develop a British accent.  
  
None of the above were likely to happen any time soon. Hell.  
  
The phone rang, starting Hudson from her reverie. She climbed onto her knees and swept it off the hook. "Kent residence."  
  
"Hey, beautiful."  
  
"Lex!" She tried not to bounce. "I thought you were in meetings all week?"  
  
"We finished the last one up today early, so I thought I'd call and see if you were busy. I could always call back."  
  
She could feel his smile over the phone. "Don't be a brat. That's my job." She scurried off the bed and over to window where she searched the yard for her parents. There they were, gardening. "I just have to change out of my work clothes and tell mom and dad, then I'll be right over, okay?"  
  
"See you soon."  
  
The phone clicked.  
  
Grinning at Lex's inability to say goodbye, Hudson placed the receiver back in its cradle and then hurried over to her closet to find something to wear. She was never like this before - worrying about how she looked. But with Lex, she found she always wanted to please him and impress him. It was difficult; according to both Chloe and Lana, Hudson had absolutely no taste in clothing whatsoever. Well, what could she say? Most of her life, except for the odd holiday, she'd spent in jeans and t-shirts, sweatshirts or flannel. Hudson had no idea what style of skirt looked best with what shirt and coordinating accessories. A few weeks ago, Lana came over for the afternoon and carefully coordinated all of her clothes together in the closet, so all Hudson had to do was reach in and grab the hangers that were tied together to know what went with what. She'd die of embarrassment if Lex ever knew.  
  
Reaching in, she searched through her skirts, finally deciding on a combo that included a little denim miniskirt and baby doll t-shirt in blue and white that Lana helped her pick out from one of the boutiques in town. Hudson sped through a shower, dressed, and slipped on her white Keds before exiting the house to the garden.  
  
"I'm going to Lex's," she called out as she made her way past the gate.  
  
"Just one minute." Jonathan stood up, garden hoe in one hand. "I thought Lex was in meetings all week?"  
  
Hudson leaned over the fence and nodded. "He is. But he got out early today and just called."  
  
Her mom peered around the red rose bush. "Ask him if he'd like to come over for dinner tonight. I'm making his favorite - chicken and stuffing."  
  
"Okay. See ya!" Hudson flashed them both a quick wave of her hand before speeding toward the woods.  
  
She'd timed it before. With the time it took to speed through a shower, change, talk to her parents and then run the three miles to the Luthor estate, it matched the exact amount of time it took to simply get in the car and drive straight to the castle. Slowing as she reached the gates, Hudson finally stopped and bent down to tie a shoelace that came undone before walking up to the guardhouse. As usual, Lex's guard was dozing. She grinned, tempted to wake and tease him, but decided to leave the old man to his rest and, watching carefully to make certain he didn't awaken, she bent two of the bars apart, slipped through and quickly put them back in place.  
  
Whistling as she walked along the curved drive, Hudson found she couldn't quite keep the bounce out of her step that afternoon, what with the sun shining as brightly as it was and the birds singing loudly in the trees and the fact that Lex was home early. The establishment of LexCorp seemed to take up all of Lex's time lately, making him much busier than he'd been when he simply worked for his father. Now, they only saw one another in the evenings when he wasn't busy and on weekends when he wasn't running to Metropolis on business and checking on Lionel. It sucked. Hudson tried not to say anything, tried not to whine and pout about it to Lex because she knew how important this was to him but still, she couldn't help but feel slightly neglected sometimes. She supposed that was what she should expect when dating a guy who owned a business.  
  
As was her usual route, Hudson entered the house through the back kitchen door. The room was empty so she figured either Dodd was out shopping or had the day off. Then again, sometimes the guy just disappeared. He was weird that way. Hudson figured there was something really mysterious going on with him but whenever she asked Lex, he would just flash her that secretive little grin of his and change the subject. Sometimes, visiting the castle was like stepping into your very own 'Dark Shadows' episode.  
  
Grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl, Hudson continued her way through the kitchen, into the hall and up the stairs to the second floor. The repairs on the castle had been finished for over two weeks now but she was still surprised by the changes Lex requested the construction crew to make throughout the halls and in the study. She kept thinking he had an ulterior motive other than aesthetics - like maybe his father wouldn't like them. Taking a bite out of her apple, Hudson rounded the corner into the study where Lex was sitting behind his desk, on the phone, a familiar sight since the foundation of LexCorp.  
  
Hudson moved behind the desk, leaning over to give him a kiss on his cheek as he glanced up at her with the quirk of a smile, silent as the person on the other end of the line spoke. She turned to walk over to the pool table but Lex caught her hand and pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping his arm securely around her waist. She squirmed a little until he tightened his grip. Giving up, Hudson leaned against him and munched on her apple.  
  
"I understand that, Mr. Gibson," Lex replied to the man on the phone. "The point is, LexCorp is willing to offer five percent less than LuthorCorp is currently charging you per shipment. What I want in return is for LexCorp fertilizer products to be exclusively sold by your chain throughout the Midwest. "  
  
Boring. Lex always got so caught up in talking, literally, about crap. Hudson laid her head back against his shoulder and stared up at the ceiling as she took another bite of her apple. She felt Lex poke her in the stomach and turned to glare at him. With her look, he pointed at her apple and his ear and then the phone. Hudson stuck her tongue out at him. Lex snatched the apple out of her hand.  
  
"Hey!" With her protest, Lex flashed her one of those looks - the one that clearly told her to shut up. Hudson folded her arms over her chest and pouted.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Gibson. I'll have my distribution department get into contact with you regarding the contract." Lex nodded once against the phone, as if the man could see. "Thank you, sir. You do the same." Flipping the phone closed, Lex turned his head to look at Hudson. "Must you be a brat?"  
  
"You're the one who invited me over here. Then you're on the phone. Talking about crap. I thought you were done with work for the day?"  
  
"I was." Lex tossed the phone onto the desk before taking a bite of her apple.  
  
"Hey. That's mine."  
  
"Funny. I get the feeling you took it from my kitchen."  
  
"Yeah, well it came from my farm."  
  
"The farm belongs to your parents." Lex took another bite before holding it up to her mouth.  
  
Frowning at him once, Hudson leaned forward to take a small bite from what was left. Grinning at her, Lex tossed the core into the garbage under his desk then pulled her close and pressed his nose into her hair. He sniffed.  
  
"Your hair's damp. It smells good."  
  
"I took a shower before you called," she replied, giggling when his breath tickled her ear. Her hair usually dried after a fast run but apparently it hadn't done so completely.  
  
"Mmmm. You should have waited - taken a shower with me."  
  
Hudson turned to stare at him, wide-eyed.  
  
Lex grinned. "I'm kidding, Hudson."  
  
"And you call me a tease." She sighed and poked him in the ribs. "Mom wants you to come over for dinner. She's making chicken, just for you."  
  
Hugging Hudson tightly, Lex kissed her cheek before nudging her off of his lap and standing with her. "Sounds good." He squeezed her arm before moving away, toward the wet bar. "Did you drive over?"  
  
"Ummm, dad was going in to town so I caught a ride with him." Hudson leaned over his desk while she watched Lex pull two bottles of Ty Nant from the small, hidden refrigerator. His black slacks tightened across his ass as he moved. She looked around for something to drop so that she could see it again.  
  
Too soon, Lex was back beside her, handing her a bottle. "So tell me what you've been up to today?" He unscrewed the cap on his and took a drink.  
  
It was impossible to concentrate on anything whenever Lex drank from those damn bottles around her. All Hudson could do was stare. And think about the things he did to her in the dark. And then turn a bright, brilliant red. He was watching her right now, while she was watching him, and he continued to tip the bottle back, grinning a little against the rim. Bastard.  
  
"Er. just a little work around the farm. And I talked to Chloe."  
  
"Is she still enjoying Metropolis?" He set the bottle on the desk and folded his arms.  
  
Hudson still hadn't touched her own water. "Yeah. She likes working at the Planet a lot. She seems. happier in the city. It makes me sad."  
  
Lex leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Don't be. Gabe seems extremely enthusiastic about sticking it out with LexCorp. She'll be back and she'll be very happy to be with her best friend again. I promise."  
  
"I guess." She moved a little to stand in front of Lex, then wrapped her arms around his waist and rested against him. "I have missed you this week, you know."  
  
"I should hope so," Lex quipped.  
  
Hudson lifted her head to look up at him. "Did you miss me?"  
  
"I suppose. " He jumped when she poked him in the ribs. "All right, all right. Of course I missed you. Especially the whining. And the poking."  
  
"I think I'm going home now."  
  
Lex snatched Hudson's hand as she moved away from him, pulling her quickly back against him. He buried his face against her neck and nibbled at the skin lightly. "You're terribly fun to tease," he told her before moving his mouth up to her ear.  
  
"And you're terribly mean," Hudson replied with a smile as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Sighing in contentment, she stared out the window as his tongue tickled her ear. After a moment, she asked, "Lex?  
  
"Hmmmm."  
  
"Do you like big boobs?"  
  
"They have their uses."  
  
She didn't know how to respond to that. Frowning a little, she tried again. "Do you prefer women with big boobs?"  
  
Lex shrugged against her. "Like I said, they have their uses." There was a pause and he finally pulled away from her ear to look at her. "What's with the questions?"  
  
Hudson dropped her gaze to the floor, finger tracing the line of buttons along his dress shirt. "I just. well, Victoria was really pretty and had this great figure and everything and I can't help but wonder. "  
  
"I see." Lex took her hands in his and stepped away from the desk, tugging her along with him. "Come here."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
Lex didn't answer as he led her out of the study, down the hall and up the stairs to his bedroom. Once she moved inside behind him, he closed the door, flashed her a quick smile and led her over to the full length free- standing mirror in the corner. He set her in front of him, his hands moving upwards to rest on her shoulders. Gently he moved her hair back behind her neck, fingers brushing lightly over her skin. Looking up, his eyes met hers in the glass.  
  
"What do you see?"  
  
She shrugged and made a face at her reflection. "I don't know. Me, I guess. The same person I see all of the time."  
  
"And what about you isn't beautiful?" Lex asked, running an index finger along her jawline. "Your extremely kissable lips?" He traced the edge of her mouth. "The way your upper lip curls just slightly is sexy beyond reasoning. A man just looks at your mouth and imagines. "  
  
Hudson felt her face grow warm, watching in the mirror even as her skin reddened. Oh, he imagines her doing that? Wow. She couldn't possibly. well, maybe she could. There had to be courage in there somewhere. But Lex still had an issue with letting her have any manner of control when they were together. If he wanted to be touched, then he let her touch him. Otherwise, most of their time together was spent with him teaching her new ways to feel absolutely everything. It was both frustrating and wonderful.  
  
"And what about your eyes?" He touched the edge of her lashes. "Green, blue, clear and open. Sometimes I think they're looking right through me. And when we're together, and I touch you just right. " His hand dropped down to her waist before moving back up slowly, grazing over her breasts. "They darken, just like they are now, and you drop your eyelids a little and look up at me. And I know, in that moment, that you're Mine."  
  
Her eyes widened a little with his words and she was unable to tear her gaze away from his in the mirror. His reflection smiled at her before he bent his head to kiss her neck.  
  
"You're perfect that way you are, Hudson," he told her gently. "Far more so than Victoria could ever dream of being. Your smile alone outshines anything she had to offer."  
  
"But I'm. " Unable to think of the appropriate words, Hudson swept her arms out in front of her to indicate her whole body. "Dad refers to me as all arms and legs and no idea how to use any of them. Victoria was. well, soft and round - with big boobs!"  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow as he lifted his head back up to look at her. "Do you trust me?"  
  
She shifted a little. "Yeah."  
  
Staring at her reflection just a moment longer, Lex slid his hands to her waist, grasping the edge of her t-shirt. "Are you certain?"  
  
What was he up to? Hudson gnawed on her lower lip for a moment as she watched his fingers in the mirror, which were now slowly caressing her stomach. She finally nodded. "Yeah. I'm certain."  
  
Hesitating only a moment longer, Lex pulled her t-shirt up, waiting while she lifted her arms for him, before tugging it over her head and tossing it to the chair next to the dresser.  
  
Returning his attention to Hudson, he placed his hands back at her bare waist and met her eyes. "You don't look like all arms and legs to me," he commented, kissing the edge of her ear. "In fact, I see a slim waist with an adorable belly that pouches out just a little - "  
  
"It does not!" Hudson protested.  
  
"It so does!" Lex chuckled, poking a finger against her abdomen. "And it's perfect, Angel. I always want to kiss it, always want to lick it. " His palm rested over her stomach, just below her navel.  
  
Hudson wriggled back against him when she felt his other hand move along her spine up to the closures of her bra. She turned her head quickly to look back at him as he worked at the hooks. "Lex!" The sun was pouring in from the window and. well, there was no hiding, no shadows to conceal.  
  
"I thought you said you trusted me." His fingers stilled for a moment as he watched her eyes.  
  
"I do. I. " She didn't understand what her problem was. Shame? What difference would the light really make? She was the same person that she was in the dark and he'd certainly touched every part of her in his explorations. She knew she needed to take this step and stop being such a big baby.  
  
"I don't want to scare you," Lex told her softly, his fingers stroking her back. "This is up to you. "  
  
That did it. Hudson met his gaze. "I'm not scared."  
  
Watching her just a little longer, Lex nodded once and finished with the hooks before slipping her bra from her shoulders and laying it beside her top on the chair. She watched him closely as his hands moved to her upper arms where he stroked her skin soothingly. She couldn't look at herself in the mirror because that was too. okay, sure. She stared at herself when she got out of the shower and stuff but this was different. Lex was here now. And he was looking at her, too.  
  
"Hudson."  
  
"Hmmm?" Her eyes lifted to the ceiling, over to the wall on her left, the carpet to her right. She felt Lex squeeze her arms lightly.  
  
"I want you to look in the mirror."  
  
She did. At him.  
  
Lex smiled. "Look at yourself."  
  
Giving a long-suffering sigh, Hudson did as he told her, and it took everything inside of her not to squirm and look away. She watched in silence as Lex's hands moved from her arms, around her, to cup her breasts, cradling each in his palms, the pads of his thumbs moving lightly against her skin. Hudson pressed back against him, as if she might be able to escape the mirror and everything it was showing her.  
  
"You have perfect breasts," he told her, warm breath caressing her ear. "See how they fit in my hands? And they're perfectly colored. A line of dark here," he traced the outline of an areola with his fingertip, "Lighter here," his finger moved inwards, circling the area, "And dark here, in the center." His fingertip flicked over her nipple, which tightened instantly and ached. "It's like nature's own bull's-eye, instructing me where to latch on. "  
  
Hudson was warm all over - from the immediate flush that appeared over her skin with his words. Lex's smile grew, then he moved around her, just so he could lean his head down and capture a nipple between his lips. Nature's own bulls-eye, indeed. He suckled intently, gaze flickering up to her once and Hudson thought she wasn't going to be able to stand on her own anymore. She grasped his shoulders and her gaze drifted to the mirror, just out of curiosity.  
  
It wasn't like she was looking at herself anymore - that was someone else.  
  
She continued to stare at her reflection, wondering at the sudden dilation of her pupils and the rosy tint to her skin that was actually flattering. Her nipples were tight little buds on her breasts that Lex continued to tease with hands and mouth. He dropped to his knees, hands at her waist, tongue trailing over her stomach, between her breasts, beneath her breasts, everywhere. Hudson just clung to him, staring in the mirror, watching her body react to every little touch, every breath. She trembled a little and his grip on her waist tightened, holding her in place before his hands moved in, releasing the button on her shorts. Hudson couldn't imagine protesting at that moment, couldn't have gotten the words past her mouth if she wanted to. She was too fascinated by the image in the mirror - Lex kneeling at her feet, worshipping her body.  
  
Laughter bubbled inside of her at the thought but she somehow squelched it. Lex would never worship her - but he was doing a damn fine job of faking it. Was she supposed to explain this to her mother as well? Well see, mom, he stripped me down in front of the mirror and had me watch while he had his way with me. It was really quite. exciting.  
  
Lex lifted her feet, one at a time, slipping off her shoes before removing skirt and panties, and Hudson had no idea when he'd managed to strip her completely. Perhaps she'd been too wrapped up in her musings. But there she was, naked as the day she was born. And there was Lex, pressing his lips against her belly, hands cupping her ass to pull her closer, mouth moving downward until his face was buried in her curls -  
  
"Lex. "  
  
She meant to say it much more strongly, but instead, it came out as a whisper. One caught in perplexed awe. Hudson gasped as his tongue found her clit and she couldn't stop staring, couldn't look away from the mirror as her legs trembled and her mouth dropped open, various sounds of whimpers issuing from her throat. She wanted to dig her nails into something, grasp on to some concrete or something until it crumbled in her hands, but there was only Lex, and so she held his shoulders gently, concentrating on her reflection.  
  
One of Lex's hands moved up over her stomach, cupping and caressing a breast, fondling the nipple while his tongue continued to send her senses soaring. His free hand moved away from her ass, between her legs, his thumbs pushing up into her folds where it slowly stroked back and forth.  
  
Hudson's eyes fell closed. She couldn't watch anymore because she didn't care. She didn't care what she looked like or what Lex thought she looked like - all that mattered was how he was making her feel. How his tongue became more insistent as her cries grew louder and her knees shook; his hand slipped from her breast to grasp her hip, holding her in place, moving her against him, as his thumb pressed deeper.  
  
The sounds she made were louder now, and Hudson didn't care about that either. She whimpered and she begged and she whispered Lex's name over and over again until she felt it hit her - that magnificent moment where everything seemed to go black and every molecule inside of her seemed to explode. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her stomach was filled with a million maniac butterflies and her bones all turned to jelly and she was crying. Or maybe praying. She could never tell which.  
  
When the world began to make sense again, Hudson realized that Lex was holding her against him. She had somehow ended up on the floor beside him, and his arms were around her and he was kissing her temple and she could feel his smile against her skin. Turning her head to look in the mirror, she caught his gaze and found her own smile appearing.  
  
"You seem awfully pleased with yourself," she murmured, finding it strange that she didn't mind that he was still fully clothed, and she wasn't.  
  
"I think I have the right to be after that," he replied smugly, fingers moving through her hair. He laid his head against hers, watching their reflections in the mirror. "I never want you to compare yourself to another woman again. Is that understood?"  
  
Hudson nodded, moving her cheek against the soft fabric of his shirt. "And what about you? I think you're wearing entirely too much clothing." She reached for a button.  
  
Lex laughed and caught her hand. "I don't think so." He smiled at her when she glared and nodded toward the clock, signaling that they would have to head to the farm soon. "Why don't we save that for another day?"  
  
Hudson continued to pout as Lex reached for her clothes and helped her to dress.  
  
'Save that for another day'.  
  
She was already plotting how to get him out of meetings early tomorrow. It was only right that she got to see him by daylight as well. After all, turn about was fair play.  
  
Then again, Hudson knew that plenty of afternoons lay ahead of them. Especially now that she realized the truth - Lex Luthor thought she was beautiful. And she didn't need to hide anymore. 


	15. Vignette 5 Pictures of You Lex

Pictures of You - Lex  
  
I haven't touched a camera in years.  
  
The last time, I was ten years old and my parents and I were on vacation together - the last family vacation before my mom died. She was two months pregnant with my brother, Julian, and I'd never seen her or my father happier. We were on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, and my father had just taken a picture of mom and I together when he handed me the camera and told me to take one of them. He patted the cap I wore to cover my baldness, then walked over to my mother and pulled her against him, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle and blush. I stared at them for a moment until my father asked if I planned on taking a picture or painting one, then I held the camera up and snapped the shot. Those pictures are still somewhere in a box. I've tried very hard not to find it.  
  
But now I'm standing here with this digital camera that I own, but have never used, and Hudson is looking particularly beautiful today, hair all curled up and brushed and shiny, not her usual haphazard state which usually includes a multitude of tangles and a piece or two of hay hidden in the strands. When I arrived to pick her up at the farm earlier, I teased her as to why she was all dressed up for a simple picnic. That's when she pointed out that today was our anniversary. Four months. I think that's the longest I've been with anyone.  
  
Of course, it hadn't really slipped my mind. Not with Hudson's constant hints on an almost daily basis. It's cute, really, that this means so much to her. As silly as I might have found it to be a year ago, I like it. I enjoy knowing that her relationship with me means so much to her that she feels the need to count each and every day.  
  
So here I am with this camera, wanting to take a picture, not because it's my normal habit to do so but because I would like it to be. For once, I want to pretend that I was raised in a normal family with the normal sentimentality that so many others share.  
  
Like the Kents.  
  
Last Sunday, while waiting for Hudson to finish her chores, I sat in the kitchen with Martha, talking about nothing really. A few weeks after we began dating, Hudson invited me over for dinner with the family on Sunday, and I've been attending every week since. It's helped me get to know the family better, and eased the situation between myself and Mr. Kent. We actually talk now, real conversations about agriculture and politics and sports. He still watches me, like he's waiting for me to make a mistake, take a misstep, hurt his daughter. I wish I could tell him how much Hudson means to me, how precious she is to me, but I don't think it would help. I doubt he would believe me. There's too much past there still that we somehow need to bury.  
  
So while I was talking to Martha - who refuses to allow me to call her Mrs. Kent - she wanders out of the kitchen and into the family room. I remained where I sat until I heard her call out to me to join her. Picking up the glass of iced tea she'd prepared when I first arrived, I walked in to find her sitting on the couch, placing a stack of photo albums on the coffee table in front of her. She patted the space beside her.  
  
"Sit down, Lex."  
  
Martha Kent has this way of making me feel like a little boy. I find I practically snap to attention with any order she gives, and immediately respond to it. Even if sitting beside someone I'm not very close to makes me uncomfortable, I take my place on the couch and glance in curiosity at the first album as she opens it.  
  
"I thought you might want to see some of these - pictures we've taken of Hudson growing up."  
  
She had no idea how much I wanted to. I feigned polite interest, nodding a little and making a noise here and there as she explained some of the moments captured in the pictures. Hudson's first day of school, and subsequent Picture Days thereafter, her first Christmas shopping trip to Metropolis, years of showing various farm animals at the County and State fairs. Truthfully, while pretending I was only mildly interested, I was drinking in every picture of Hudson's childhood, memorizing each moment captured forever on film, her brilliant smile and coltish figure that she is only now slowly beginning to grow into. I found myself wishing that I had been there for those moments, to share a part of a life I've only really had the smallest glimpse of.  
  
I can admit, the photos made me jealous. I've always envied Hudson's family life, and seeing proof of her happiness through the years only made me envy it more. But I wouldn't want it any other way. If I could shelter her from the harsh realities of life forever, I would do so. Sometimes, I stare at her, and I just want to lock her away in a glass box, put her high on a shelf in my castle, and never let anyone or anything ever touch her again. I'd do it, if I didn't think it would break her spirit.  
  
"Have you figured that thing out yet?"  
  
I glance up, breaking from my musings to see Hudson wiggling onto an old swing hanging from the oak tree beside which we set up our picnic. She's entirely too tall for the thing, her feet dragging along the ground, but she still attempts it, even as she casts a deadly glare at the ground. I swear she thinks if she stares at it like that long enough, the earth will simply move out of the way for her.  
  
And I wouldn't be surprised if it did.  
  
"I want you to come push me," she calls out.  
  
"Is that all I'm here for?" I ask, looking back down at the camera and finally locating the 'on' button. A little green light appears when I push it and the lens slowly winds it's way out. Well, that's progress.  
  
"Well, it's not all you're here for." Her reply is filled with innuendo as she flashes me a wicked grin and I wonder at what point I turned her into such a sexual little creature. Not that I'm complaining.  
  
Lifting the camera, I glance through the view piece and click the button on top, hearing a slow whirring sound, indicating that it worked.  
  
"Did you just take my picture?"  
  
I nod. "Yeah. Problem?"  
  
"You're supposed to say 'smile' or 'say cheese' or something like that."  
  
"Never in my lifetime will the words 'say cheese' issue from my mouth, Hudson."  
  
"They just did, loser."  
  
I glare over at her. "Skank."  
  
"Jerk."  
  
"Tease."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Hudson takes great offense whenever I call her that. She swears she isn't a tease. But she is. She's learned the effects she has on me and she uses each of them fully to her advantage. Surprisingly, I don't mind. I know that I can control her just as easily.  
  
Holding the camera back up to my eye, I watch her through the lens for a moment before calling out, "Smile, Hudson."  
  
Hudson flashes me a soft smile, suddenly blushing, and I think I might upload that one to my desktop, just so I can stare at it all through work. She stares at me in silence while I glance over the settings on the camera. It's peaceful like this, a slight breeze moving through the trees around us, bees buzzing around the wildflowers, Hudson's feet kicking at the ground occasionally as she slowly swings back and forth. Somewhere in the distance, a crop duster is hard at work, the sound of his plane the only indication that there's anything other than nature around us for miles.  
  
Slipping the camera into the empty picnic basket, I lie down on my back, hands folded behind my head, staring up at the clear blue sky.  
  
Hudson sighs. "You're not going to push me, are you?"  
  
"I'm relaxing."  
  
I wait for some form of argument in reply. Instead, I hear the creak of the wooden seat on the swing and then her bare feet moving through the grass. She drops to her knees on the blanket and crawls over to me, sitting with her legs curled beneath her beside me, leaning on her hand.  
  
Turning to look at her, I see that the sun has formed a bright halo around her hair and I'm reminded of the day we first met. My angel.  
  
"You've been really busy with getting LexCorp ready," she comments, reaching out to touch my stomach. She plays idly with a button on my shirt.  
  
I nod. "Yes." I grab her hand, bringing it to my lips where I kiss her fingers gently. "But I've still made time for you."  
  
"I know." Hudson sighs a little and leans over me, resting her head against my chest. "I just worry about you. You've worked so hard to get the Plant running again and then you spend time with me. You have no time to yourself, to rest."  
  
"I'm resting right now," I tell her, running my fingers through her hair. "Spending time with you is restful, Angel. I wouldn't do it otherwise."  
  
She snickers. "That's not what you said the other night."  
  
I grin and playfully pinch her arm. "Hey, that's only because I'd spent twelve hours at the Plant and then you appeared, apparently bitten by some horny bug - "  
  
"Lex!" Hudson squeals and buries her face against my shirt.  
  
I laugh, knowing she's got to be bright red at this moment. For as adventurous as she is learning to be when the lights are out, she's still equally shy by day, no matter how much I've tried to show her it's okay. Hudson still can't accept that she's beautiful and that what we do together is equally as beautiful because of her. It's one of the many reasons I love her.  
  
That's what I call this feeling, anyway. If it's not love, then I'm not certain what it might be. I've never felt like this with anyone before - like nothing in the world can touch me. It's an illusion -- one that only occurs when Hudson is by my side -- but one that I can allow myself to accept. Sometimes I can't help but believe that together, nothing and no one can stand in our way. That kind of delusional belief has got to be love.  
  
I've never told Hudson. It's possible I may never do so. She's so young and has so much potential and there's this whole world out there, just waiting for her to conquer it. I'm not going to take that away from her. Besides, I'm much too selfish to share this feeling. If I tell her, it might disappear. If she knows, Hudson might anticipate more than I can give and I don't want to end up hating her simply because I can't live up to her expectations. It's much better this way - to know I love her and to cherish that feeling deep down inside and never allow the chance for disappointment. It might be unfair that she tells me constantly how she feels, and I just take it and hide it away, but that's who I am. So far, she's accepted that much. I know it won't last.  
  
"You're getting maudlin again."  
  
I raise my head a little to find her watching me, her chin lying on my chest. "Am I?" I brush my thumb against her cheek. "Sorry. I hadn't noticed."  
  
She watches me a moment, her eyes drifting over my face and I wonder what she sees there. Sometimes her gaze seems so intent, like she can see through me, right down to all of my fears and hatreds, past the walls to the insecurities, where I know there's a gigantic neon sign blazing the truth - that I'll never be good enough.  
  
My hand settles on her shoulder, fingers barely grazing the bare skin of her neck.  
  
Hudson reaches up to touch my face. "Occasionally this dark cloud appears over your face," she tells me softly, her fingers trailing down my cheek. "Your eyes turn a stormy grey and. it's like the sun disappears. I don't like it. It. it makes me hurt inside."  
  
"I don't like causing you pain," I tell her, capturing a stray curl with my finger and playing with it. "I'm sorry that I hurt you."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
She leans up, pressing her soft, soft lips against mine. Her kisses are sweet, addictive. There's something special in the fact that they're only for me. When she pulls back, her green eyes are shining, bright with something I've come to recognize as her feelings for me. When I look at them, I sometimes feel I just might be worthy. She thinks I am.  
  
"Do you want to stay here longer? Or go back?" Her voice is barely a whisper. I feel her fingers move along the side of my head, a gentle soothing touch.  
  
"Stay." I close my eyes and her lips move over mine again.  
  
Someday, I'll look back at the picture I took of her and remember that, just for a little while, I was loved in the purest sense of the word. 


	16. Vignette 6 Pictures of You Hudson

Pictures of You - Hudson  
  
One of these days, I'm going to get caught. I just know it. One of these nights, when I think I'm being all sneaky climbing out my bedroom window, mom or dad or both of them are going to hear something or decide to check on me, and find a decidedly empty bed. And then they'll be with the smack- down all over me. And Lex. The worst of it is, I'll have to hear Lex say 'I told you so'.  
  
Hmph.  
  
But for now, I'm not worrying and still sneaking out to go to the castle. Who can blame me? I'm dating the most incredible man in the world and my parents decide to impose a ridiculous curfew of nine o'clock. I've never had a curfew. Not until Lex. Mom and dad seem to think sex can only happen in the dark. But Lex has taught me differently.  
  
Hee.  
  
I still feel my face warming at the thought of what we do, though. Lex says it's cute. He says he never wants that to change about me. I have gotten better though. I mean, I like the way he looks at me, the way he takes the time to let his gaze drift over my entire body before he even touches me. It makes me feel special and beautiful - and so many other things I never expected to feel. I know I still turn twenty shades of red when he does it, and by the time he lifts his eyes back to mine, I'm breathing funny and feel like I'm going to crawl out of my fricken skin. But then Lex flashes me that smile - the one that's barely there but I can see it in his eyes, the one that's only ever for me - and I find myself smiling back and relaxing and then his hands and mouth are everywhere and nothing much matters after that.  
  
And he wonders why I tempt fate by sneaking out of the house all of the time.  
  
I always wait until my parents are asleep, so I never leave until usually around midnight. I speed through the woods toward the castle, and it's always late at night that you see the coolest things - deer everywhere, raccoons, coyotes, even a mountain lion once. I'm not certain which of us was most startled. Normally, the animals never see me move past, but I was shocked by the mountain lion that I came to an abrupt stop and we just kind of stared at one another before taking off in separate directions. Of course, my parents freaked when I told them the rumors about mountain lions still roaming these parts was true. I never did admit how I happened across one at two in the morning.  
  
When I reach the castle, I enter through the back kitchen door, not surprised to find Dodd sitting at the kitchen table, sharpening knives. And these aren't your garden variety kitchen knives either - they have fancy silver handles and they look as if they could actually cut through my skin if he felt like giving it a try. He's nuts. That's the conclusion I've come to. Lex's cook is certifiable.  
  
He says nothing to me as I move past him, just continues sharpening his knives, flashing me a quick look that clearly says I'm breaking the rules. If he and my dad ever decided to become friends, I'd be in serious trouble. I know Dodd likes me, but he also believes in rules. Obviously, I never should have explained the guidelines mom and dad gave Lex and I regarding our relationship.  
  
Besides, tonight I have a reason for being here. A valid one.  
  
Sticking my tongue out at him good-naturedly as I exit the kitchen, I hurry up the few flights of stairs to the third floor, then down the hall five doors, to the huge double-doors on my left. I could find my way to Lex's bedroom with my eyes closed, and not just because I'm an alien either. Lex's favorite room in the castle might be his study, but I prefer his bedroom. And not because of what we do in there, either. No, it's more of a general feeling really. It's always warm, with an enormous stone fireplace, and the bed is huge and raised and covered in thick blankets that practically beg you to burrow yourself deep inside, and there is a line of French doors that lead out onto a balcony and when the curtains are open, you can see out across the property of the estate to the woods. It's gorgeous. I don't even mind the old paintings of half-naked women on the walls anymore.  
  
Hugging the package tucked in my arm close to me, I quietly open the left door and slip inside. The light beside Lex's bed is on low and Lex is asleep, with papers and files scattered all around the bed. I can't help but smile; it isn't the first time I've found him like this. Lex tends to work until he just can't anymore and he passes out from exhaustion. He's been extra busy this week in preparation for conferences and meetings over the next two weeks. Most of the time I've been at the castle the past few days has been spent watching him work while I read or try to teach myself chess. Which I suck at, by the way.  
  
Placing my package on the nightstand, I carefully lean over Lex and remove the papers and files, stacking them all together and carrying them over to the table where his briefcase lays open. I put them inside and close it, then head back to the bed where I strip down to my panties before climbing in beside him. It's probably wrong of me, but I love coming over when Lex is asleep - it gives me the chance to stare at him without receiving the typical disapproving looks he likes to flash me. I've never understood why it is completely right and acceptable for him to stare at me, but I can't do that same.  
  
Lex is beautiful, and maybe that's not a good description for a guy but it is the only description for him. He has skin that 99% of all girls I know would kill for and though he appears to be very slender, he's actually in extremely good shape. He's mostly muscle and deceptively strong. But then, I've learned over the months that most of the important facets of Lex are very well hidden. He never lets on how smart he truly is - most people think his father bought his way through school quickly, and that all of his troubles in school were caused by an inability to want to learn. I think it was mostly boredom. Lex is smarter than most people I know, probably learned early on that the people attempting to teach him anything were complete idiots, and gave up on the educational system. But he doesn't appear to want people to know that. If they make the mistake of prejudging him, and believing that everything in his life is handed to him by his father, then he doesn't attempt to alter those preconceived notions.  
  
I think it's those little deceptions that cause my dad not to trust Lex. Oh, they get along much better now than they used to, but the more I watch Lex, the more I study him up close, the more I see how deceiving he truly is. It's not a purposeful deception - more of a protective one. If people judge him fairly from the beginning, then Lex will treat them fairly in return. But I've seen first hand what can happen to those who misjudge him, who overlook those strengths of his he so effectively hides. It's like his strength - you're going to have to catch him off-guard if you want to stand a chance against him. If he's ready for you, you don't have a chance in hell. I think he acquired that ability from years of struggling against his father. From the stories I've heard, Lionel Luthor seems to be one step ahead of everyone all of the time. Lex has been forced to adapt. I sometimes wish I could change that, wish that I could make Lex understand that he doesn't have to be so on-guard with absolutely every person that he meets. But it's a behavior that imbedded deep inside, and I don't know if anyone will ever be able to make it go away. Hence my dad's concern.  
  
I should probably be worried too, but I'm not really. No one else sees how he is with me - opening doors and pulling out chairs and blessing me when I sneeze. He always worries about my comfort, spoils me rotten, treats me like I'm something fragile that could break at any moment. I wish I could tell him otherwise. I wish I could tell him everything. And every moment of every day I'm tempted to do just that.  
  
So why don't I?  
  
Because occasionally, just once every so often, I catch him looking at me, studying me, like a bug under a microscope. It doesn't always happen, usually I can just shrug it away to his unending curiosity. But there are moments. there are times when I can't get out of my head all of those fears my parents have instilled in me over the years. Worry about what could happen to my family if the wrong person learned the truth, what could happen to me. And I'm not really afraid of Lex - I don't think he'd ever hurt me intentionally. It was what my mom said that comes back to me though, how there are people Lex associates with, people like Roger Nixon, who would and could hurt me. Hurt mom and dad. Maybe even hurt Lex. And those are the moments that push aside any desire I have to be completely honest with him. I know that I will have to one day - it's what Lex deserves, to hear the truth. For now though, I'm just not brave enough to give him that.  
  
Don't think it isn't eating away at me. Don't think I'm not feeling all guilty and yucky because I keep lying to the man I love. Lex deserves better than that - so much better. And maybe that's why I go out of my way to give him everything else that I can. Maybe that's the reason I sneak out of the house late at night, risking the wrath of my parents, just to see him, to spend time with him.  
  
Or it could be something else.  
  
The sheet is just barely over his hips, one hand resting to his side, the other over his stomach. I lean over and kiss his abdomen lightly before pushing the sheet lower, allowing me access to his hipbone that I can't help but trace the outline of with my tongue. Chloe's nagging question as to whether or not Lex is hairless everywhere was finally answered a few weeks ago. He is. and he isn't. There are a few very fine blonde hairs here and there, almost like down. They're scattered over his groin, a few over the tops of his thighs and all that exists of his eyebrows and eyelashes. Lex explained to me the doctors theorized after the meteor shower that the radiation didn't seem to affect the very pale hairs. I really don't care about the explanation - I think it's gorgeous. Maybe some people would think it weird and freaky to have a practically hairless boyfriend. I think it's weird and freaky to have one that looks like an ape. Who knows? Maybe it's a preference of my people or something. I think Lex is perfect.  
  
Nudging my nose along the crease where thigh meets hip, I watch as Lex's cock twitches and awakens as I near. I've recently discovered a new joy in just laying here and staring at Lex's body. Maybe I'm fascinated by his penis. Lex laughs at my curiosity but I can't help it. I want to know everything - why it does what it does and what touches make it react the most. How sometimes I can just stare at it and it will darken and lengthen and grow right in front of my gaze. And other times I can stroke and touch and grip and Lex will sigh with boredom. How could I not be enthralled?  
  
Beneath my hand on his thigh, I can feel Lex's body stiffen slightly, and I know he's awake. He does that - wakes up fully in an instant, immediately alert. The only time I've ever seen Lex not completely alert was just after the tornado, and that had me terrified.  
  
"I thought I told you not to come over."  
  
No hello. Just a reprimand. I can't help but smile as I lay my head against his stomach, my fingers drifting over the slight sprinkling of pale hairs around the base of his cock. "And I thought I told you that I would do whatever I pleased."  
  
"Brat." I feel his hand against my head, his fingers threading through my hair. He pets me for a moment, shifting slightly beneath me. "When did you get here?"  
  
"A few minutes ago. Have you been asleep long?" Lex has been having trouble sleeping all summer - nightmares about Nixon keep plaguing him. It's another reason I try to come over, just so he'll have someone near by.  
  
I feel his hand move as he checks his watch. "The last time I looked, it was just past eleven. An hour, I guess."  
  
I try to ignore the feeling of guilt for not letting him sleep longer. After placing a quick kiss against his groin, I turn my head so that I can look at him. "You don't really have to leave tomorrow, do you?"  
  
"I'm afraid so, Angel." His fingers move over my cheek and down to my lips and I kiss them. "I'll call you every day."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
Lex smiles at me and then his hand curls around the back of my neck and he tugs me upwards. His lips are soft and warm and inviting and I can't suppress the sigh of contentment as his tongue pushes past into my mouth, lapping at my pallet and brushing over my lips. It's a slow, lazy kiss, the kind where it seems like we have all the time in the world just to taste and explore one another. I love it when Lex kisses me like this; my insides turn to mush. I become total and complete goo. It doesn't help when I feel his fingers brush over my breast, back and forth, teasing the nipple until all my body wants is something more substantial - his mouth, his fingers, anything to make the ache go away. Or maybe make it stronger. I can never really decide what I like more.  
  
His arm slips around my back and presses me against him, his body all hard and soft at the same time. Lex has taught me that there is no feeling more incredible in the entire world than sleeping naked, against one another. At first, I worried that by sleeping with Lex, I might one night wake up floating, just as I've done before at home. Apparently I don't need to worry about that though - when I'm with Lex, curled against him, I'm dead to the world. Another tornado could probably tear through the castle and I wouldn't wake up. Lex says he's never seen anything like it. I guess I'm just really comfortable.  
  
Pulling away from my mouth, Lex gives me one more quick kiss before his fingers begin threading through my hair again. "I wish I could take you with me."  
  
Tomorrow he's leaving for Russia where he's working on a contract with the government to supply their farms with fertilizer. If he gets it, it'll be a huge deal. Unfortunately, he'll be going directly from that to a business conference in Metropolis. I might have been able to convince my parents to let me visit but it's the week before school starts and there is a lot to get done around the farm plus school shopping. It'll be a full two weeks that he'll be gone, and he's never been gone that long in any of the time since we first met. In fact, the anniversary of the day we met is coming up. Luckily, he'll be back in time for that.  
  
"Maybe I could just stow away in your suitcase," I suggest.  
  
Lex flashes me a small smile. He made a comment a few weeks ago about taking me to Russia with him for a trip if the contract goes through. I'm still trying to figure out how he's going to convince my parents of that one.  
  
"Oh! I have something for you."  
  
I scramble up from my position against him to grab the box from the nightstand, curling my legs beneath me and setting it between us on the mattress. Lex leans up on one arm, staring at the package for a moment before finally sitting up.  
  
The idea came to me earlier in the summer but I hadn't been able to really work on it until this past month. I'd been helping Lex clean up in the study after the tornado and discovered an old picture of him and his mother. It should have been in a photo album, protected. But Lex didn't keep photo albums.  
  
I spoke with Dodd about it a few weeks later and, when Lex was at work, began coming over in the mornings to search through the storerooms where things like boxes of old photos might be kept. Eventually, I found some. There weren't many pictures of Lillian Luthor to be found, but there were a few. Some of her from high school and college, a couple of wedding pictures with a short-haired Lionel -- which was beyond strange - and others of her and Lex when he was little. I took them all with me, bought a kit to make a photo album and spent the last few weeks putting it together. There weren't enough pictures to fill it, but I thought maybe he had a few more that he could add later.  
  
I watch him expectantly as he finally removes the lid. Of course, I'm terrified that he'll hate it. Lex has this thing about people prying into his past, intruding on memories that he wants to keep to himself. Especially when it comes to his mother. Hopefully, by now he realizes I have no intention of taking those memories from him.  
  
Lex lifts the album from the box, saying nothing, his expression not changing one bit from the bland, bored look I've become accustomed to. It's Lex's poker face. I hate it, and I hate it when it appears because that always means he's bottling everything up inside, hiding from the world, and those are usually the moments when he should be most open and honest. I'm afraid that one day his poker face will be all that's left.  
  
He flips through the pictures quietly, slowly, his gaze scanning each one. Fidgeting nervously, I finally have to speak.  
  
"I thought you needed to protect the memory of your mother, to have something to look at in the future. Pictures are important for that."  
  
"Are they?" He asks quietly before finally raising his gaze to mine. Lex regards me for a long, silent moment and I'm terrified that I've really angered him. Eventually, he reaches out and touches my cheek. "Thank you."  
  
I give him a smile, wishing that I knew what he was thinking. "You're welcome."  
  
Watching me a moment longer, Lex suddenly reaches across from me and opens the drawer of his nightstand. I watch curiously as he pulls out a photo. Glancing over it, I realize it is the photo he took of me a week before on our picnic together. I didn't even know he'd had it printed.  
  
He slips it into the page behind the last photo of his mother and him together, then looks up at me. "I'm protecting a memory."  
  
His words make something inside of me ache and I don't know why. Leaning across the gap between us, I kiss him deeply, hoping to silently convey how much it means to me, my picture being in the same special place as his mothers. I feel Lex move against me as he slides the album and box back onto the nightstand. And then he is pressing me back against the mattress and his touch and his scent and everything that defines him erases the inexplicable pain that briefly swept over me.  
  
"Will you miss me?" His words whisper against my mouth.  
  
"You'll never know how much," I reply as Lex kisses the corner of my mouth.  
  
I feel him smile against my skin. "Then I'd better leave you with something to remember me by. "  
  
A smile crosses my face as he slides down my body, kissing my breasts, my belly, letting loose the thousands of butterflies that flutter around all inside of me.  
  
I know it's silly - it's only two weeks.  
  
But why do I feel like we're saying goodbye? 


	17. My First Taste: Burned

EPISODE 11  
  
BURNED  
  
Give it up baby I hear your goodbye Nothings gonna save me I can see it in your eyes ~ Cry, Faith Hill  
  
Lex was coming home tonight.  
  
Clutching the recently repaired music box close to her, Hudson hurried down the steps to the kitchen where her mom was finishing up the dishes from dinner. She felt bad for not helping, but she was far too excited to do chores at the moment. Her mom seemed to understand because she excused her from the table right after Hudson finished her last bite. With her mom's silent blessing, she'd hurried upstairs, showered, changed her clothes and gathered the music box into her hands. Her dad had found a jeweler in town who was able to repair it. Hudson just knew Lex would be pleased to learn that it worked again.  
  
"Heading to Lex's?"  
  
Hudson looked up to see her mom glancing over her shoulder at her, arms elbow deep in the dishwater. She nodded and flashed a bright smile. "Yeah. You don't mind, do you? I promise not to stay long. I just want to say hi, and give him this." And a great big kiss or two. Or three. Or, like, a million.  
  
Lex was coming home tonight!  
  
Martha seemed to contemplate the request before she finally returned her daughter's smile. "Considering he's been gone for the past two weeks, I'll give you a pass this time. But I want you home no later than eleven. You have your first day of school tomorrow and we don't need you starting the school year by missing the bus."  
  
Practically bouncing toward the door, Hudson nodded in agreement. "Eleven. I promise." She gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek on her way past then sped out of the house toward the castle.  
  
Hudson sped through the woods, taking the route furthest from the roads to prevent being seen in the lingering daylight. She had taken the familiar path so often, she knew the layout as well as she did that of the farm. The air was heavy and thick with unrelenting humidity - it had been weeks since the last rain, and the Midwest was paying for it as a whole with temperatures hovering in the low 100's. While Hudson loved the cold, she hated the heat. Sometimes she wondered if her people weren't partial to cooler climates because she always felt particularly tired and lazy when it became too warm.  
  
Skirting the edge of Nell Potter's property, Hudson wondered briefly if Lana was home or visiting Whitney at K-State, before she reached the property line of the Luthor estate. Slowing as she neared the castle, Hudson broke from her speed into a jog up to the rear kitchen door. Stepping inside, she was surprised to find the kitchen empty.  
  
Normally, Dodd was there, sharpening knives, preparing some elaborate meal or restocking the shelves. Occasionally he was just sitting there, staring at the door, as if waiting for Hudson to appear. But not tonight. The room was eerily silent and there wasn't even a lingering scent of food. She knew he hadn't taken off during Lex's business trip because she'd visited with him almost every day - his help had been essential in getting the music box. Maybe Lex told him to take the evening off when he returned.  
  
Giving a mental shrug, Hudson told herself at least she didn't have to deal with the cook's usual grumpy expressions as she headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs toward the study. The castle seemed so empty when Lex wasn't home, but it was different now - she could actually feel the electric charge in the air that she always sensed whenever he was near. Of course, it could have been her own excitement at the prospect of seeing him again after being apart for fourteen days, six hours, two minutes and thirty-seven seconds.  
  
Not that she was counting or anything.  
  
Hudson wondered if the smile she was currently wearing might be plastered to her face forever. She almost danced up the last few steps, already anticipating what Lex was wearing and how he smelled. And she wondered what he brought her from Russia. It was wrong, she knew, and her dad would have a few words to say if he knew, but Hudson couldn't help but enjoy the gifts that Lex always gave to her behind her parents' backs. There was already quite a collection of things building at the castle that she wasn't brave enough to take home - stuffed animals, clothes, simple jewelry and perfume. She didn't need any of it but that didn't mean she didn't love receiving it. And then, of course, there was always the chance to thank Lex for each and every gift he surprised her with. That was the best part of all.  
  
As she neared the study, Hudson could hear voices speaking softly from the room. Did Lex have company? If he did, she didn't want to interrupt. Sometimes Lex became a little uptight when he was interrupted during a business meeting. He always apologized to her later but usually he began by biting her head off. It seemed a little late to be having a business meeting, but then, Lex kept really strange hours sometimes. Hesitating just outside the door, Hudson told herself she wasn't eavesdropping, just determining whether or not it would be okay to interrupt.  
  
"Oh, Lex! This place is beautiful!"  
  
Hudson blinked at the woman's voice, her heart rate speeding up just a little.  
  
"I'm glad you like it. I'd hate to have to find a new place to live right at this moment."  
  
The woman laughed, the sound very sexy and soft. "I wouldn't dream of putting you through that."  
  
Worrying her lower lip, Hudson peered cautiously around the door, having no idea what it was she hoped to find. Maybe some matronly woman who turned out to be an aunt or something who was visiting. Whatever it was she was looking for, it wasn't the gorgeous female who was leaning against the back of the couch, smiling at Lex. Her Lex. She was far from matronly, dressed in a short skirt that showed just about everything and a tiny little tank that showed even more. She was all curves and dark hair and the look she was giving Lex. well, it went a little beyond friendly.  
  
Hudson's gaze traveled over to Lex, who was leaning against his desk looking sexy as all hell in navy slacks and grey shirt, returning the woman's smile. His skin was slightly damp with sweat, his eyes heavy- lidded. Had he ever looked at her like that?  
  
Swallowing the burn that was building at the back of her throat, Hudson slowly backed away from the door, squeezing the music box against her chest. She didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she raced out of the mansion and away from what she hoped was a scene conjured by her imagination.  
  
***  
  
Lana sighed as she stared up at the ceiling above her, fingers moving idly over her collarbone as her mind drifted. She'd only left Manhattan, visiting Whitney at K-State, a few hours ago. Was it wrong that her mind had already moved on from her boyfriend, who she did care about very much, to Hudson? Over and over, she assured herself that her fascination with her best friend was simply due to a friendship she'd never really shared with any other female before. So what if she thought Hudson was beautiful? Anyone could admit to that. She was so tall and moved with such confidence and her smile was positively amazing. After all, Hudson had charm and beauty that even Lex Luthor couldn't help but notice, so certainly there was nothing wrong with Lana noticing the same. They were best friends, and Hudson was always there for her. There was nothing wrong with just the teeniest, tiniest crush. Especially when nothing would ever come of it.  
  
The summer had allowed Hudson and Lana time to build on their friendship. With Chloe in Metropolis, and Pete working at the Mayor's office, Lana was happy to discover that she received Hudson's full attention while Lex was working or away on the occasional business trip. They shopped, had sleepovers, attended the country fair and went horseback riding. Lana quickly discovered that Hudson was the most devoted and loyal friend she could ever dream of having, and she mentally chided herself daily for not having seen that sooner. The years of animosity between them seemed to slip away, leaving a very honest and strong friendship.  
  
That also left room for plenty of confusion.  
  
Lana had never been attracted to another girl before. She'd never even considered it. But she couldn't deny that she often tried to remember what the kiss Kyle Tippet had coerced them to share had been like. She wanted to know what it was like to kiss Hudson, and what it would be like for Hudson to kiss her back. Would having another girl touch her feel the same as when Whitney touched her? And what did it feel like to touch another girl's breasts? She knew how her own felt, but she was usually too wrapped up in the sensation of being touched, as opposed to doing the touching. What did breasts feel like when she wasn't receiving the sensations along with it?  
  
Sighing again, Lana decided that now was not a good time to begin fantasizing about her best friend again. Instead, she wondered what the first day back at school would be like without Whitney there, and what she should wear that would be both cool enough to help her make it through the day, yet not too revealing.  
  
She was almost finished with her outfit choice in her mind when she heard the unmistakable sound of pebbles hitting her window. Almost instantly, she was certain it had to be Hudson and her heart skipped a beat at the thought as she slipped out of bed and hurried to the window. Pulling back the curtains, Lana was pleased to see that her instincts were correct. She wasn't really surprised to see Hudson standing in the yard - her friend had a habit of showing up at weird times, wanting to talk.  
  
Opening the window, Lana leaned out and offered her friend a smile. "Hi. What's going on?"  
  
Hudson was hugging something tightly in her arms, and she didn't return the smile. "Can you come down and talk?"  
  
Titling her head a little, Lana frowned. There was a note in Hudson's voice she'd never heard before. Leaning out a little further, she suggested, "Why don't you come up here? The air conditioning beats being out in that heat. Aunt Nell's asleep. The back door is unlocked."  
  
Hudson nodded and broke into a jog around the house. Closing the window and replacing the curtains, Lana moved across the room and pulled the door open quietly, peering down the hall to make certain her aunt's door was still shut. She waited patiently for her friend, wondering what the strange tone of Hudson's voice meant. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Lana couldn't hide the smile as her friend appeared, silhouetted by the light from the hall window as she walked toward her room.  
  
Stepping back, Lana waited for her to get through the door before shutting it behind her and following Hudson over to her bed. She thought her friend would sit down, but instead she paced, her arms still wrapped tightly around her. Confused, Lana sat on the edge of her mattress, waiting for Hudson to say something. When she didn't, Lana realized she was going to have to pry it out of her.  
  
"H.C.? Is something wrong?"  
  
Hudson turned to her at the question, still hugging the object in her arms. "I. Oh, Lana! Everything is wrong!"  
  
Eyes widening a little with the declaration, which seemed more her own style and entirely too dramatic for Hudson Kent, Lana stared intently at the object. "Is that the music box you told me about? The one you gave Lex?"  
  
Glancing down at the music box, Hudson's eyes widened a little, as if she forgot it was there. Slowly, she held it away from her. "I. I was going to give this back to him," she whispered.  
  
"Oh. That's right. He got home today, didn't he?" Lana asked with a smile. "You're going to have to tell me how you made it through the past two weeks so that I can get over not seeing Whitney every. " She trailed off when she thought she noticed a tear on Hudson's cheek. "H.C.? What is it?"  
  
"I. I saw Lex with another woman."  
  
Lana's mouth fell open for a solid minute before she was able to close it and think clearly. That was impossible! Lex and Hudson were meant for each other - someone would have to be completely blind, deaf and stupid not to see how much Lex cared for her. He would never. Well, this was Lex Luthor.  
  
"No." Lana shook her head, as if convincing herself as much as Hudson. "I'm sure you're getting all worked up over nothing. Lex always has business associates and stuff over. I'm sure that's who you saw. A business associate."  
  
"That's what I told myself," Hudson replied quietly as she lowered herself onto the bed beside Lana, setting the music box lovingly between them. "But. she didn't look like a business associate. Well, the Victoria kind, maybe."  
  
Lana shook her head again, refusing to believe it. "Tell me what you saw."  
  
"I. Well, I went over there to give Lex the music box and welcome him back," Hudson began. "And I heard voices and I didn't want to interrupt so I stopped to listen, to make certain it was nothing important. That's when I heard her voice. She was talking about the castle and how much she liked it and he said something about being glad because he didn't want to look for another. What does that mean??"  
  
Nibbling on her lip, Lana reached out and touched Hudson's hand. "Maybe she was just a relative."  
  
"I don't think Lex has any relatives."  
  
Hudson wasn't making this easy. "An old friend maybe? One from Metropolis who came to visit?"  
  
"Victoria was an old friend." Hudson's lower lip quivered, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
"Lex adores you, H.C.," Lana hastened to reassure her. "He would never do anything like that. He would never hurt you. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for it."  
  
"The same logical explanation for why he hasn't called me the past five days?" Hudson demanded, tears spilling onto her cheeks.  
  
Lana blinked. "You didn't tell me. "  
  
Hudson shook her head. "I didn't want to. I thought. I told myself he was just busy. Every day that he called, he was always so tired and telling me all about everything he was doing and. and when the calls stopped, I just figured he was too busy. But now. "  
  
"He was too busy with work and stuff," Lana told her resolutely. "I'm sure of it!"  
  
Hudson stared at her a moment, as if convincing herself that what Lana said was true. She didn't reply.  
  
Feeling horrible for her friend, Lana leaned over and wiped her tears away. "H.C., if there were ever two people meant to be together, it's you and Lex. I'm certain of it. I get so jealous seeing you together - it's so obvious how much he loves you. You have to believe in that."  
  
"What if he changed his mind?" She asked softly, her voice miserable. "What if he wants someone older and more mature? Someone without a curfew?"  
  
"He's never expressed such a need previously," Lana pointed out. "I doubt two weeks away from you would change that."  
  
"Out of sight, out of mind."  
  
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."  
  
They smiled at each other.  
  
Wrapping her arms around her friend, Lana hugged Hudson tightly. "Don't worry about it tonight. Tomorrow, after school, you'll see Lex and that woman will be long gone. And he'll explain to you that she was some old friend visiting or something, and he'll tell you how much he missed you. And everything will be all right. I promise."  
  
Hudson laid her head on Lana's shoulder and sniffled. "I hope you're right."  
  
So did Lana. If not, then she was going to have some serious issues with her business partner.  
  
***  
  
The next morning dawned a little brighter than her evening ended. Though Hudson didn't get much sleep, she succeeded in convincing herself that Lana was right, and it eased her mind a bit. Lex cared for her, even though he hadn't admitted as much in so many words. She'd seen it over the summer with his actions and his touch and his smile. He wasn't the type to intentionally hurt someone he cared about. In fact, more often than not, he went out of his way to keep from doing so. Therefore, the strange woman in his house was either a business associate or old friend. Nothing more. When she saw him later after school, she would figure out a way to casually ask him about it.  
  
Hudson still missed the bus, even though her mom went out of her way to make certain breakfast was completed early enough and her clothes were laid out for her to change into. Deep inside, Hudson couldn't help but wonder if her perennial issue with missing the bus wasn't a tiny bit on purpose - she enjoyed running and used every opportunity at her disposal to do so. Missing the bus didn't mean much to her, especially considering so many of her friends were getting their own cars and had their own transportation to school now. She was stuck riding the bus with a bunch of freshman, and that just wasn't cool. Earlier in the summer, Lex offered to start picking her up in the mornings on his way to work and she hoped he remembered that offer. Arriving in a Ferrari driven by your boyfriend beat a big yellow school bus any day.  
  
Blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes, Hudson wondered exactly how miserable the heat would become before the day drew to a close as she arrived around the back of the school, slowing to approach the front at a walk. Normally they cancelled classes when it was this bad. But since it was the first day of school, nothing like that had been mentioned so far. It was criminal - forcing them to suffer through World History and Biology without air conditioning. At least gym class would be spent in the pool.  
  
"Feeling better?"  
  
Hudson turned at the voice to smile down at Lana as she walked up beside her. "Yeah. Thanks. You were right. I was worrying over nothing, I'm sure."  
  
Lana touched her arm in understanding. "I would have done the same. Don't worry about it. It's what happens when you're in love - you worry over everything."  
  
"Who's worrying over what?" Chloe's voice asked from behind them.  
  
Spinning around, Hudson threw her arms around her friend and hugged her. "Chloe! I was beginning to think you had traded us in for the excitement of the big city."  
  
"It was tempting," Chloe replied with a smile before glancing over at Lana. "Hey, Lana."  
  
"Hi, Chloe. How was the internship?"  
  
"Good." Chloe looked back up at Hudson as they all started back down the hall. "So how're things around the farm? Have you caught up from the storm?"  
  
Hudson nodded, blowing another breath against the stifling humidity. "Yeah. We still keep finding the occasional thing out of place - like very badly out of place -but other than that, it's almost back to normal."  
  
"And? How is the enigmatic Mr. Luthor?" Chloe asked with a grin.  
  
Hesitating momentarily, Hudson glanced over at Lana who quickly brightened and grabbed hold of Chloe's arm, tugging her toward the biology classroom. "So, tell me all about Metropolis. Any cute guys at the Planet?"  
  
Sighing with relief, Hudson followed her friends into the classroom. She didn't really want to discuss her relationship with Lex at the moment considering what happened the night before. She felt like she was walking on pins and needles, waiting for the day to end so that she could see him and assure herself that everything was all right. Sliding onto one of the stools of a lab table near the front, Hudson glanced to her left as Pete took the seat next to her.  
  
"Hey," he greeted with a smile, nodding toward the ancient film reel set up in the back of class. "Great."  
  
Blinking, Hudson followed his gaze. "What?"  
  
"Every year the incredibly aged Mrs. Kowalski kicks off biology class with an ancient sex ed film."  
  
Hudson tried not to blush, failing miserably. "Who told you that? One of your brothers?"  
  
Pete grinned. "My dad."  
  
"Ah." Hudson returned to facing the front. "Well, I'm sure it can't be that bad. "  
  
She glanced toward the office door, eyes widening as the woman from the night before walked into the classroom. "Good morning," the woman called out with a smile, gaze moving around the class. "I'm Miss Atkins. I'll be your new biology teacher on health and human development."  
  
Hudson couldn't help but wonder what the Kansas school board, the same people who made the bold proclamation that evolution didn't exist, would think of Miss Atkins' outfit. She might as well have been wearing nothing, if the expressions the faces of the boys in the classroom had anything to say about it. As it was, she wore a sundress that could barely qualify for something one would wear to bed, the skirt stopping just below her ass and neckline cut to her navel.  
  
"I'm really sorry about the air conditioning in here, but it looks like we're going to have to suffer through this together," Miss Atkins told them with a smile and a toss of her full, dark hair.  
  
"Bring on the pain," Pete muttered beside Hudson.  
  
She turned and flashed him a glare while behind her, Lana giggled.  
  
As their new teacher began moving around the class to close the blinds, Hudson turned to catch Lana's eye. When her friend was finally paying attention, she mouthed the words, 'That's her'.  
  
Lana stared at her with a frown for a moment, not quite catching what she meant.  
  
Frustration mounting, Hudson mouthed, 'Lex', using her finger to spell his name out in the air.  
  
With that clue, the brunette's eyes widened, her face blanching a little and she turned to stare at Miss Atkins before spinning back around. 'Are you sure?' She mouthed back.  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes and huffed. Like she wouldn't have every aspect of a woman, smiling at Lex the way Miss Atkins had been the night before, memorized. The expression on Lana's face was enough to put a little twinge of fear in her. It clearly said how could Lex resist the temptation of a woman who looked like that?!  
  
Needing confirmation, Hudson turned to Pete as the film started. Leaning over, she whispered, "Do you think Miss Atkins is attractive?"  
  
He looked at her as if she lost her mind. "Are you kidding? She's about ten levels above attractive," he whispered back. "Try hot as hell! Babelicious!"  
  
That wasn't what she wanted to hear. Hudson glanced over her shoulder at Miss Atkins, who was leaning against a lab table in the back, hand moving over the damp skin of her neck. "She's not. that great," she muttered.  
  
What if Lex thought she was? What if that woman wasn't just an old friend? She obviously wasn't his business associate if she was teaching high school. Hudson glared at her. How dare she be in Lex's house! How dare she smile at him the way she had, and her laugh had been so fake. Lex probably fell for it, too. Not that she thought he would purposely hurt her - Lana convinced her of her folly in that belief - but men weren't exactly the smartest creatures on earth. She'd seen just enough to realize that if a woman really wanted to, she could get a man to do just about anything for her. And as much as she trusted Lex, she also knew he was as susceptible to a pretty face as any other man. So maybe this Miss Atkins was trying to move in on him, and he just didn't know it.  
  
Turning back to face the front, that niggling fear in the back of Hudson's mind went to work again. What if he did know? And was all for it?  
  
After all, Lex was twenty-two years old and owned his own company. Why would he want a teenager in high school when he could have.  
  
She glanced back over her shoulder at Miss Atkins again as the narrator of the film droned on:  
  
".This remarkable reproductive process is set into motion by the act of copulation, also known as intercourse or coitus. In many species, the females attract their mates with chemical scents called pheromones."  
  
What if she touched him? What if Miss Atkins had her hands all over Lex - her Lex?? She would probably know better than Hudson what to do with him. Sure, Hudson was learning, albeit as slowly as Lex would let her, but this woman looked like she would know those kinds of things. Why, Miss Atkins probably even got on her knees and --  
  
Hudson spun back around, nostrils flaring angrily. She gripped the edge of the table, as image after image of the woman in the back of the classroom and Lex doing things that he wouldn't allow her to do yet, swept through her mind. Anger and jealousy surged through her. She glared up at the screen, watching as two lions rutted in the wild and then the pain in the back of her eyes, that she hadn't felt in well over a year, surfaced. Seconds later, pinholes of flames began bursting over the projection screen, soon engulfing the entire thing in fire. Students around her screamed in surprise and jumped up from their chairs, darting for the door while Hudson stared at it in growing horror.  
  
Oops.  
  
"Okay everybody walk, do not run!" Miss Atkins called out. "Leave your books. Let's go!"  
  
Sliding out of her seat, Hudson hurried out into the hall where she grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall beside the door and moved back into the classroom. Holding the hose toward the screen, she pressed down on the handle and spent the next few minutes putting out the blaze before it overwhelmed the entire room.  
  
The blaze that she started.  
  
Hell.  
  
"The fire department is on the way," Miss Atkins called from near the door. "Come on. We need to get you outside."  
  
Hudson glanced at the woman and couldn't help but think none of this would have happened if not for her. With the help of her parents, she'd learned to control her heat vision when it first appeared at the onset of her first period. Now, apparently, there were certain issues that could cause it to flare up, and she was going to have to relearn to restrain it. Setting the extinguisher down, Hudson moved toward the door, trying to ignore her new biology teacher as she walked past her.  
  
Unfortunately, she'd aroused Miss Atkins' interest. "You have a cool head, Miss. ?"  
  
"Kent. Hudson Kent." She started walking a little faster towards the exit.  
  
"Hudson." Miss Atkins smiled and kept up with her. "Well, you're apparently a handy young woman to have around."  
  
Yeah, I'll show you handy, Hudson thought, hurrying out the door and down the front steps. Chloe, Pete and Lana were gathered in the parking lot, glancing at the street as a fire truck roared its way toward the school. Hudson joined them as the truck pulled up and firemen began pouring out of it, Miss Atkins meeting them at the bottom of the steps.  
  
"Every first day of school should start out like this," Pete quipped. "Think they'll let us go home early?"  
  
"I doubt it." Lana made a face, watching Miss Atkins talk to the Fire Chief.  
  
"What were you doing in there?" Chloe asked, glancing up at Hudson. "I thought you were right behind us."  
  
"Putting out the fire."  
  
Her friends all rolled their eyes.  
  
"You know, no matter how hard you try, you're never going to get a merit badge in school, H.C."  
  
"Bite me, Pete." Hudson turned at a tug on her sleeve to find Lana motioning to her.  
  
"Is that really her?" She asked quietly, glancing toward Miss Atkins.  
  
"Yeah." Hudson sighed. "Obviously she isn't a business associate."  
  
"There's a perfectly logical explanation," Lana told her with a nod. She squeezed her arm. "You'll see."  
  
All of the students were evacuated from the school while the fire department inspected the classroom to make certain that everything was safe. Hudson continued to watch Miss Atkins while her friends discussed their summer vacation. Their new biology teacher certainly was a big flirt - men seemed drawn to her like flies to honey. Of course, if Hudson were to begin walking around in next to nothing, she figured men would probably follow her around everywhere, too. Still, she didn't believe it was a very good example for a teacher to be setting for her students. God, she was beginning to sound like her dad.  
  
Wiping a hand over the sweat on her forehead, Hudson turned to join in her friends' conversation when the familiar sound of a sports car caught her attention. Lana flashed her a big smile before Hudson moved around the corner to see a silver Lamborghini pull up into the parking lot. The door opened, and Lex jumped out.  
  
"Lex!" Hudson called out happily.  
  
"I came as soon as I heard," he said, moving toward her.  
  
Her fears from the night before were immediately swept away. Smiling brightly, she took a step toward him -  
  
And he walked right past her.  
  
Blinking in confusion, Hudson turned to watch him hurry over to Miss Atkins.  
  
And they kissed.  
  
Somewhere near her, she heard Lana or Chloe gasp. It didn't really matter who it was. Hudson's world, at that moment, was consumed by the realization that Lex was kissing someone else. That Lex hadn't even acknowledged her presence. That everything she'd feared in the castle last night was true. There was a reason he hadn't called in the past five days - and it had nothing to do with work.  
  
Silence fell over the small group of friends. Hudson barely noticed that Chloe, Lana and Pete stood around her now, offering quiet support, while each stared daggers at their new biology teacher and the man they thought was devoted to their friend. If she'd had any understanding right then of the surging anger her friends were feeling, she might have been worried for Lex's life. As it was, in her mind, Hudson was all alone, standing there, watching the world she'd imagined as perfect crumbling around her.  
  
Miss Atkins was gesturing toward her, saying something about keeping a cool head and putting out the fire. It was then that Lex finally looked at her, but not in the way she had grown used to him noticing her, the familiar smile meant only for her was replaced with something more akin to gratitude. Tolerance, even.  
  
"Why am I not surprised?" He looked at Miss Atkins again before turning his gaze back to Hudson. "Hudson, once again, I'm grateful."  
  
She opened her mouth to reply, to say something, but no words came out. She thought it was Lana beside her who commented, "I'm confused."  
  
Lex looked over at Lana and flashed a broad grin. "You're right. And I'm sorry," he told the group before turning to indicate Miss Atkins. "I'd like you to meet Desiree Atkins. My fiancée."  
  
"Son of a bitch!" Pete spat.  
  
"Mr. Ross!" Desiree exclaimed, flashing him a warning look.  
  
Someone took Hudson's hand, maybe Chloe, it was difficult to tell because suddenly she couldn't breathe. It was like the time Eric Summers got hold of her powers and tossed her onto the car, cracking her ribs, and she couldn't breathe, and everything inside of her hurt. It was like that, only worse. And the world around her kept moving. Lex was saying something to her, and Pete snapped at him again, and then Lex was taking her hand and drawing her away from her friends. A part of her wondered if this was when he would tell her it was all some elaborate hoax. Desiree Atkins was really wanted by the FBI, and he was working with them in a sting operation of some sort.  
  
"I was going to have this messengered, but since you're here. " He handed her a small envelope.  
  
Hudson held it a moment, staring down at it. Maybe this was the note. He couldn't say it out loud, but she would open it and inside would be some secret rendezvous point where they could meet and talk. Instead, as her fingers removed the card with two wedding rings emblazoned on the front, Hudson's gaze swept over not an explanation of the ruse but an invitation.  
  
"This is a wedding invitation," she said dumbly, wondering when her voice regained its capacity to speak. "For. tonight. "  
  
"I know it's short notice but," Lex reached out and touched her arm, gazing at her hopefully, "I was hoping you would stand up with me. You're my best friend, Hudson, and I'd really like to have you there on such an important occasion."  
  
Hudson's vision swam as she stared mutely at Lex. Behind her, the students began filing back into class. She heard Lana call out to her, the tone of concern evident in her voice. In front of her, Lex was waiting for an answer, watching her expectantly. A thousand questions flashed through her mind. Why? How could you do this? I thought you cared about me? What's gotten in to you? Why? Why? Why?  
  
"I. " Hudson drew a breath and tried again but her throat was burning and her eyes were burning and. "Lex. ?"  
  
Lex glanced at his watch. "I've got to get back to work. I'll have a dress delivered to the farm this afternoon." He patted her shoulder. "See you this evening."  
  
As he walked back toward his car, Hudson stared after him, her fingers curling around the invitation in her hand. What had just happened? It was like she was conscious through one of her nightmares, and everything was happening around her, and she had absolutely no control over any of it. The ache in her was growing, and the tears finally spilled over as Lex drove out of the school parking lot.  
  
"H.C.?" Lana was beside her, touching her arm gently. "Sweetie, let's go inside. We can go to the counselor or - "  
  
"Lex is getting married." Hudson turned to stare at her friend. "What. what did I do?"  
  
Lana's expression hardened. "You didn't do anything. He did. Don't start blaming yourself." She took Hudson's hand in hers and tugged. "Come on. Let's go inside and talk."  
  
". No. " Hudson snatched her hand back and began to move away.  
  
Why had Lex done this to her? Why hadn't he at least told her? Called? Something. Had she been demanding too much of his attention? Maybe he was finally sick of being with someone so young, someone with a curfew, someone whose father still hadn't truly accepted him.  
  
But why didn't he tell her??  
  
"I can't. " She looked up at Lana and her eyes hurt because she was trying to hold back her tears, and it wasn't working. The invitation slipped out of her hand to the ground. "I have to go."  
  
Turning, Hudson ignored Lana's calls, keeping barely enough presence of mind not to break into speed until she was far away from the school grounds.  
  
***  
  
Martha placed the last postage stamp on the stack of bills in front of her before picking up the entire pile and waving them in front of her face, breathing a sigh of relief as the relatively cool breeze wafted over her. As much as she knew she would miss the heat once the freezing rain of January set in, at that moment she would have given anything for a surprise snowstorm. While she understood her husband's economic reasoning behind not investing in an air conditioner, sometimes she missed the cool buildings of Metropolis in the summer. There was only so much a tiny tabletop fan could do in the humidity of Kansas.  
  
The screen door creaked open and Martha looked up to see Lana peeking her head in. She smiled at the young woman. "Lana. Come on in."  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Kent. Sorry to bother you." She slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind her. Twisting her hands nervously, she took a few steps toward the island. "Is. is Hudson here?"  
  
Martha shook her head. "No. She hasn't come home from school yet. I figured she was helping Chloe with the Torch." Watching Lana's expression pale, she immediately asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"  
  
Reaching in to her purse, Lana pulled out a small envelope and held it out to her. "Then you haven't heard. Lex gave this to Hudson - and then she took off. She didn't come back to school."  
  
Frowning, Martha removed the card, eyes widening in disbelief that quickly turned to anger as she read the invitation. How could Lex be getting married? He'd only been gone for two weeks, and kept in touch with Hudson over the phone. Her daughter had been so excited about his return!  
  
"This. Lana, are you certain?" Martha asked.  
  
"Yeah." Lana slid onto one of the stools. "The woman is our new biology teacher. Hudson saw her last night when she went to welcome Lex home. She came to my place after to talk about it."  
  
Martha pursed her lips but didn't reply. She'd thought Hudson's visit with Lex had gone well. Her daughter hadn't said anything that morning.  
  
Lana looked close to tears as she continued, "I assured her that she had to be a friend or associate of Lex's. I told her there was no way that Lex would do something like this to her! And this morning. Oh, Mrs. Kent. I feel so awful!"  
  
"It's not your fault, Lana." Martha reached out and took the girl's hand, squeezing it gently. "This," she held up the invitation, "Is clearly a Luthor thing." She shook her head. "I just. I never would have expected this of him. Lex seemed so happy with H.C. He was becoming a part of the family. "  
  
Martha trailed off and shook her head again, worry filling her over what her daughter's state of mind must be. It hurt to be jilted by anyone that you loved, but for a sixteen-year old girl, experiencing love for the first time, such pain consumed your entire life. Nothing mattered beyond how much you hurt and how certain you were that the entire world was against you. No wonder Hudson hadn't come home. Her baby needed her, and Martha had no idea where to begin looking.  
  
"Thank you for coming by, Lana," Martha told her, sliding off the stool and grabbing her purse. She'd begin by driving around to some of the usual places she knew Hudson liked to go.  
  
"You're welcome." Lana hesitated by the door, looking up at Martha imploringly. "I. I was thinking about going to the wedding. I mean, Lex is my partner, and. well, I keep hoping there might be some kind of decent explanation. But. "  
  
"You're worried about Hudson." Martha ushered her to the door, pushing the screen open as they stepped onto the porch together. "I'll find her. Don't worry."  
  
"Do you. do you think H.C. will be upset if I go?"  
  
"My daughter would never hold that against you, Lana. You know that."  
  
"Yeah." Lana nodded. She moved down the steps, and then turned to glance up at Martha. "It's funny. I can't help but think if it can't work out between two people like Hudson and Lex who obviously really cared about each other, what chance do the rest of us have?"  
  
Martha smiled a little and remained on the porch, watching as Lana climbed into Nell's truck and drove off. What chance, indeed. Grasping the invitation tightly in her hand, she hurried down the steps and toward the shed where she could hear Jonathan working. He'd been wood-working all day - refinishing two of their dressers and the dining room chairs. As she pushed the door open and stepped into the shed, her husband looked up from the sander and flashed her a smile.  
  
"What's cookin', good-lookin'?"  
  
She hated spoiling his good mood like this. Sighing, she walked straight over to him and held out the invitation.  
  
Still grinning, Jonathan slipped his goggles onto his head and took the small card from her hand. His grin slowly faded as he read over the words. "What in the hell?" He looked at Martha. "Is this a joke?"  
  
"I wish it were." She dug through her purse for her keys before slinging the strap over her shoulder. "Lana just came by and showed it to me. She told me when Hudson found out this morning, she took off from school. No one's seen her."  
  
"That son of a bitch!" Jonathan barked, crumpling the invitation in his fist. "What? Did he find someone richer and bitchier? Someone more like himself?"  
  
"Apparently the woman is Hudson's new biology teacher."  
  
Jonathan stared at his wife, dumb-founded.  
  
Unable to answer any of the questions she knew he was about to throw at her, Martha turned and started back toward the door. "I'm going to go look for our daughter - "  
  
"I'm coming with you - "  
  
"Oh no, you're not." Martha whirled back around, shaking her head. "The last thing Hudson needs right now is to hear 'I told you so'."  
  
"I wouldn't - " Jonathan began to deny.  
  
Martha cut him off. "You might not say it in so many words, but your body language would be shouting it at her. She doesn't need to be reminded of your hatred for the Luthors, or how you knew her relationship with Lex was a bad idea." Moving forward, she took her husband's hands in hers. "Right now, our daughter needs someone she can talk to. Someone who will let her be a normal sixteen-year old girl who's had her heart broken. She needs her mother." Leaning up, she kissed Jonathan's cheek. "She'll need her daddy soon enough."  
  
As she stepped away, headed back to the door, her husband called out, "I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch."  
  
Shaking her head, Martha replied, "Somehow, I don't think that will help the situation, Jonathan. Go back to work. Hopefully I'll be home in time for dinner. with Hudson."  
  
As she exited the shed, Martha wondered if it was a good idea to leave Jonathan on his own. He could very well decide to carry through with his threat. He might not kill Lex, but she could certainly see him leaving the young man with a black eye or two. And somehow, Martha couldn't bring herself to care at the moment if he did so.  
  
The next hour was spent driving to every little hiding place Martha knew of from Hudson's childhood. Smallville wasn't a very big town but it was also mostly fields and woods and trying to find one teenage girl who didn't want to be found wasn't an easy task. It wasn't until Martha was ready to return to the farm to see if Hudson might have come home when she remembered her daughter's favorite family picnic spot. Heading toward Elbow River, she drove over Loeb's Bridge, glancing toward the shore when she finally spotted Hudson sitting beneath the trees on the northwest side, staring. Pulling over to the shoulder, Martha turned off the engine, slipped her keys into her pocket and climbed out, heading down the embankment.  
  
Hudson didn't look up as she neared her. She just stared silently out at the water, occasionally sniffling. Her cheeks were tear-stained, her eyes red and puffy, and the evidence of her sorrow hurt Martha more than anything. Her daughter rarely cried. Her body was so strong the scraped knees and broken arms of childhood had never occurred. Hudson grew up a very happy, vibrant child, who preferred laughter to tears, forgiveness to anger. Seeing her like this, so broken that she couldn't hold it back, made Martha want to get into her car, drive to the Luthor Estate and smack the crap out of Lex Luthor.  
  
Sitting beside her daughter on the grass, Martha watched her quietly for a long moment before telling her, "I was in love with this boy in high school. I thought the sun rose and set by him. We even went to junior prom together. The day after, he told me he just wanted to be friends. I thought my world had ended. Then I went to college, met your father, and I fell in love all over again."  
  
"Why?" Hudson turned her gaze to her mom, her expression angry. "Why would you want to? There's nothing good about it. It hurts - even when you think everything's right and the sun is shining and there's puppies and flowers - it still hurts."  
  
Reaching out, Martha brushed her hair off her face and offered a sympathetic smile. She hadn't realized how much Hudson truly had fallen for Lex. It wasn't a simple crush. Her daughter had fallen in love. "Yes, honey. Love can be very painful. But it can be very beautiful as well."  
  
"It's icky and horrible and I never, ever want to feel it again!" Hudson denied heatedly, immediately dissolving into sobs.  
  
"Oh. Hudson." Martha pulled her daughter into her arms, rocking her gently as she cried. "Your heart's too open not to love. It'll happen again, whether you want it to or not."  
  
She shook her head against Martha's shoulder. "No, I won't!. How could he do this to me, mom? I don't understand!"  
  
Martha didn't either. She couldn't fathom how a man who showed up for dinner at their house every Sunday night and gazed at her daughter so adoringly week after week could suddenly announce his marriage to someone else. None of it made any sense.  
  
"I hate Lex!" Hudson cried. "I hate him so much!"  
  
Kissing the top of her head, Martha nodded a little. "I know, honey. We always cry hardest over those we hate the most."  
  
Hudson's sobs subsided just for a moment. "Don't make fun of me!" Her voice was petulant and child-like.  
  
Sometimes Martha forgot how young her daughter really was. "I'm not. I've cried over plenty of men that I've claimed to hate as well. Trust me."  
  
"I hate her, too," Hudson admitted, voice muffled against Martha's shoulder. "I never want to go into that stupid class again!"  
  
"Unfortunately, there is no way out of that."  
  
Hudson raised her tear-streaked face to argue, but Martha didn't let her.  
  
"No. Now listen to me, Hudson. You're not going to let her, or what Lex has done to you, disrupt your life. You're going to go to school, continue to get good grades and see your friends. I'm not going to let what that man has done ruin your future. Do you understand me?"  
  
Her daughter looked away, sniffling again as more tears began to fall. "I love him more than she ever will."  
  
"Hudson - "  
  
"She's not going to care that he's discovered a new love for cheeseburgers, but only with aged cheddar," she continued, turning back to her mother. "Or that he likes to have his feet rubbed, though he'll never admit it. I bet she won't watch Disney cartoons and bad Sci-Fi's with him or play with Super Soakers in the backyard!"  
  
Hudson broke down again and Martha quickly pulled her back into her arms.  
  
"I thought he loved me!" She sobbed. "Why can't he love me, mom? Why can't I be good enough to make him love me?"  
  
"Hudson Clark Kent!" Martha held her daughter by the arms and shook her lightly. "I never want to hear you say something like that again! You are ten times the person Lex Luthor could ever hope to be and I'm sure the same goes for this Desiree Atkins. It's his fault if he can't see how special you are."  
  
Hudson dropped her gaze to the ground. "You have to say that because you're my mother," she whispered miserably.  
  
Martha cupped her face between her hands and caught her eyes. She smiled at Hudson and thought there was truly no more beautiful creature in the world than her little girl. "No, baby. I'm saying that because it's true. You were a gift to your father and me, and you're a gift to every person who meets you. Lex was given a beautiful gift, and he gave it back. If he can do that, then he doesn't deserve you."  
  
Shaking her head just a little, Hudson curled against her mom once more, burying her face against her neck.  
  
Martha rocked her gently, silently, until her daughter's tears eventually subsided.  
  
***  
  
Hudson watched the sun as it slowly rose over the horizon, the deep red rays stretching out across the stripped cornfields. A rooster crowed from a fence outside the loft window, and she could hear the herd slowly making their way in for the morning feeding. She'd spent the entire night staring out at the sky, trying not to miss Lex, trying not to remember that it was his wedding night and that he was doing things with her biology teacher that he refused to do with her. Sometimes, when she couldn't stop thinking, she ached so badly inside that she thought she would be sick. It was a lot like the meteor rocks - only her mother assured her that this pain would go away. Hudson just wasn't certain if she believed that or not.  
  
When they'd returned home from the river and sat down to dinner, her parents seemed to do everything in their power to keep her entertained, to focus her thoughts on other things. There was non-stop chatter between them, conversations about all of the mundane specifics around the farm, what was on TV that night and how good the food was. Hudson knew her dad wanted to say more - she could see it in his gaze. Her mom must have caught him beforehand, told him to keep it to himself. As she excused herself after cleaning the table, to head out to the loft, her dad stopped her, enveloped her in a big hug and told her that he loved her.  
  
That was maybe worse than hearing 'I told you so'. It seemed everyone loved her. Everyone but the person she really wanted to.  
  
Hiding in her loft, Hudson spent the night trying desperately to make the ache go away. Sometimes she cried, sobbed until she thought she might never be able to stop, but then the tears would slowly cease and she thought maybe, just maybe, some of the pain was purged. Her gaze would drift to the night sky, and the loneliness didn't seem quite so overwhelming. She'd felt closer to the stars that night than ever before. Sitting there, gazing up at them, sometimes the ache grew a little less. She knew they wouldn't go away; they wouldn't leave her on her own. The stars, probably more than anyone, knew her best of all.  
  
"And here I thought I could depend on you."  
  
Hudson spun around at the voice, staring at Lex in stunned surprise as he mounted the steps. At first, his words didn't penetrate as the sight of him, coming toward her, wiped out all cognizant thought. Slowly, she recalled what he said and frowned. "Funny. Hearing that coming from you."  
  
Stopping in the middle of the loft, Lex's gaze narrowed. "I asked you to be there with me, Hudson, on the most important day of my life. You go on and on about how I can trust you and how much I mean to you, and you can't even give me that?"  
  
"What?" Hudson jumped to her feet, disbelieving. "Are you insane? A week ago we talked on the phone for two hours! You said you missed me, that you couldn't wait to come back to Smallville and you never wanted to leave me for that long again! And then, out of nowhere, you show up with this. woman and tell me you're getting married. And you expect me to support you through the wedding?"  
  
Lex nodded, his expression slowly fading to nothing. "I actually expected you to be happy for me."  
  
"Happy for you?" Hudson took a step toward him, her hand out in silent supplication. "Lex, we were happy together."  
  
"Things change, Hudson. We were. " He paused, frowning for a moment and shook his head. "What we had was fun. But it was never meant to be forever."  
  
This didn't even sound like Lex. Hudson stepped up to him, laying her hand against his chest as she stared into his eyes. "But. I love you, Lex. And you love me."  
  
"I've never said that," he replied coldly, grabbing her wrists and pushing her back slightly. "And you're a child. You have no idea what love is."  
  
It was true. Lex never told her that he loved her. Well, not in so many words. Hudson always believed it though - in his touch, his smile, the little things he did for her. In fact, she had been so certain of it that she began to consider telling him the truth about herself.  
  
But he was wrong when he said she didn't know what love was. He was the one who didn't understand, couldn't comprehend, even when it was right in front of him.  
  
"Oh, and she does?" Hudson demanded. "You've known her so terribly long that you're absolutely positively that she's the one who wrote the rule book on love?!"  
  
"I thought you would be more mature about this," Lex snapped, his tone arrogant. "I thought you were my friend, Hudson. Why can't you just be happy for me?"  
  
Hudson choked back the tears that threatened. "I can be happy for you, Lex," she whispered. "If any of this made sense. "  
  
Lex offered a small smile, his gaze turning inward for a moment. "Love doesn't make sense, Hudson. It just happens. You can't explain it or give any reasons for it. Someday, you'll understand that."  
  
But she already understood that. Dammit, she believed that she and Lex began to understand that together. If he really did love this Desiree - and Hudson refused to believe that he did - then it was only because she was the one who taught him to open his heart to others, to accept what they had to offer.  
  
"I think you'll like Desiree, once you get to know her, Hudson."  
  
Hudson blinked at him with his words. Fat chance, that.  
  
"She's a good person." His smile grew. In fact, his expression could only be described as giddy. "She saved me."  
  
"Saved. " Hudson trailed off and shook her head. "Lex, are you listening to yourself? This isn't you."  
  
As quickly as it appeared, Lex's smile faded. He flashed her an accusatory look. "Maybe it is the real me, Hudson. Maybe you don't know me as well as you like to think you do. Maybe you never have." He grew silent, glaring at her for a few seconds before adding, "Maybe all you ever wanted me around for was all of the gifts I could shower you with. To brag to your high school friends about your rich boyfriend."  
  
"Fuck you, Lex!"  
  
"Hudson Kent, such language." Lex appeared amused. "What would your mother say?"  
  
They weren't having this conversation. Hudson pushed past him, hurrying down the stairs into the barn. Behind her, Lex followed.  
  
"You know, I'm glad I've seen this side of you before things went much further between us."  
  
"How could they have gone much further?" She tossed over her shoulder as she headed for the door. "We were just having 'fun', right?"  
  
"You're an incredible bitch."  
  
Hudson whirled around, stepping up into Lex's face. "And you're a fucking bastard! Maybe we were made for each other, after all."  
  
Lex stared at her silently before giving a slight nod. "Let me know when you make the choice to grow up, Hudson. And maybe we can salvage this friendship."  
  
She said nothing as he stepped around her and moved toward his car. What could she say? Hudson just stood there, horror washing over her as she heard the engine of his car roar to life and then the churning of the gravel beneath the tires as he left the farm. What had just happened?  
  
Clutching her hand against her stomach, which was roiling dangerously from shock and hurt and many other emotions she couldn't identify at the moment, Hudson slowly turned to look down the empty driveway. Tears she thought long spent appeared again, trailing down her cheeks to the front of her t- shirt. She'd said things she never thought she'd say to Lex. And she'd been so angry - so horribly, uncontrollably angry with him - that she wanted to hit him there at the end. Just slap him hard. And if she had lost control?  
  
"Oh, god. "  
  
"H.C.?"  
  
Turning at her dad's voice, Hudson immediately launched herself against him and sobbed against his shoulder. She felt his arms go around her and he held her close, hands smoothing soothingly over her back as she cried.  
  
"What is it, little girl?" He asked, lifting her chin to frown at her tears. "Lex?"  
  
She sniffed. "He was just here and. Oh, Daddy! It was just awful. The things we said to each other, and he was so. cold and angry to me. It was like I've never meant anything to him, and he accused me of horrible things!" She sobbed, wondering if she would ever stop.  
  
"Shhhh." He brushed her tears away. "He doesn't deserve you, H.C. And he sure as hell doesn't deserve your tears. You're stronger than this. You're a Kent. Let him go."  
  
Hudson worried her lower lip as she stared up at him, remembering her recurring dream of carrying Lex through the sky. He, too, asked her to just let him go. And all she could do was ask her dad the same thing she always asked Lex, "What if I can't?"  
  
***  
  
By the time Lex headed home for lunch from work, his mind was intensely confused by the conversation he'd shared with Hudson early that morning. After all, Hudson was his guiding light for the past year, the person he measured every choice he made by, and the fact that she questioned his marriage to Desiree gave him reason to be concerned. He still believed that she should have been happy for him, that she should have been there for the wedding, that she should have.  
  
Well, hell. She definitely should not have cursed at him. That wasn't very Hudson-like and neither was her anger. He'd expected a hug of congratulations or, at the very least, an apology for not showing up at the wedding. Maybe even an excuse - he really would have accepted anything from her. But her childish antics upset him that morning, and maybe Lex said a few things he shouldn't have as well.  
  
Hudson was young and impressionable. He should have known that it would have hurt her a bit when he really fell in love with someone. He just couldn't understand why she wasn't happy for him, why she seemed to believe their relationship together had been serious?  
  
And this was where Lex became really confused, because a tiny voice inside of him kept insisting that his relationship with Hudson had been serious. It didn't make any sense. She was sixteen, and she certainly wasn't Desiree, who loved him more than anyone ever had in his life. And he loved her. He was certain of it. More certain than he could ever remember being.  
  
Then why the sudden niggling doubt? The more Lex thought about it through the morning, the more he kept coming back to his argument with Hudson. He didn't like the idea of his friend - a teenager, no less - causing him to question his marriage. This was the happiest he'd been in his entire life and.  
  
Or was it?  
  
Rubbing a hand over his face in frustration, Lex pulled the Aston Martin up to the castle and climbed out, staring at the front of the structure as if it might have the answers he was searching for. Unfortunately, he didn't have that kind of luck. Sighing, he grabbed his briefcase from behind the seat and made his way into the castle.  
  
Desiree was standing beside his desk, looking down at something when he entered the study and he took a moment to simply admire her. There really wasn't a word that could describe how beautiful, how desirable, how incredibly sexy she was. His breath had a way of escaping him whenever he looked at her - her long dark hair that cascaded down her back, the soft lines of her body, high, full breasts, shapely hips, long, muscular legs that wrapped around him, pulling him deeper inside her warm body.  
  
Lex wiped at the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead, gasping a little at the sudden wave of desire that swept over him. With the sound, Desiree glanced up, a smile immediately crossing her face.  
  
"Lex." Her voice was like a cool breeze in the heat.  
  
And yet, it didn't quite sound as beautiful as when Hudson spoke it.  
  
Lex blinked. Mentally shaking the thought from his mind, he moved across the room, setting the briefcase down as he neared her. She was watching him closely, a smile playing over her lips as she shuffled the objects in her hand. Lex glanced down, noticing that they were photographs.  
  
"Would you like to explain these?" Desiree held them up.  
  
Reaching out, Lex took them from her hand and frowned a little as he looked at them. There were three total, all of him and Hudson from over the summer. One was taken by Martha on the Fourth of July, and the two others by Lana during their trip to the State Fair. They were the only photos he'd ever had of himself with someone he dated, other than what was printed in newspapers. Until Desiree, of course. Once developed, they would have an entire photo album of wedding pictures to share.  
  
Shrugging, he set the photos down. "They're pictures of me and Hudson."  
  
Desiree arched a delicate eyebrow. "You seem a little closer than just friends in those, Lex. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"  
  
Well, he certainly didn't plan on keeping anything from his wife. "We dated over the summer."  
  
"I never expected you to be a cradle-robber, Lex," she commented, her tone slightly amused. "I'm surprised her parents allowed it."  
  
"Mr. Kent didn't like it. Although I think he became used to me."  
  
Lex loosened his tie and glanced down at the photos again. The picture lying on top showed Hudson leaning over to him with her ice cream cone, holding it up to his mouth, a grin on her face. He appeared slightly skeptical of taking a bite. Of course, in the end, it hadn't mattered. He'd ended up with strawberry ice cream smeared across the tip of his nose. The little brat had laughed until he grabbed the cone from her hand and given her the same treatment. Lana laughed over the entire episode as if it was the funniest thing she'd ever witnessed.  
  
Desiree tapped her fingernail against the top of his desk. He glanced up to catch her watching him closely. Lex frowned slightly. "What is it?"  
  
"These weren't all I found," she told him, moving around behind him, hand brushing over his back. "In the room next to ours there is a closet filled with clothes, and there are all manner of stuffed animals and trinkets and perfume scattered on the bed." Folding her arms over her chest as she leaned against the desk, Desiree looked up at him in question.  
  
"Gifts that I bought Hudson." Lex shrugged. "Her parents wouldn't have been pleased if they knew about them."  
  
Her gaze narrowed just a bit. "I want you to get rid of them, Lex. Burn them. And those." She pointed at the photos.  
  
That seemed. wrong. Something inside Lex warred with the idea of completely destroying the memories of his time spent with Hudson. It might have been over, but that didn't mean he had to make it go away. He wasn't ashamed of it; he carried plenty of fond memories of it. He shook his head. "Desiree, there's no need. You shouldn't be jealous. It's over between me and Hudson."  
  
His wife's pretty mouth formed a pout and she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his waist as she looked up at him. "I'm not jealous, Lex. I know you love me. But I just feel that you should move on. I love you. I don't want to see you hurt."  
  
And then her mouth was against his, her warm tongue brushing past his lips and Lex thought he'd died and gone to Heaven. No woman kissed him like Desiree did. No woman tasted like her, smelled like her, felt like her. She was complete perfection. She was his. She loved him.  
  
Breaking the kiss, Desiree smiled up at him. "She doesn't deserve the loyalty you're showing her, Lex. Not when she couldn't even show up to your wedding."  
  
Lex nodded, completely lost in the blanket of desire that engulfed him. He wanted to throw her over the desk and fuck her right through the glass. "You're right," he answered, reaching out to run his fingers over her long neck. "I'll get rid of all of it."  
  
"Thank you, Lex. You're so good to me. "  
  
The sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment and Lex glared over at Dodd standing in the doorway. "What do you want?" He demanded.  
  
"I just wanted to know what you preferred for lunch today?" He asked, frowning at both of them.  
  
"Go away," Lex snapped.  
  
"Wait." Desiree pulled away from her husband. "Dodd, I need to speak with you about. the meals for the week." She looked up at Lex. "I'll see you at lunch."  
  
"Can't this wait?"  
  
"No." She shook her head and smiled, leaning up to kiss Lex once more. "It can't. I'll see you soon. Take care of that little thing for me, okay?"  
  
Lex nodded mutely as Desiree left the study with Dodd following.  
  
***  
  
"Thanks for coming with me," Lana said with a smile as she and Hudson climbed out of Nell's truck and headed for the Talon. "I can't imagine what the big issue is that I need to check on."  
  
"Who was it that called?" Hudson stood to the side while Lana slipped the key into the lock on the front door.  
  
Her friend shrugged her petite shoulders. "I don't know. Nell just said it was one of the girls. They all know tonight is our study night - usually they know better than to interrupt for something stupid."  
  
"Well, it could be important then." Hudson pulled the door open and Lana flashed her a smile of thanks as she moved inside, turning on the lights.  
  
While working on their American History homework, and snacking on burgers that Nell brought back from the Cozy Inn in Salina, they'd been interrupted when Lana's aunt walked in to tell them Lana was needed at the Talon. The girls had jumped at the chance to get away from the books and in to town for a bit, even if it was just a trip to the Talon. After all, it always meant a hot cappuccino and a slice of Hudson's mom's apple pie.  
  
"Hello?" Lana called out, looking around as they moved through the lobby into the Talon proper. "Is anyone here?"  
  
Hudson moved up behind her, gaze scanning the room until she finally peered through the walls into the kitchen and office. Seeing no one, she shook her head, frowning a little. "No one seems to be here, Lana. Are you sure your aunt heard correctly?"  
  
"Who knows?" Lana shrugged with a sigh before heading around the bar. "Want a cappuccino?" At Hudson's brief acknowledgment, Lana grabbed two mugs and began working with the machine. She glanced over her shoulder, flashing her friend a tentative smile. "So, now that we're out of the range of Nell's curious ears. How're you doing?"  
  
"You mean how am I handling the fact that the man I thought I was going to be in love with for the rest of my life is now married to my biology teacher and has apparently developed a sudden intense dislike of me?" Hudson slipped onto one of the stools. "I'm peachy. Why do you ask?"  
  
Lana winced as she set the cappuccinos on the counter. "Sorry. You've just been so quiet about it, I thought you might want to - "  
  
Hudson waved her to silence. "Don't worry about it. I'm dealing in my own way."  
  
Which meant a lot of work was getting done around the farm - fences mended, entire sheds built, machinery fixed. It also gave her the chance to go around and destroy a few things while she was at it, just to have something to do. It was after she tossed the mailbox far enough away that they still had yet to find it, when her dad suggested she find something more constructive to vent her anger on. Her mom suggested crocheting. It was the first time Hudson laughed in the past two days.  
  
"Well, if you're interested, Whitney said I should bring you with me when I go to visit him next weekend." Lana took a sip of her beverage. "He thought you'd have fun, and it would get your mind off of things."  
  
"No offense, Lana," Hudson replied with a slight smile. "But being hit on by a bunch of drunken K-State guys doesn't sound like my ideal weekend."  
  
Laughing a little, Lana nodded. "I didn't think you'd say yes, but I thought I'd offer anyway." She stared into her cup for a moment before offering, "You know, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on. "  
  
God, that's all she needed to do was start crying again. If that happened, she might never stop. "Thanks but. I think I've cried every tear in me that's available in the last twenty-four hours. Then I got really angry." Hudson broke off, shaking her head.  
  
"And now?"  
  
"Now I'm just. confused." She looked back up at Lana. "I don't understand it. When Lex came by the farm this morning it was like he wasn't himself. If not for the Armani, Hugo Boss and Aston Martin, I would have thought someone was trespassing."  
  
"Marriage does strange things to people they say."  
  
"Yeah, like erase their memory and turn them into Mr. Hyde." Hudson's gaze narrowed suddenly and she sniffed. "Do you smell something?"  
  
Lana glanced up to reply just as the cappuccino machine behind her erupted into flames. Screaming, the girl flattened herself against the counter as Hudson grabbed her arms and pulled her over the top. They fell back to the floor together as another miniature explosion rocketed across the equipment, the fire quickly spreading behind the bar.  
  
"Call 911," Hudson told her as they scrambled to their feet.  
  
"My cell's in the truck!" Lana told her, glancing in distress at the phone behind the counter that they couldn't get to.  
  
"Come on. There's nothing we can do." Hudson tugged on her arm and they raced for the front door.  
  
Lana quickly inserted the key and turned the lock before grabbing hold of the handle to yank the doors open. Instead, she almost went flying backwards as the door stayed shut. "It won't open!" She cried out to Hudson, yanking on it again.  
  
Frowning, Hudson peered through the doors to see a chain wrapped around the outside handles. What in the hell? "Stay here by the glass. Don't go into the other room until you hear me call, okay? I'm going to check the back door."  
  
Grabbing Lana's keys from her hand, Hudson ran through the main room, not bothering to glance at the fire as she hurried through the swinging door past the main office to the back. She tried the lock but again, something was holding the door barred shut. Looking over her shoulder to make certain Lana hadn't followed, Hudson slammed into the door, tearing the chains that held it tied on the outside and stumbling slightly into the alley.  
  
Moving back into the hall, she shouted, "Lana! I got the back door open!"  
  
Hudson spent the next few moments looking around the alley as Lana ran to her. "Oh god! This can't be happening," Lana muttered as she hurried into the alley.  
  
"Go make the call!"  
  
Lana ran off down the alley without question. Following her to the end of the buildings, Hudson began peering through the businesses along Main Street, frowning when she caught a figure moving two alleys down at a run. Glancing over her shoulder once to make certain Lana wasn't watching, Hudson sped after the person, slowing just in time to stop in front of them.  
  
Unfortunately, her presence scared her victim enough to pull a gun and shoot. She quickly deflected the bullet with her hand, and then fell back against the pavement in shock as she stared up at the man above her.  
  
"Dodd?"  
  
Gun poised, Dodd returned her expression of disbelief.  
  
Shit. Shit. Her eyes drifted to the gun before raising back to Dodd's face.  
  
He was backing away slowly.  
  
"Dodd, wait." She jumped to her feet. "Did you. did you start that fire?"  
  
He blinked. Setting his jaw, he tucked the gun into his jacket then turned and sprinted back down the alley.  
  
Hudson let him go. She really had no choice in the matter. For one, he saw the bullet bounce off of her hand. Whatever she tried to accuse him of, he could certainly turn the curiosity on to her by mentioning it. Even if most people would think him crazy, there might be one person who would believe his story. And two, Hudson refused to believe that someone she thought was her friend had just tried to kill her.  
  
But then, nothing seemed to be making much sense lately.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Hudson hurried back to the Talon just as the fire truck rolled to stop. Lana stood on the sidewalk, staring almost angrily at the chains wrapped around the front doors, arms crossed over her chest. Moving up beside her, Hudson touched her shoulder and pulled her back into the street and out of the way of the firemen.  
  
"The sprinkler system kicked in a few moments ago," Lana informed her. "So the damage shouldn't be that bad."  
  
Hudson winced as a fireman smashed through the front doors.  
  
Beside her, Lana cursed under her breath. "Who the hell would do something like this?" She demanded, glancing up at Hudson. "We could have been killed in there!"  
  
Not feeling the need to point out that was probably the intention, Hudson shifted her feet, glancing down the street once as if searching for Dodd. "I don't know who would have done such a thing, Lana. But I'm sure the police will be able to figure it out." She slipped her hand into her friend's and squeezed it.  
  
The truth was, the probability of the police figuring anything out was unlikely. Hudson had her suspicions regarding Dodd and the real reason he worked for Lex. She doubted more and more that it was for his culinary skill. If he was behind the fire, then she seriously did not believe anyone would be able to find a single clue that could be traced back to him. And she certainly wasn't willing to hand over any information until she was positive as to what was going on. Briefly the thought crossed her mind that Lex had ordered this attack on her and Lana but it was just as quickly dismissed. No, there was a common link here to all of her troubles of the past two days.  
  
And that common link had access to both Lex and to Dodd.  
  
The question was, how the hell did Desiree Atkins have such a strong hold over both of them? What was it about her that turned Hudson's boyfriend and a close friend into total strangers?  
  
***  
  
Hudson hesitated outside the kitchen door to the castle, glancing once more at the paper she held in her hands. She just knew that Desiree was bad news and this certainly proved it. She obviously had something to hide and once Lex understood that, then maybe things would be better between them. After all, it wasn't as if Hudson didn't want to see him happy - even if it meant his being happy without her. There was just something about his new wife that had her on edge, even if no one else seemed to see it.  
  
After class, Hudson stopped by the Torch to ask for Chloe's help in digging into some background information on Miss Atkins - Hudson refused to refer to her as Mrs. Luthor. With her request, Chloe gave her one of those looks that signaled her friend wasn't too happy with her.  
  
"Imagine that. Hudson Kent coming to me for information." Chloe grabbed a file from her desk and stood to move over to the file cabinet.  
  
"No 'Hi, Chloe. We need to get together and do something' or 'Gee, Chloe. I sure missed you over the summer'. No, it's 'Hi, Chloe. I need your help'." She slammed the cabinet door closed, causing Hudson to jump a little as her friend fixed her with an angry look. "Well, maybe I don't want to help you."  
  
Sighing, Hudson dropped into one of the chairs and glanced up at Chloe apologetically. "Chloe, I know we haven't spent much time together - "  
  
"Try any."  
  
"-- any time together since you've been back and I'm sorry." She leaned across the desk, staring up at her friend as she walked back over to the computer, slamming various items around. "But things have been a little . I'm having a little trouble falling into my old routine when my boyfriend shows up out of the blue with some bimbo science teacher and marries her! That's not exactly an every day occurrence."  
  
"This is Smallville, H.C. You think you'd be used to the weird and unexplainable," Chloe pointed out, her expression softening a little.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "There's weird and unexplainable and then there's," she waved a hand in the air, "Desiree Atkins."  
  
"Luthor."  
  
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Something's going on, Chloe. I can't come up with a single explanation for why Lex would marry that woman."  
  
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "For starters, she's gorgeous. She's enough to make even me question my heterosexuality."  
  
"She isn't that great," Hudson muttered.  
  
"Jealous much?" Chloe grinned as she lifted a can of Coke to her mouth and took a sip.  
  
Hudson bristled at the accusation. "I'm not jealous! Lex told me I'm beautiful and I refuse to believe, for even a moment, that she's better than me!"  
  
"Yeah. Okay, H.C." She sat down in front of her computer, typing her password into the window while across from her, Hudson continued to pout.  
  
Finally looking back up, Chloe told her, "Look. There's no denying that you're beautiful too, H.C. But you're also sixteen. Mrs. Luthor is older. She's more sophisticated and sexy. Guys go nuts for that. Maybe Lex just decided he doesn't want to hang out with the high school crowd anymore."  
  
Hudson raised her gaze to her friend and couldn't believe how betrayed and hurt she felt at that moment. Maybe she'd grown too used to Lana's sympathetic ear, but Chloe's blunt explanation cut her to the core. She thought she was over the upset regarding Lex's marriage, that she could get beyond the hurt and the need to cry but apparently she was mistaken. Especially when it came to one of her good friends choosing the other side.  
  
"You know, I shouldn't have expected you to understand." Grabbing her backpack, Hudson stood to leave.  
  
"H.C., wait." Chloe reached out for her hand and tugged. "Look, I'm sorry. I know how much Lex means to you and how close you two have been. I just. " She looked at the floor and shrugged. "Maybe after all this I just think you deserve better, and I wish you could just forget about him and move on with your life."  
  
"Well, I can't, Chloe. Not until I know for certain that everything is fine. That this Desiree Atkins is the genuine article."  
  
"You really think something is wrong?"  
  
Hudson returned to her seat. "You know the fire last night at the Talon? The police said they can't find any evidence that it was arson and that the chained doors may have simply been a prank not meant to harm us."  
  
"You believe differently, though." It wasn't a question.  
  
"I saw Lex's cook, Dodd, hurrying away from the scene. I went after him, confronted him, but he just took off." Hudson shook her head. "Dodd and I are friends, Chloe, just like me and Lex. Something's wrong to make him act like that."  
  
"You think Lex's wife is behind both Lex's treatment of you and the fire last night?" Chloe frowned. "I hate to say it, H.C., but it's a stretch. Even for me to believe."  
  
"I'll be the first to admit it doesn't make any sense," Hudson acknowledged. "Which is why I just want to find something, anything, that will either set my mind at ease or provide me with some evidence. Will you help me? Please?"  
  
Chloe sighed but turned back to her computer. "Very well. Let's see if Mrs. Luthor has any skeletons in her closet."  
  
As it turned out, they didn't find much but it was enough to deepen Hudson's suspicions. Chloe promised to keep digging while Hudson took the information she had to confront Lex with it. There would be two possible outcomes - either he would already know about it and she would be left with nothing in the way of her theories. Or, he wouldn't know, he'd confront Desiree, everything would come out in the ensuing argument and Hudson would have her boyfriend back. Well, at least, that was the scenario she played over and over again in her head on the way to the estate.  
  
Stepping into the kitchen, Hudson glanced around, looking for Dodd. Only he wasn't present. She frowned, wondering if Desiree had him off setting more fires, or he'd seen Hudson coming and hid. Dismissing both options, she decided she would just ask Lex when she saw him.  
  
Hurrying down the hall and up the stairs, Hudson was beyond pleased to find Lex playing pool in the study. It had been awhile since they last played pool together. Over the summer, whenever they started a game, one thing usually led to another and they would end up making out on the couch. She bit her lip at the memory of the last occurrence, just a week before Lex left for his two week business trip.  
  
Everything inside of her hurt beyond knowing and just looking at him, leaning over the pool table -- pullover stretched taut across the muscles of his shoulders and chest, perspiration glimmering on his bare scalp - Hudson knew there was no way she could just let him go. Why couldn't anyone understand that? As different as they may seem from one another, as impossible as their relationship had been, everything always felt so right when she was with him. She was so happy. And she believed Lex was happy with her. That's why things had to go back to the way they were. Hudson just didn't think she would ever be happy again without Lex in her life.  
  
And then there was the knowledge that Desiree got to touch Lex, kiss him and. Hudson didn't want to think about the fact that they had sex. But still the realization would appear in her mind out of nowhere. Lex never allowed things to go that far between him and Hudson and now she knew why - he obviously just figured he would move on to someone else when he needed it. The smallest part of her resented him for that; she wanted to scream and holler and throw things and tell him how unfair it was. All she ever wanted was to be close to him and now. that would never happen. Lex chose someone else to share his bed, and that knowledge felt like someone was repeatedly tearing her heart in two.  
  
"I'm surprised to see you here," he commented, not looking up as he slammed the pool cue across the table. The solid blue ball spun into a corner pocket. Straightening, Lex looked over at her, his expression guarded. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"  
  
"I. uh. " Suddenly Hudson didn't know what to say. She held the paper close to her, shifting her feet a little under Lex's steady glare. The animosity between them was stronger than yesterday, the tension almost palpable in the air. Why was he acting like this?  
  
Lex leaned against the table, holding the pool cue on its end between his legs. "All my life I've had to second guess the intentions of others," he told her, his gaze unwavering. "I'd reached the point where I'd started to think friends were a luxury I couldn't afford." He flashed her a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "And then I met you, Hudson. From the day you pulled me out of that river, you've been the one person I could trust completely."  
  
Relief flowed through Hudson with his words. Maybe now things would be better. Maybe now he would listen to what she had to say. Smiling brightly, she took a few steps toward him. "I'm so glad to hear you feel that way, Lex."  
  
Lex's smile quickly faded. "Maybe that's why I find your hatred of my wife so. troubling."  
  
Hudson's mouth fell open just a little and she stared at Lex for a long moment before finding her voice. "Lex, I don't hate your wife, I just - "  
  
"First you refuse to come to my wedding and then you threaten her after class today -"  
  
"What?!" Hudson doubted she could have been more shocked if Lex showed up out of nowhere and told her he was getting married. Again.  
  
"She told me how you approached her after class today, threatening to make her life, and mine, miserable until she left me. How I belonged to you and only you."  
  
"Lex, I - " Hudson sputtered, unable to think of anything to say. She was flabbergasted that a grown woman would lie like that. "Lex, I did no such thing! Desiree is lying to you!"  
  
Lex's jaw tightened and he looked away for a moment, his expression growing darker. Turning back to Hudson, he sneered, "You expect me to believe that? You expect me to take the word of a jealous sixteen-year old girl over that of my wife?"  
  
Suppressing the sudden urge to stamp her foot angrily, Hudson moved forward, shoving the piece of paper under his nose. "How about this? Did your angelic wife tell you she changed her name? That she's really Alison Saunders and that she grew up right here in Smallville? Did she?"  
  
Snatching the document from her hand, Lex stared down at it, jaw clenching. "No." His voice was cold. He looked up at Hudson once, tossed the paper onto the pool table and walked away.  
  
Not ready to give up, Hudson followed. "Well, if she didn't tell you the truth about that, how can you believe anything she - "  
  
"She's my wife and I love her!" Lex yelled, spinning around to face Hudson. "To be honest, I was hoping for an apology, not more insinuations. I thought our friendship meant more to you than that, Hudson."  
  
"It does," she whispered. Her hope quickly deflated and she dropped her gaze, holding back the new onrush of tears that threatened. She wasn't about to give him that satisfaction.  
  
"You can let yourself out." Lex moved past her, back to the pool table to resume his game.  
  
Biting her lip hard to keep from shouting everything she wanted to say to him, to hold back from throwing herself onto the floor and having an alien- sized tantrum, Hudson turned to leave only to almost run into Desiree. The woman was looking up at her, smiling just slightly, a glimmer of true amusement flickering in her eyes. Hudson's fingers twitched - she wanted to grab Lex's wife by her hair and toss her out the nearest window. Or maybe just rip that smug look off her pretty face.  
  
"I don't know what you're doing to Lex," Hudson whispered to her, fixing her with a harsh glare. "But I'm not going to let this go."  
  
Desiree smiled and shrugged her slim shoulders.  
  
Gritting her teeth, Hudson pushed past her and hurried out of the castle, before the married couple could glimpse the tears that began to fall.  
  
***  
  
Pushing the back door open, Hudson tossed her backpack into the corner of the kitchen with a little more force than usual and allowed the door to slam shut behind her. Her mom looked up from the stove, a confused smile on her face.  
  
"Bad day, honey? Or are you just looking forward to dinner?"  
  
"I hate Desiree Atkins!" Hudson announced as her dad walked into the kitchen, his eyes widening slightly at her declaration. "She's already destroyed my life and Lex's life and now she's doing the same to everyone else I care about!"  
  
Martha and Jonathan glanced at one another in surprised amusement before Jonathan walked over to his daughter and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now, H.C. Aren't you being a little dramatic? I hardly think you can say she's destroyed Lex's life - he chose to marry her. And she certainly hasn't destroyed yours. It might feel like that now but - "  
  
"Oh, you don't know the half of it!" Hudson threw her hands into the air and stalked out of the kitchen into the family room.  
  
Her parents followed. Her mom wiped her hands on the hand towel she was carrying before taking a seat beside Hudson on the couch. "Honey, what's going on?"  
  
"She's doing something to Lex." Hudson looked up at her parents, ignoring their expressions of disbelief. "I don't know what it is yet but he's behaving too out of character for this to just be a normal relationship."  
  
Her mom smiled, reaching out to brush her fingers through her daughter's dark hair. "As much as we prefer to deny it, people do change when they get married, H.C."  
  
Hudson shook her head. "No, you don't get it. Lex used some buy-out clause on Lana today - he's taking the Talon away from her. And do you know why? Because of the fire last night." Hudson huffed. "He accused her of entertaining friends after-hours and said that wasn't very responsible of her."  
  
Hudson hadn't realized that it could possibly go this far. Certainly, Lex's sudden and unexpected marriage had hurt her beyond knowing, and it changed her life completely - at least her immediate future. But she hadn't expected it to carry over to her friends and the people around her.  
  
After her last class, she glimpsed Lana in the hall, slamming her locker shut in an uncharacteristic fit of pique. Hurrying over to her, Hudson asked what was wrong only to find out that Lex took the Talon away from her. Her friend was near tears, and this latest incident only served to prove, in Lana's mind, that everything they'd heard about Lex was true; he really was someone not worth trusting.  
  
Hudson let her go when she noticed Desiree standing off to the side, watching with a smirk as she hung posters for the cheerleading squad. Of course, Hudson couldn't just let it go, and she approached Desiree, accusing her of setting this entire thing up. Lex's wife hadn't denied it - in fact, she admitted to it, then intimated to Hudson what she could do to the entire town if she desired to turn Lex against everyone in it. It was a warning to Hudson to stay out of their lives.  
  
Unfortunately, Hudson couldn't do that. She wouldn't do that. Especially now that she was certain there was more behind Lex's strange behavior than just the weird things love can do to a person. She just wished she could figure out what it was.  
  
"Well, there's not much we can do if Lex decides - " Her dad began pulling Hudson from her thoughts.  
  
She cut him off. "Desiree told him to do it. She admitted as much to me in the hall after school!"  
  
"Couples do tend to make decisions like this together, H.C.," her mom pointed out.  
  
Why would no one listen to her? God, it was getting frustrating. "No. Listen. The fire last night - I don't think it was an accident."  
  
At her words, her parents glanced at one another in shock before turning back to her. "What do you mean?" Jonathan demanded.  
  
"Lana and I were studying when Nell told us that one of the girls from the Talon called, saying she needed Lana to come in. When we got there, the place was closed up and no one was around. That was when the fire started and the doors were sealed shut."  
  
Martha glanced up at her husband in concern before turning back to Hudson. "But the police said they didn't find anything suspicious about the fire. And that the doors were just a prank. It's possible that whichever girl called chained the doors - maybe she's angry with Lana's supervising or something."  
  
"What are you not telling us, H.C.?" Her dad asked.  
  
Hudson sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I saw Dodd, Lex's cook, leaving the scene. I went to confront him, and he ran away. Dodd and I are friends. I don't. none of this makes sense, does it?"  
  
She wasn't about to tell her parents about the gun and the bullet. That would just add another complication and more worry to the current issues that none of them really needed at the moment. Besides, she planned on sticking by Dodd, even if none of this made sense and even if both he and Lex seemed to have turned their backs on her. At least she knew what friendship was.  
  
"What should we do?" Martha was looking up at her husband.  
  
"There's not much we can do," Jonathan replied with a grimace. "We can't go to the police without any evidence - "  
  
"But dad!"  
  
"What're we going to tell them, H.C.?" He asked, frowning. "That our daughter's boyfriend decided to get married, and now she swears the new Mrs. Luthor is trying to kill her?"  
  
Hudson opened her mouth to argue, and then just as quickly shut it. She glanced between her parents for a moment, her frown growing. "You don't believe me, do you?" She accused, scooting forward on the couch. "You think I'm making all of this up because I'm. jealous?"  
  
"Honey, we didn't say that." Her mom turned back to her, laying a hand on her knee. "We just want you to understand how others might see it." She shrugged slightly and gave her a smile. "I know how upsetting the past few days have been, H.C. You've been through a lot more than any girl your age should have to face. And maybe you're seeing things the way you want them to be."  
  
"I don't believe this!" Hudson stood and paced over to the window, folding her arms over her chest. "Why do I feel like everyone is completely against me?"  
  
"We're not against you," her father countered, walking across the room to join her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "H.C., we just. your mother and I don't like seeing you hurt. We don't want you to get hurt any more. Maybe we just wish that you would-- "  
  
"What? Forget it?" She looked across the room at her mom. "My friends are getting hurt - Lana could have been killed last night. And today she has lost something she truly cares about. And Lex. he isn't himself." She glanced back up at her dad. "I know this isn't him. I have to do something."  
  
"H.C.-" Her dad began, cutting off when there was a knock at the back door. Frowning, he squeezed Hudson's shoulders, and then moved off through the kitchen to find out who was visiting.  
  
Hudson paced back over to her mom, shoving her hands into her jean pockets. Her mom reached out and touched her arm, flashing her a warm, understanding smile. The problem was, her mom didn't understand. And her dad didn't understand. And Chloe and now even Lana. Not that Hudson could blame her - Lana had no inkling as to why Lex would decide to close the Talon like that. She didn't know that it was actually an attack on Hudson, not her. Truthfully, Hudson was beginning to wonder if there would ever be a time in her life when she wouldn't feel guilty for something she'd done to indirectly cause pain in Lana's life.  
  
"What brings you to these parts?"  
  
Looking up at her dad's voice, Hudson saw Sheriff Ethan entering the family room ahead of Jonathan, holding his hat in his hand, appearing a little nervous as he glanced around at the family. "Er. a teacher down at the high school, Mrs. Luthor, claims she saw Hudson set her car on fire."  
  
"What?" Hudson exclaimed in shock, her gaze frantically shooting between her parents.  
  
"That's three suspicious fires in as many days, Hudson," Ethan told her, removing a set of handcuffs from his belt. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you into custody until we can sort this out."  
  
Hudson backed up as he approached her. "Mom! Dad! This is a mistake! I didn't - "  
  
"We know, sweetie," Martha assured her, face paling a little as she glanced at the sheriff.  
  
Panic began to fill Hudson as Jonathan appeared in front of her, setting his hands on her shoulders. They couldn't make her go to jail! Not for something she didn't do! How could Lex let this happen to her? She turned tear-filled eyes to her dad.  
  
"Hudson, I want you to do what Ethan says," he told her, the real warning hidden beneath his tone as his hands squeezed her shoulders lightly. "We'll figure this thing out, I promise."  
  
Ethan was at her side. "Just turn around, Hudson."  
  
"Mom. " Hudson whimpered, fear filling her as she offered her hands behind her back and felt the sheriff clap the cuffs around her wrists.  
  
Martha moved over to hug her tightly before Sheriff Ethan took her by the arm and gently guided her toward the door. She looked back to see her parents standing together, watching silently, her dad's arm around her mom's shoulders. Her mom looked like she was about to cry. Hudson wished she could assure her that everything was going to be all right. But the truth was, she just didn't know anymore.  
  
***  
  
Lex moved down the stairs of the Talon, frowning as he spoke to the man on the other end of the line - the one who was telling him he was out of his mind.  
  
"That's right. I'm selling the building and everything in it. Talk to our people in Metropolis about a price and get back to me."  
  
Flipping the phone shut, he slipped it into his pocket, considering whether or not he should fire his accountant. The man was supposed to take orders from him, not tell him when he thought Lex was making a bad business decision. Not that there was anything wrong with this decision anyway. Desiree was right - the Talon was an unnecessary drain on their funds. Not to mention it was a bit irresponsible on his part to allow a teenager to run it. He should have gone ahead and turned the thing into a parking garage instead of allowing Hudson and Lana to convince him otherwise. Now, he just wanted the damn thing off his hands. It was one less distraction in his life to keep him from Desiree. His wife had a way of making everything in life seem so much clearer than ever before.  
  
Smiling a little at the thought, Lex looked up at the sound of a door opening to see Martha Kent walking through the lobby. Just seeing the red- haired woman sent a feeling of warmth through him that he couldn't explain. Maybe because she reminded him of his mother?  
  
"Mrs. Kent," he called out, beginning to offer her a smile.  
  
"I was looking for Nell." Her tone was clipped and impatient.  
  
Lex shifted a little beneath her unwavering glare, her stiff posture. "Uh, she just left," he replied, secretly hating how he always felt like such a child around Hudson's mother. "I believe she's arranging for the movers."  
  
Martha's frown deepened. When she spoke again, her tone was sarcastic and cutting, "Well, I hope I didn't disturb you." She turned to leave.  
  
"Mrs. Kent?" Lex called out, taking a step toward her. "I am truly sorry about Hudson."  
  
"Are you, Lex?" Martha demanded.  
  
He was. It was sad to see such a promising young woman tumble so quickly down the wrong path. When he'd admitted to Desiree that he didn't understand how he could have been so wrong about Hudson, his wife explained to him that she was young, and teenagers were drawn to making rash decision, to acting on their emotions. She was obviously very jealous and slightly disturbed, concerning her belief that she owned Lex, like some kind of commodity. He didn't need that in his life, some sixteen-year old going all 'Fatal Attraction' on him. Desiree had assured him that Hudson would receive the help she needed from the courts.  
  
Suddenly Martha was moving toward him, her walk purposeful and angry. "My daughter is in jail," she announced, stopping just a few feet in front of him. "And your wife put her there."  
  
"Maybe these fires were a cry for help," Lex offered.  
  
That was Desiree's explanation. Everything would be all right once Hudson received the psychiatric help that she needed to get over her infatuation with him and understand that they would only ever be friends. Sure, they once dated but it was never anything serious. It couldn't have been, his wife told him. Hudson was too young to understand how to love someone like Lex.  
  
"Is that you talking, or is Mrs. Luthor talking through you?"  
  
Lex straightened a little at her accusation and frowned. "Mrs. Kent, I would never ask you to take sides against your husband... please don't ask me to doubt my wife."  
  
"Any good relationship relies on trust, but there has to be room to disagree," the woman in front of him replied in exasperation. She shook her head as she looked up at him.  
  
"Like the way Jonathan and I disagreed about you," she continued. "He couldn't see past the Luthor name, but I always thought you truly cared about Hudson." Her expression tightened as she mentioned her daughter and she glared at him once more. "Now I'm beginning to think Jonathan was right all along."  
  
That hurt. A lot.  
  
Lex spent the last year attempting to gain Jonathan Kent's respect. And now that was destroyed, possibly forever. The problem was, he shouldn't need or want the man's respect anymore. He had Desiree. He didn't need anything else. Strangely, though, he still craved the Kent's approval - from both Jonathan and Martha. Now, he suddenly had neither and he was questioning himself as to why it seemed so important.  
  
"Believe me, Mrs. Kent, I never wanted it to come to this," Lex replied.  
  
And that was the truth. Hudson was supposed to have been happy for him. She and Desiree could have become good friends. They could have had dinners together and still been friends. Instead, the girl he'd considered his best friend had totally turned against him and his marriage.  
  
Martha was still staring up at him, like she didn't recognize him or something. Her eyes widened a bit and she shook her head again. "You know Hudson," she countered. "She's not a criminal! She's the one person who stood by you no matter what! Ask yourself, is she really capable of this?"  
  
Was she?  
  
"I wouldn't have thought so," he found himself responding. "But I know Desiree."  
  
Martha blinked, her expression disbelieving. "Lex! You met and married her in a week!" She practically shouted, her tone filled with dismay. "How well could you know her?!"  
  
Lex clenched his jaw as he stared at Martha, considering her words. He loved her! What else was there to know?  
  
Glaring at him only a moment longer, Martha turned on her heel and stalked away from him.  
  
"Mrs... " Lex called after her, wanting to apologize for. something. But she ignored him and kept walking.  
  
Silence surrounded Lex as he stood there, staring at the empty space in front of him. Martha's words wouldn't seem to leave him alone for some reason, specifically her accusation about how well he could know his wife after having met and married her so quickly.  
  
Lex felt a frown grow.  
  
He'd married her only days after having met her. He'd been quite certain that marriage was what he wanted. Lex could remember the fear of anyone else stealing Desiree away from him. He remembered, distinctly, the feeling that she was the only person in the world who loved him, the only person in the world he could love. That feeling was still there, hovering around the surfaces of his mind but.  
  
There were other things as well.  
  
Like, such behavior was totally unlike him. After all, Hudson Kent saved his life and still it took him months before he felt he could trust her, that he could completely open up to her. So what made Desiree so different? What prompted him to marry her without question into her background and motives? When had he become so blind?  
  
Starting toward the door, Lex's frown deepened. So far, in the past few days, he'd married a woman he hardly knew, alienated the girl he'd spent the entire summer with, decided against a pre-nup, begun selling off his properties and thought it was somehow right that Hudson Kent, the most gentle person he'd ever known, was sitting in jail.  
  
Pushing the door opened, Lex stopped suddenly.  
  
Oh hell.  
  
He'd also recently changed everything in his Living Will to Desiree's name.  
  
***  
  
Hudson sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring at the thin blanket on the cot beneath her. She'd never really experienced claustrophobia before but being locked up in this cage for hours on end was enough to make her feel as if she was going to explode from the inside. The worst of it was knowing that she could easily get out.  
  
She could rip out the bars in the window above or just knock her way through the wall. But she couldn't do that because it would make her look guilty. And her dad promised they were doing everything they could to get her out. She kept waiting for her parents to show up with a bail bondsman - the problem was, the only bail bondsman in Smallville closed his business a few months ago. So they had to look elsewhere to Grandville or Salina. When her mother stopped by a half hour ago, she informed Hudson that her dad planned on going to talk to Desiree, to see if he couldn't convince her to drop the charges.  
  
Of course, normally none of this would have been an issue. A few weeks ago, Hudson would have sat here for approximately five minutes before Lex would have shown up, threatening to sue the City of Smallville for wrongful detainment of a minor or some such and immediately taken her home. The image brought a sad smile to her face.  
  
God, that hurt.  
  
That was the worst part of sitting there, with nothing to do but think. Hudson couldn't stop thinking about Lex, and how much she missed him, and how much she hated him and loved him and wished that the past two weeks were simply a horrible nightmare. Luckily, she was distracted from her thoughts when the door leading from the office opened and Chloe and Lana appeared in the hall beside her cell.  
  
"Sorry we didn't have time to bake a file into a cake," Chloe quipped with a smile through the bars.  
  
Hudson slid off of the cot to her feet, moving over to the door where she wrapped her fingers around the bars, drinking in the sight of her friends as if she'd been there for weeks. Well, it felt like it.  
  
"How're you holding up?" Lana asked, reaching out to touch Hudson's hand.  
  
"Besides being accused of being a serial arsonist and threatening to attack my ex-boyfriend's wife, I'm great." She forced a smile, trying to appear a lot more light-hearted about it all than she felt.  
  
"We've got some good news," Lana told her with a nod. "Chloe followed up on your Alison Sanders clue." She passed a folded up newspaper through the bars.  
  
Taking it into her hands, Hudson opened it, her gaze scanning the story on the front as Chloe spoke:  
  
"Apparently our vixen formerly known as Alison was popular with the Smallville boys even as a teenager."  
  
Lana slipped another piece of paper through the bars to Hudson. "She was with her boyfriend when the meteors hit."  
  
Chloe continued, "The Ledger article doesn't cover it, but I'll let your mind wander as to what they were doing in the truck by the lake."  
  
"A couple of weeks later, he lost it and murdered her parents," Lana picked up, reaching through the cell bars to tap her finger against one of the paragraphs in the news story. "Desiree inherited everything."  
  
"Fast forward five years." Chloe's voice was tinged with excitement, like she hadn't come across a story this good since leaving Smallville for her internship in Metropolis over the summer. And, considering it was Smallville, she likely hadn't. "Desiree is now a teacher. She marries a wealthy shipping executive, only to see him offed by one of her moonstruck high school students."  
  
"Same confession, same denial six hours later," Lana added, tapping her finger against the second sheet of paper.  
  
Chloe grasped one of the bars and leaned closer. "It's the classic black widow scenario. Only after murder number two, this black widow had the misfortune of being heavily invested in dot coms. After she lost all the money, she decided to go after Lex."  
  
Well, that made total and complete sense. Of course she was only after Lex's money! Why hadn't Hudson seen that from the beginning?  
  
"So she'll need someone else to seduce and convince them to kill Lex." Hudson frowned as she considered this information before raising her gaze to her two friends. "Wait. How'd she get them to do it?"  
  
"Pheromones!" Chloe exclaimed.  
  
Hudson raised her eyebrows. That was the silliest thing she'd ever heard. "Chloe... "  
  
"H.C., she was in the throes of major passion when the meteors hit! If her pheromone levels were enhanced, she could get a guy to do whatever she wants!"  
  
Hudson's mouth fell open as everything began to click into place. Well, it was Smallville. Anything was possible.  
  
"Time's up, girls!" Sheriff Ethan leaned in from the office, his gaze glancing over the huddle group.  
  
Chloe looked over at Ethan, and then look back at Hudson apologetically. "Okay... "  
  
Hudson sighed, wondering what to do next as Lana and Chloe turned to leave. A sudden thought caused her to panic. "Hey!" She called out to them. "My dad went to go see Desiree! I gotta get out of here!"  
  
Chloe shook her head and whispered, "Just hang on, Okay?"  
  
Frustration mounting as the door closed, and she was left alone once more, Hudson began searching for a way to escape. If what Chloe and Lana said was true, and Desiree really could manipulate any man she wanted into doing whatever she wanted, and her dad was on his way to see her. How easy would it be to use Jonathan Kent's long-standing hatred of the Luthors to convince him to kill Lex? After all, Lex also recently hurt his little girl. The whole thing could be twisted so that it appeared her dad was only out to get revenge for Lex hurting Hudson and he blamed him for putting her in jail. And there wouldn't be a single person in town who would say they didn't believe Jonathan was capable of killing Lex Luthor.  
  
Hell.  
  
Worrying her lower lip, Hudson's gaze narrowed when she noticed the small electrical box on the wall opposite of her cell. Glancing once toward the door, she focused her gaze on the box and thought of Desiree and how much she hated that woman. She thought of her touching Lex and kissing him and the familiar tension in the back of her eyes grew until the box suddenly exploded into flames. Smoke immediately began pouring from it, rising up to the fire alarm which seconds later began sounding loudly.  
  
"Help!" Hudson called out. "Help! Sheriff Ethan!"  
  
The door flew open and Ethan looked at the flames licking up the side of the wall.  
  
"Sheriff!" Hudson yelled, her voice perfectly filled with panic.  
  
Scrambling for his keys, Ethan hurried over to her door and began unlocking it. "We gotta get you outta here, Hudson," he told her. "Stay close to me."  
  
Nodding, Hudson exited the cell, watching Ethan closely as he turned to look at the fire once more. Seizing the opportunity, Hudson zipped past him, through the office and out the door, without either the sheriff or his deputy seeing her as she disappeared, moving faster than the human eye could possibly glimpse.  
  
Racing through town, Hudson took the shortcut through the fields and woods to reach the Luthor Estate in the quickest amount of time. She slowed as she approached. The gate was standing open and her dad's truck was in the driveway. So was Lex's Porsche. Taking a deep breath, Hudson broke into a run again, pushing open the door and making her way through the house. Her gaze scanned through the walls until she discovered three skeletal shapes in the study. Moving up the steps, she threw the door open just in time to see her dad, Desiree standing smugly beside him, level his shotgun at Lex and prepare to pull the trigger.  
  
"You're not going to hurt my little girl again!" Jonathan told him.  
  
"Dad! Don't!" She yelled.  
  
Too late. The retort of the shotgun echoed through the study and time froze for Hudson as she zeroed in on the bullet with her eyes. Her anger at Desiree needing no coaxing this time. As Lex dove for the cover of the desk, Hudson felt the heat emanating from behind her eyes, the invisible flames instantly vaporizing the bullet.  
  
Realizing he missed, Jonathan began marching across the room recocking the shotgun and preparing to fire again, as Lex feel to the ground. He angled the gun toward Lex at point blank range, ignoring the cry from the man on the ground as he attempted to shield himself with his arms.  
  
"Dad!" Hudson ran over to her dad, pushing him aside and attempting to grab the gun from his hands. "You can't do this!"  
  
"H.C.!" Her dad glared at her, refusing to let go of the gun.  
  
Impatient, wondering exactly how close her dad got to Desiree in order to fall under her control like this, Hudson spun around with him, angling him toward the wall. She pushed gently, slamming him back into it until his head hit the shelves behind him and his grip immediately released on the shotgun as he slid to the floor unconscious.  
  
Worried that she might have pushed him too hard, Hudson dropped down beside him, shaking his shoulders gently. "Dad? Dad? Are you okay?" He was breathing, that was a good sign, but she hadn't really meant to knock him out. She just wanted to get the gun away and ---  
  
"Ahhhhhh!!"  
  
Spinning around at Lex's scream, Hudson's eyes flew open in shock as she watched him struggle to his feet, the back of his shirt engulfed in flames. How the hell?!  
  
Jumping to her feet, Hudson started toward him when she saw Desiree running for the door. "I don't think so, bitch," she muttered as she glanced down at the handle that Lex's wife was reaching for and heated it with her eyes before turning her attention back to Lex.  
  
He was still screaming, and she heard him call out her name. She heard Desiree scream in pain behind her as she rushed past Lex, and she couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. Tearing down a drapery that hung beside the terrace doors, Hudson threw it over Lex before tossing him face down to the ground, quickly tamping out the flames, and hoping that she got to him before the fire caused too much damage.  
  
Gently she turned him over, pleased to see that he was conscious, his gaze focused on her. Scared, but obviously not in pain. Hudson shook her head in relief. "Stop, drop and roll, Lex," she told him quietly. "Stop, drop and roll."  
  
Lex didn't appear overly amused by her remark.  
  
"Are you all right?" She asked, reaching down to touch his cheek.  
  
He nodded. "I think so." Lex paused, frowning. "Hudson - "  
  
"H.C." She heard her dad call out. "What the hell."  
  
Smiling a little, Hudson glanced across the room to see her dad, confusion clearly etched over his face, struggling to his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Desiree was attempting the same.  
  
"Dad, call 911. Get an ambulance and the police here," she told him as she climbed to her feet and moved over to the door where Desiree finally gained her footing, holding her burnt hand close to her chest. She started to reach for the opposite handle with her other hand when Hudson grabbed her by the arm.  
  
"I wouldn't try it if I were you," she warned quietly in a whisper. "Not if you want to keep that pretty head on those pretty shoulders."  
  
Desiree glared up at her, almost as if she was daring her to try it and wow, Hudson had never been so tempted to do exactly that. Tightening her grip on the woman's arm until Desiree actually cried out, Hudson dragged her over to one of the couches and pushed her into it.  
  
She glanced at her dad as he hung up the phone. "If she gets up, shoot her," she instructed.  
  
Jonathan looked slightly disapproving. "H.C. - "  
  
"And don't get any closer than ten feet, dad. Trust me on this." She flashed another glare at Desiree before heading back over to Lex.  
  
He was sitting up, wincing as he tried to turn his head to look over his shoulder. Kneeling down behind him, Hudson made a face. Some of the shirt burned away and the skin beneath was damaged. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it still must have hurt.  
  
She looked up to find him watching her, the confusion as evident on his face as it had been on her dad's but there was something else. Regret. The blue eyes regarding her were familiar once more and there was a knowledge within them of what occurred over the past few days. What had happened between them.  
  
And she sat there and waited for something, anything from him that might take some of the pain away. But Lex remained silent and Hudson realized she shouldn't have expected anything else.  
  
***  
  
Humankind would never achieve perfection simply because of humankind's unique ability to fuck up a perfect world. At least that was Lex's belief after the past week of hell. Before his business trip, he'd had the closest thing to true happiness that he believed he would ever achieve. With one wrong turn, it had all been destroyed. And now he didn't know if it was possible to get it back. Or if he even deserved to have it.  
  
It was like waking up from a nightmare. The past week Lex was left without any control over his life. He made bad decisions based on the lies of a viper, he almost threw his entire life away, and he'd hurt the one person who meant more to him than any other. And that was something he just couldn't find the forgiveness inside to grant himself.  
  
He watched her now, sitting on a crate beside the loft window, fingers idly tracing the lines of the telescope. God, she was beautiful. She'd matured so much in the year since they met, and Lex couldn't help but believe he was witnessing something special as Hudson Kent slowly grew into the woman she was meant to be. He'd almost succeeded in destroying that, in taking her future away from her. Lex knew that this fact, above any other, was the greatest reason in that moment for him to just turn away, walk out of her life forever.  
  
Unfortunately, he was too selfish for that. He wanted forgiveness and, while he couldn't give it to himself, he knew that Hudson would always grant it to him. Lex just wanted that one gift, and then maybe everything would be better in his mind. Maybe he could put this behind him, forget that Desiree ever existed and move on with his life - the life he wanted to share with the one person who truly loved him.  
  
"Hudson. I was hoping I'd find you."  
  
She looked up with his words and Lex tried not to react to the lack of expression in her gaze. He'd grown so used to the way her eyes would light up at his appearance, and the bright megawatt smile that would appear on her face. Now she just gazed at him, already on the defensive, as if waiting for him to hurt her again. And maybe it was just as well.  
  
Shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, Lex forced himself forward until he was standing beside her.  
  
"How're you feeling?" She asked quietly, her gaze not quite meeting his eyes. "How's your back?"  
  
Lex shrugged. Then considered how dumb a move that was as the bandages stretched across his skin rubbed into the burns. "Mostly second degree burns. I heal fast so. " He wondered why it seemed as if he couldn't pull his eyes away from her. "Thank you for sending the flowers. You didn't have to do that."  
  
"It's what you do when a friend is sick, right?" She pursed her lips a moment then stood and moved around him to her desk.  
  
And still he couldn't look away. It was like he'd been deprived of his favorite drug for days and now it was just within his grasp. and he couldn't indulge in it. Digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands, Lex struggled for something to say to break the tension between them. "I. I filed for an annulment. It should be final in a couple of days."  
  
"Oh." Hudson flipped through some papers. "Should I hire a marching band? Throw a parade?"  
  
Lex sighed and looked out the window. It was raining outside - a very welcome rain after the past month's heat wave - and the pounding of the drops hitting the roof above was the only sound in the barn.  
  
"Hudson. "  
  
He trailed off, knowing there was nothing he could say to make this right. And not knowing if he should even try. After all, he'd been wrong once, right? He believed himself in love with Desiree, believed those feelings were real. Even if he'd been misguided, even if she'd somehow been controlling him - and others like him - it was still possible that his feelings for Hudson were just as confused. What if the problem lie in the fact that he wanted to love Hudson, and not that he actually did?  
  
A few weeks ago, Lex knew with a certainty that he loved Hudson. That it was very possible he would never love another the way he loved her. It happened while he was away, as he was suffering through business function after business function, so many fake smiles flashed in his direction, and his heart ached for her. He missed her so much that he finally excused himself from the party, snuck away to a quiet corridor and called her. Just hearing Hudson, her excitement at his call, the sound of her voice speaking his name - the tension instantly drained from his shoulders and he knew at that moment. he loved her. It wasn't a question anymore; there was no doubt in his mind. And he wanted to tell her so badly, he just wanted to shout it into the phone but it didn't seem right. Hudson deserved better. She deserved candles and music and romance. Not a long distance phone call. She deserved everything his heart was capable of giving her.  
  
And she still deserved that. The only problem was, Lex didn't know if it was his to give anymore.  
  
Turning, Lex found that Hudson stood with her back to him, shoulders tense. He took a deep breath, wondering why he felt as if he should apologize for something that wasn't really his fault. He gestured toward her. "What do you want me to say? Tell me and I'll say it."  
  
Hudson shook her head before moving to face him. "I want you to say something that will make it all go away."  
  
Tears were brimming in her eyes, and that hurt Lex beyond everything else. There was no chance that he would be able to make up for all of the hurt he'd caused her. "Hudson, I can't make it go away. We can't make it go away. We. we just have to face that it happened and move on."  
  
"Face that it happened?" She appeared outraged. Taking four quick steps, she was suddenly in front of him, glaring up at him angrily. "I've been facing it since you showed up at my school and shoved that wedding invitation in my hand, Lex! I've been the one," she jabbed a finger into her chest, "That's been facing you kissing her and touching her and. and making love to her!" Hudson choked on a sob with her words and her tears spilled onto her cheeks.  
  
Lex opened his mouth to say something and then stopped to clear his throat. He stared numbly at her, wanting to reach out and brush her tears away, but his hands felt cemented into his pockets. He swallowed back the desire to drop to his knees and beg her forgiveness. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Hudson," he finally told her softly. "I didn't ask for Desiree to control me like that."  
  
"Didn't you?" Hudson demanded, wiping angrily at her cheeks. "You had to let her get close to you. My dad has anger and fear over his daughter's incarceration as his excuse. What's yours?"  
  
He felt his jaw clench with her words and looked away. For the past two days, Lex held the comfort within him that Jonathan fell for the same trick he had and that maybe, he wouldn't have to blame himself as much for his weakness if a man like Jonathan Kent had done the same. Deep down, Lex knew he would eventually have to face the fact that their circumstances were different. He'd been at a party, bored, drinking, and this beautiful woman approached him, claiming that she was there to 'save' him. Yes, he'd been intrigued. He even offered to buy her a drink. But not once in those moments did he forget about Hudson; not once did he consider hurting her. And then. things got hazy after that. Desiree returned to his room with him that night, and at the time, he believed it was right, it was real. Now, he knew differently.  
  
How the hell could he have been so blind?  
  
"You loved her."  
  
Lex turned back to Hudson and shook his head. "I thought I did."  
  
She looked away for a moment. "You told me you did."  
  
And you've never said such a thing to me.  
  
Hudson didn't speak the words out loud but Lex heard them. They were chanting over and over again in his mind and his heart and god, he wished he could just say it, just tell her. but he couldn't. Not now. Not when he didn't know what was real and what wasn't anymore. When he said them, he wanted to mean them. He wanted to feel them. He wanted to give Hudson more than his confusion.  
  
"I never meant to hurt you," he told her, lifting his gaze to the rain falling outside the window.  
  
"And you think that makes it all better?"  
  
He glanced over at her. "I can only say I'm sorry so many times."  
  
When he'd first said it, as they waited for the ambulance and the police to arrive, Lex knew she hadn't accepted it. But he reiterated again at the hospital. What more did she want?  
  
"Well, say it again!" Hudson shouted, the sobs breaking through for real now. She buried her face in her hands. "Say it until you mean it!"  
  
"Hudson, I do. " Lex reached out for her, unable to stand her tears any longer, attempting to pull her into his arms.  
  
"Don't touch me!" She screamed, backing away from him as she dropped her hands, her gaze torn between anger and disappointment.  
  
Lex's hands fell to his sides as he watched her. He couldn't recall a time that Hudson had ever recoiled from him, had ever refused his touch. Did she expect him to beg? Sighing inwardly, he shoved his hands back into his pockets and remained silent.  
  
Hudson continued to cry quietly as they watched one another before she finally shook her head. "Just go home, Lex." She turned away, leaning against the wall, her body shaking with her silent sobs. "Just go. "  
  
Nor had she ever sent him away.  
  
Ignoring the desire to let loose with a few of his own tears, Lex turned to leave when he noticed the music box she'd gifted him with sitting on the table by the couch. It was repaired, looking as perfect as it did when he'd removed it from the Christmas wrapping. Walking to it, he brushed his fingers over the lilies painted on the top of the lid before slowly opening it. The tune to 'Chances Are' drifted through the loft. He could almost hear his mother singing along to the words in his head:  
  
"Chances are 'cause I wear a silly grin  
  
The moment you come into view  
  
Chances are you think that I'm in love with you"  
  
Lex glanced over his shoulder at Hudson. Why couldn't she understand what he couldn't say?  
  
Shaking his head slightly, Lex continued on, making his way down the stairs of the loft when he heard footsteps above. He stopped, foot poised over the bottom step, refusing to believe he was actually holding his breath hopefully. The movement paused, and then came the unmistakable crash of the music box being knocked to the ground.  
  
Silence once more descended over the barn.  
  
Dropping his head, Lex made his way out into the rain. 


	18. My First Taste: Secrets

EPISODE TWELVE  
  
SECRETS  
  
Reveal not every secret you have to a friend, for how can you tell but that friend may hereafter become an enemy. And bring not all mischief you are able to upon an enemy, for he may one day become your friend. Saadi (1184 - 1291)  
  
Lana walked out of the front door of the Kent home, Hudson following behind. They stopped at the edge of the porch, where Lana gazed up at the night sky. The past two weeks had been another growing period for their friendship. With things the way they were between Hudson and Lex ever since the Desiree Atkins fiasco, there was suddenly much more time for the two friends to spend together. Plus, Lana knew that Hudson secretly needed someone to lean on, someone to be there to listen even when she didn't feel like talking.  
  
Turning to look at her friend standing beside her, Lana frowned. She wasn't a fool; she knew how much Hudson missed Lex. Ever since their separation, she just hadn't been the same person. She didn't smile as much, didn't laugh, was never in the mood to do anything other than go home after school and finish her chores. Lana wished there was something she could do to make things right again. As much as she felt Hudson would be better off if she just forgave Lex for what happened and moved on with her life, Lana understood why she couldn't. She was protecting herself - it was a natural reaction to being hurt like that. Still, it was painfully obvious how much happier her friend would be with Lex back at her side.  
  
"Thanks for letting me come over to study tonight," Lana commented, giving Hudson a smile. "It's always so. peaceful at your place. And it always smells like cinnamon and baked apples. Plus, I got to eat your mom's famous pot roast."  
  
Hudson shrugged, hanging the toe of her boot over the edge of the step as she stared down at it. "You know that you're always welcome."  
  
Lana nodded, and then reached out and tucked a strand of Hudson's hair behind her ear. "I wish you would make up with Lex. You'd be so much happier."  
  
"Would I?" Hudson looked over at her, expression doubtful. "Or would I constantly be waiting for him to hurt me again?"  
  
"But it wasn't his fault. "  
  
She sighed and sat down on the top porch step. "I know that, Lana. And I know that if he could have stopped it from happening, he would have. Lex didn't mean to hurt me." Hudson shook her head. "But he did. And that. scares the hell out of me. I mean, he was such a huge part of my life and when Desiree appeared. " She paused, worrying her lower lip. "It felt like I was dying."  
  
Sitting on the step beside her, Lana considered her friend's words quietly before suggesting, "So maybe you remain a little more cautious this time around. Don't get so close so quickly. Take your time - "  
  
"It couldn't work like that," Hudson cut in, grimacing. "If Lex and I do get back together, our relationship is going to have to advance to a higher level. We couldn't take a step back. Neither of us are built like that. It would be all or nothing this time around and I just don't know if I'm ready for that anymore. "  
  
"I guess you can't expect to be safe if you want to be in love."  
  
Hudson smiled a little. "Especially if you want to be in love with Lex Luthor."  
  
Lana returned her smile. "I'd better go. Nell will begin to think I ran away." On impulse, she leaned over and kissed Hudson's cheek. "Good night."  
  
Jumping to her feet, she hugged her books close to her chest as she hurried over to her aunt's truck and opened the door, tossing her homework across the seat and climbing in. Having no idea why she just decided to kiss Hudson like that, Lana tried not to dwell on it as she started the engine and pulled away from the Kent farm. After all, it was done. She couldn't take it back or anything. And anyway, it was just a friendly kiss, to let Hudson know she was there and stuff.  
  
Hudson smelled really nice. She wondered if Lex thought so as well. She smelled kind of tangy, like fresh green apples, and her skin was really soft, too. It was weird - whenever they had class together, Lana found that she spent most of her time just watching Hudson, and if that didn't indicate a crush, she didn't know what did. Sometimes she just tried to blame it on the mystery of her friend, all of the questions that seemed to surround her. Hudson always behaved as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, like she knew more about the fate of humankind or something than anyone else did. And Lana refused to believe that it was more than just coincidence that Hudson Kent was often referred to as the local hero in town - she always seemed to be there when her friends needed her. Not just as a shoulder to cry on but as an honest-to-God guardian angel who saved her friends from life-threatening situations. That alone made Hudson weird. Add her often-strange behavior and the questions she always danced around or outright refused to answer and yes, Hudson became a very fascinating and mysterious individual.  
  
The fact that she was really nice to look at, too, was simply a bonus.  
  
Sighing, Lana reached down and turned up the radio, frowning a little when the deejay insisted on talking at length about the upcoming Crows football game instead of just playing music. She really needed to stop thinking about Hudson so much. They were just friends and Lana didn't really know if she wanted to try any more than that. Beyond the obvious fact that a relationship between her and Hudson wouldn't work in a town like Smallville, there was the whole question as to if she would even like it. She'd always been partial to guys; her feelings for Hudson were an aberration and that didn't make them right.  
  
Besides, she was torn. On the one hand, she had these secret feelings for Hudson and she was tempted to test them out. On the other hand, she knew how much her friend loved Lex and she wanted her to be happy and she would do just about anything to get them back together again. Seriously, Hudson wasn't the only one suffering. As weird as it was to see, Lex wasn't exactly behaving like himself lately either. Lana had this strange belief that he only came to the Talon anymore as an excuse to see Hudson. He would sit there for hours until she finally came in and then Lana would catch him just watching her from across the room. When Hudson finally left, Lex would, too. Sometimes, she just wanted to smack some sense into both of them, even if she did understand Hudson's reluctance.  
  
Not to mention her own selfishness; because other than Chloe, and occasionally Pete, right now Lana had all of Hudson's attention, and she was just fine with that.  
  
The ringing of her cell phone snapped Lana out of her thoughts and she reached into her purse blindly, while keeping her eyes on the road, searching for her phone. Flipping it open, she held it up to her ear. "Hello?"  
  
"Lana, honey." Aunt Nell. "Could you do me a favor before you head home?"  
  
She didn't bother mentioning that she was just about to pull into the drive. "Sure."  
  
"Swing by the Talon and pick up the insurance paperwork for me. I left it all in a manila folder on the desk. I have a meeting with the adjuster in the morning."  
  
"Okay. I'll be home soon."  
  
"Thanks, sweetie."  
  
Tossing her phone back into her purse, Lana pulled up into the drive before backing out onto the road and heading toward town. Driving along the back edge of the Luthor Estate, her thoughts returned to Lex and Hudson and what she could do to hopefully get them comfortable with one another again. Lock them in a room until they have it out? She doubted that would work. Maybe she could talk to Lex. If he understood what Hudson's fears were, if he knew what it was she needed to hear in the way of assurances, then maybe they could work things out.  
  
But did she really want that?  
  
Squinting at the road ahead, Lana applied pressure to the brakes when she realized there was a car blocking the road ahead. She honked the horn and the car sped away past her. Frowning, she watched it go before noticing lights ahead in the trees on the side of the road. Pulling to a stop, she hopped out of the truck and peered into the darkness where she heard a horn sounding repeatedly as if stuck. The underbrush ahead was flattened and bark was torn from a nearby tree.  
  
"Hello?" She called out, starting forward slowly until she began to make out the shape of a van lying upside down in the thicket of trees. "Oh no!"  
  
Rushing forward, she moved to the driver's side of the vehicle, kneeling to the ground to look inside the window where the driver was conscious, though he appeared to be trapped. She knocked on the glass and called out, "Hello? Sir? Are you all right?"  
  
He was ignoring her, staring straight ahead as if fixated on something. That or he really was badly hurt.  
  
"Hello?" She called again.  
  
Still nothing. Curious as to what had his attention, Lana turned her head to the right, following his gaze, her eyes widening at the strange object that was illuminated by the glow of the headlights.  
  
***  
  
Hudson picked up the phone to call Lex three different times before she finally forced herself outside where the temptation of having the phone nearby wasn't as great. She tried to blame it on boredom - her parents were in Grandville looking at pigs, Pete was working at the courthouse after school these days and Chloe was in Metropolis visiting her cousin for the evening. Hudson figured Lana was at the Talon, and she considered going there to visit. The only problem was, it seemed every time Hudson went there lately, Lex was there as well. And he would watch her, and sometimes they'd talk a little, but it was always uncomfortable and forced and the tension was impossibly thick.  
  
It wasn't like she was trying to avoid him. Okay, so she'd had her mom make the deliveries to the castle for the past two weeks and she never bothered calling him but that didn't mean she didn't want to see Lex. She just didn't know if she was ready for a deep, meaningful conversation between them. A vindictive little part of her still wanted to make Lex pay for the hurt he caused her. While the larger, more reasonable part thought the entire situation was ridiculous and she needed to just grow up and accept that bad things happen.  
  
Unfortunately, she wasn't quite mature enough to accept that reasoning yet.  
  
It didn't mean she didn't miss Lex, though. Day in and day out, he was still all that she thought about. She dreamed about him at night, and daydreamed about him in the day. Her favorite daydream involved him showing up in his limo and whisking her away to his penthouse in Metropolis, where he planned on spending as long as it took to convince her to forgive him while he held her captive in bed. Of course, it never took her long to forgive him, even though she didn't admit as much. She wanted to be held captive there as long as possible. Hudson even shared that little fantasy with Lana, who thought it was positively the most romantic thing she'd ever heard.  
  
Scooping up the basketball that lay on the ground outside the picket fence, Hudson twirled it on her index finger for a moment before tossing it behind her back toward the basket that was on the other side of the yard. It landed perfectly through the center of the hoop and Hudson couldn't help but feel a momentary sense of pride at that fact. Okay, so she had a natural physical ability that allowed her to excel at all sports - too bad she wasn't allowed to use it. Her parents would never have to worry about bills again if they would just allow her to exploit her abilities a little bit.  
  
Hearing an approaching vehicle, Hudson turned to glance down the drive and watch as Nell Potter's truck drove into view. Lana waved to her through the windshield before bringing the pickup to a stop a few feet in front of her. She leaned out the open window.  
  
"Hey! You busy?"  
  
Hudson shrugged as she walked over to the door. "Not particularly. In the mood to go riding?"  
  
"No. I need to show you something. Get in." She pointed to the passenger door before slipping the truck out of park.  
  
Squinting at her friend for a moment, Hudson glanced back toward the house, knowing it would be a few hours before her parents returned. Well, whatever Lana wanted to show her had to be better than picking the phone up and setting it back down over and over again. Pulling the door open, she slid into the cab as Lana pulled back to the driveway and onto the road, heading east.  
  
"So, what's going?" Hudson glanced over at her friend.  
  
Lana shook her head. "If I told you what I think it is, you'd never believe me. You're just going to have to see it with your own eyes," she replied. "I'm hoping you can tell me what you think we should do."  
  
Brow furrowing, Hudson shrugged, leaning her elbow on the ledge of the door, chin resting on her palm as she stared out at the passing scenery. There were only a few weeks left to enjoy the green leaves of the trees. Soon, everything in nature would be splashed with the colors of Fall, her mom's favorite time of the year. Hudson could remember making cards and pictures for her parents of leaf patterns and brown, gold and red leaves glued onto black construction paper. Her mom still had each and every piece of artwork from elementary school hidden away in the attic. The days of paste and crayons were long gone, and Hudson missed them terribly at that moment. It certainly beat having your heart ripped out and trampled on by black stilettos.  
  
Speaking of Lex. "Why are we going to Lex's?" Hudson sat up straighter and glanced over at Lana.  
  
"We're not." She pulled onto the shoulder, a couple hundred yards from the entrance gate to the estate. "Come on."  
  
Hudson watched as Lana climbed out of the cab of the truck before following suit. She closed the door behind her, glancing down the road toward the gates, wondering if Lex was home and if he was thinking of her. It was silly and selfish but she really hoped that he was. Sure, she'd never know, but just pretending seemed to be enough.  
  
"Are you coming?"  
  
Glancing away from the road, Hudson watched her friend move through the underbrush into the woods that surrounded the Luthor property. Hurrying after Lana, she found that there was a wide swath cut through the trees leading to an overturned van. Stopping, she looked over it for a moment before asking, "Is this the van you pulled that guy from last night? What's so great about it that you had to show me?"  
  
Lana peered out from around the front of the vehicle. "Not the van, silly." She waved her hand impatiently. "Come here."  
  
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she walked alongside the van to where Lana was waiting for her and pointing. Lifting her gaze, Hudson stared in muted shock at the ship - her ship - that lay in the heavily wooded thicket on Lex's property. Not far from the road. Where anyone could have found it. Including anyone who worked for Lex. Or his father.  
  
Or Lana.  
  
"When I saw it last night, I just knew I had to show it to you first."  
  
Hudson opened her mouth to reply, couldn't form words, and promptly closed it again as Lana moved forward and knelt beside the ship. She ran her hands over the surface before looking up at Hudson expectantly.  
  
"Ummm. what do you think it is?" Hudson was hoping for an answer somewhere along the lines of a weather balloon.  
  
"I'm not certain," Lana replied with a quick shake of her head. "But it looks like a spaceship. See how it's pointed on the end and rounded here? It's just like something you see in cartoons!"  
  
Hell. Cartoons? She tried not to take offense to that. "A spaceship?" Hudson repeated, forcing a smile. "More than likely it's just a satellite or high-tech crop-duster. Or. or even some weird piece of modern art that Lex is too embarrassed to admit he purchased."  
  
"No, I don't think so." Lana settled her hands on her hips as she rose to her feet. "I mean, look at it. Even the surface of it is all weird and stuff. And you should touch it - it feels kind of warm." She looked over at Hudson. "I really think it's from outer space, H.C."  
  
"Yeah. I bet there's little green men running around Lex's property too, Lana," Hudson remarked, trying to find humor in the situation. She waved a hand at the ship. "Tiny green men. And I do mean tiny. Do you see the size of that thing?"  
  
How did the ship get here? Had it come looking for her the day of the storm?  
  
"I'm serious, H.C.," Lana replied, pointing to the ship. "Have you ever seen anything like it?"  
  
Yeah. In our storm cellar. About four months ago. "Look, Lana, if aliens came to Earth, don't you think they'd find somewhere a little more exciting to visit than Smallville?"  
  
"Not really." Lana shrugged. "I mean look at all of the books and stuff that Chloe's always reading - about crop circles and cattle mutations. Somewhere like Smallville is perfect." Hudson continued to stare down at her ship, frowning. She was surprised to find that Lana was so ready to believe in aliens from outer space. Seriously, if she wasn't what she was and someone walked up to her and claimed there was a spaceship in the woods, she would have them committed or something.  
  
"What do you think we should do? I mean, we should tell someone, right?"  
  
"Huh?" Hudson blinked at Lana's questions before catching what she'd asked. "Oh. Ummm. we should probably take it back to my place. Then. then we can ask my dad what to do."  
  
Lana furrowed her brow. "Are you sure? I really think we should call someone, H.C.. Like the authorities? I didn't tell Sheriff Ethan about it when he questioned me at the hospital last night because I wanted you to see it first. I mean, I didn't want you to think I'm insane or anything." She blushed a little in embarrassment before waving her hand to the ship. "But it could be dangerous."  
  
"I don't think it is. I mean, look at it. It's just sitting there." Hudson shook her head. "Come on. Together we should be able to get it into the truck. Then we'll take it back to the farm. It'll be safe there. Okay?"  
  
Her friend hesitated only a moment longer before stepping forward and nodding. "Okay. If you think that's where we should take it." Her tone suggested she didn't agree.  
  
Of course, Hudson didn't need her help with the ship, but it would have looked a little suspicious if she just picked the thing up and tossed it into the back of the truck. They both took a position behind it and pushed, carefully moving it through the leaves and the dirt around the side of the overturned van. All the while, Hudson made certain to take most of the work herself, while still not using her full strength so that it seemed rather difficult and heavy to push to Lana. She couldn't help but wonder if the ship had the ability to get scuff marks and scratches? Or was it impervious to anything they attempted to do to it?  
  
"Now what?" Lana straightened when they reached the back of the pickup before stepping around the ship to open the tailgate.  
  
Now I just pick it up and toss it into the truck. "Ummm. we'll lift it up by the front there, and place it on the truck, then push it from the back," Hudson suggested, moving to join Lana by the nose of the ship.  
  
"Are you sure we can?" Lana asked, staring at it with a frown. "It's kind of heavy."  
  
"It'll be fine. We'll just do a little bit at a time," Hudson encouraged, knowing she would take most of the weight.  
  
They reached down together and lifted the front half of the ship onto the back of the truck, watching closely as it teetered precariously on its end. Waving her to the back, Hudson waited for Lana to join her then they slid their hands beneath the flat surface and heaved it upwards, sliding it onto the bed of the truck.  
  
"See?" Hudson flashed her a nervous smile. "Easy."  
  
Lana frowned briefly before heading toward the cab. Sighing, Hudson followed. She just wanted to get the ship back into the cellar, and forget this ever happened. Hopefully her friend could do the same.  
  
They were both silent on the way to the farm. Hudson's mind whirled with a million questions that she wanted to ply Lana with. Did she find it freaky to think that a spaceship might have landed? That there might be aliens among them? What would she do if she knew an alien? Never before did Hudson have someone important to her come this close to knowing her secret. It was kind of exciting. And kind of terrifying. While Lana questioned the strange occurrences and Hudson's ability to always be at the right place at the right time, she usually just let the matter go. But Hudson knew that if it had been Lex who found the ship, this entire situation would be completely different.  
  
Holding back the sigh of relief as they passed beneath the Kent Farm sign, Hudson glanced over at Lana, noting that the frown on her face had grown darker. She was obviously thinking about something that was bothering her. Hoping to waylay her thoughts as the truck came to a stop, Hudson told her, "Come on. Let's get this thing unloaded. We can hide it in the barn until my parents get home." She opened the door to hop out of the truck.  
  
Without another word between them, they unloaded the ship from the back of the pickup in the same manner that they got it in, then spent the next few minutes pushing it into the barn. Sighing with no small amount of relief once it was safely inside, Hudson turned to find Lana watching her, brow still furrowed in thought.  
  
"H.C.. "  
  
Hudson sucked in a breath. "Yeah?"  
  
"I think we should take it to the police."  
  
Please, Lana. Don't do this now. "That's not necessary. My dad - "  
  
"I'm the one who found it, H.C." Lana shook her head as she settled her hands on her hips and looked up at her friend. "I've already lied to the police because I didn't know what else to do. Whatever this thing is, it could be dangerous and I think we need to alert somebody to it."  
  
"It's not dangerous, Lana."  
  
"How do you know?" She demanded.  
  
"Well. It didn't do anything to us while we were bumping and scraping it along the ground."  
  
Lana reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "I'm calling the sheriff's department."  
  
"Lana, no." Hudson took a step toward her, hoping her panic wasn't showing. "That isn't. just wait, okay?"  
  
"No, H.C. This is important." She pointed to the ship with her phone. "You're not the one who could get into trouble here. I've had enough weird things happen to me around this town that the last thing I want to do is give more people reason to come after me. You could be right - it might not be a spaceship. But what if it's a bomb? Or anything else that shouldn't be here?"  
  
"It's not a bomb," Hudson muttered, frustration mounting.  
  
"You don't know that." Lana dialed the numbers into her cell phone and held it to her ear, flashing a sharp look at Hudson as she did so.  
  
Panic setting in, Hudson jumped forward and yanked the phone from Lana's hand, tossing it to the ground and stepping on it. The crunch beneath her boot signaled that Lana wouldn't be making that call.  
  
Her friend stared at her in shock for a long moment before demanding, "What has gotten into you? I can't believe you just did that! What - suddenly you could give a damn whether or not I get in trouble with the police?"  
  
"Lana, that isn't it. You aren't going to get into trouble," Hudson defended.  
  
"I obviously shouldn't have taken you out there with me. Maybe I should have trusted Chloe instead," Lana snapped. "She would have made the decision to do the right thing. You're - you're withholding evidence!"  
  
"What? Lana, that's insane. Evidence against what?"  
  
"I don't know. But you obviously don't care what happens to me." Lana turned and stalked away, headed out of the barn and back to the driver's side of the truck. "You probably want to show it to Lex or something. Let the Luthor money figure out what to do with it. Hide it away while, in the meantime, everyone comes looking to me for answers."  
  
"That isn't it at all." Hudson followed her. "Lana. Stop. Where are you going?"  
  
"Since you destroyed my phone, I'll just go to the station personally and tell Sheriff Ethan everything. I have the ship. You don't."  
  
"Dammit, Lana." Hudson caught up to her as she slammed the door. "If our friendship means anything to you, don't do this. Please?"  
  
Lana turned to glare at Hudson, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Why? It obviously means nothing to you." Shifting the gears into reverse, Lana turned the truck around and headed down the drive.  
  
Hudson stood staring after the pickup in shock. What was she supposed to do? Her parents weren't here to help her out of this situation. If Lana got to the police station and told Ethan everything, certainly they would come out to investigate. While it was possible her mom and dad would be back by then, even if they were able to hide it from detection, there would likely be a lot more attention cast in their direction. And then what?  
  
She didn't think of the consequences. All Hudson knew in that instant was that a) her secret could possibly be in danger of being handed to the wrong people, and b) her friendship with Lana was in serious jeopardy. Whatever past transgressions she and Lana might forgive one another for, Hudson knew she'd gone too far this time. And there was only one way out of that.  
  
The Truth.  
  
She wasn't thinking when she sped down the drive and moved in front of the truck. She wasn't thinking when she slammed her hands onto the hood of the vehicle and stopped it in its tracks. Thought continued to elude her as she and Lana stared at one another through the windshield, her friend's expression one of confusion and shock. The reflection of her own in the glass, resignation.  
  
"Lana," she called out quietly once truck stopped spinning its tires. "We have to talk."  
  
***  
  
Lex sat staring at his cell phone, running all of the reasons not to call Hudson through his mind. She was being incredibly selfish, after all, thinking that this entire situation was all about her. Apparently only her feelings mattered. But what about him? He was the one who almost lost everything to a gorgeous, conniving bitch that he'd been foolish enough to marry. He'd even been set on fire! And yet, it only mattered that Hudson was hurt. Hudson sat in jail for a few hours. Hudson was accused of arson. He yelled at her. Oh, boo hoo.  
  
Then again, Hudson was only sixteen. He was her first relationship, and he truly believed she loved him. He didn't know why, and it was probably best that he didn't bother contemplating the question of why too closely. What mattered was that she loved him, she trusted him and he'd betrayed all of that by getting married. He'd hurt her, deeply; the kind of hurt that stayed with you.  
  
He hadn't meant to do it, though. That was the main problem. Desiree was yet another in the long line of mutant freaks that had a particular affinity for seeking Lex out and screwing him over. He didn't know what he was doing; he'd been under the impression that the woman loved him, and he loved her. He'd even felt it. Or, at least, felt something that he believed was supposed to be love. It wasn't his fault. Hudson should know him better than that, know that every action he made was completely against his nature. If he'd known what he was doing, Lex never, ever would have gone so far as to hurt Hudson like that.  
  
Only, he was forced to admit he had to accept some of the blame. He'd let Desiree get close, too close. She was a beautiful woman, and he'd been bored and intrigued and those made for a difficult combination. Even if he never planned on allowing anything to happen, he'd opened the door for the possibility by inviting her to have a drink with him. Lex allowed his baser instincts to get in the way of what was right, to act on the moment, and he'd hurt the one person he truly cared about in doing so.  
  
What if their situations were reversed? Lex knew he wouldn't have taken it very well if another man had been with Hudson, kissing her, fucking her. God, he would rip the hands off of any man who touched her. Even with the carefully schooled self-control his father beat into him continually, Lex knew that he wouldn't mutely stand by and watch Hudson commit herself to someone else. She belonged to him, dammit.  
  
Grabbing his cell, Lex flipped to the phone book where the Kent's number was listed at the top. Hitting speed dial, he waited as the line began to ring, tapping his fingers impatiently on the glass top of his desk.  
  
"Hi. You've reached the Kent Farm. If you're calling to place an order for our organic produce, please leave your name, number and the items you're looking for and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a nice day!"  
  
Sighing at the familiar sound of Martha's message, Lex considered leaving a message but instead closed the phone, tossing it back to his desk. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe it was better this way - that they remain simple friends and forget that anything more ever occurred between them. After all, he'd done little more for Hudson than succeed in hurting her over and over again. He knew that somewhere down the line, not to far in the future, he would end up hurting her again.  
  
Rising from his chair, Lex moved over to the bar to pour himself a glass of juice. Unfortunately, seeing the oranges and apples stacked in the bowl at the end of the countertop reminded him how much he screwed up. Hudson wasn't even making deliveries to the castle anymore. Last Sunday he'd hung around the kitchen with Dodd, waiting for her to show up, only to find Mrs. Kent appearing at the door, box of produce in hand. She'd seemed embarrassed, made some comment about flighty teenagers, and then hurried back out the door.  
  
The worst of it was, Lex kept waiting for the study doors to fling open and Hudson to come bouncing into the room, full of too much energy, begging him to go riding or play pool or drive into Salina to grab some burgers at the Cozy Inn. An argument regarding all of the work he had to do would ensue and eventually they would end up on the couch, making out, forgetting about going outdoors or working on reports, and it would be a perfect day. Only, it wouldn't because it wasn't going to happen.  
  
It was because of Hudson that Lex grew used to unexpected visitors at any time, night or day. Not long ago, he would have been more alert to people moving through the house who shouldn't have been there. The staff was used to allowing guests to wander the premises and even he barely noticed when the doors to the room he was in opened. Maybe he should be more aware, but Lex couldn't help but feel safe in Smallville, no matter what outrageous occurrences happened to him. His angel lived here, which automatically made him safe. He was certain that no matter what might happen between them, Hudson would always be there when he needed her.  
  
Sipping at his juice, Lex glanced over at his phone, sitting on the glass desktop, taunting him. He glared at it, wishing he could dare it to ring, when he heard the click of the study doors behind. Trying not to put all his faith in hope, Lex turned, only to frown and fight to suppress a sigh at the sight of his father, and a LuthorCorp lackey, moving in through the doors.  
  
"Lex? Lex, are you in here?" Lionel called out, his walking stick making tapping noises against the ground as his assistant guided him into the room.  
  
Lex found himself wishing the assistant was blind, too. Then he could just quietly sneak out the side door and pretend he left for the day. To China or something. Sighing, he glanced over at his father. "Yeah, Dad, I'm right here. I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you."  
  
He watched as the assistant reached up to take Lionel's coat but his father batted his hands away angrily. "No! Get out."  
  
Smiling a bit in amusement, Lex moved forward to take his father's arm and lead him forward to one of the chairs. "Is everything all right?" He asked, taking a seat across from him. "Your doctors tell me your recovery is going well."  
  
It was difficult for Lex to discuss his father's injuries with him - the physical therapy, the blindness, everything that Lex was responsible for. Simple discussion brought back the memories, how he stood there, thinking life would be easier without his father around, that all he had to do was not help him, claim the storm killed him. And even when he'd tried to make things right, when he changed his mind and wanted to save his father, knew that he couldn't live with himself if he'd let anything happen - even then he'd screwed up, waited too long, hurt his father anyway. Then came the decision to let them go ahead with surgery too soon. A decision that left his father blind.  
  
Every bit of it was Lex's fault, and there was nothing he could do to change that.  
  
"It is," Lionel replied with a smile and a nod. "So well, in fact, that Dr. Roland suggested I take a break from the rigors of physical therapy. He thought that some time away from the uh. stress of living and working in Metropolis would be more. beneficial right now."  
  
"Of all the places you could have gone you decided to come here?" Something was up, Lex was certain of it.  
  
"We'll have a chance for some father-son bonding. You've always told me I've been lax in that requirement, Lex." Lionel smiled again.  
  
Lex refrained from replying that there was such a thing as too little, too late. Instead, he asked, "How long are you planning to stay?"  
  
"A few days, maybe a week."  
  
For the first time since the storm, Lex was pleased that his father was blind. This way, he was unable to see the look of shock and possible panic that was likely clearly expressed on his face. He took a moment to digest this information, staring at his father's dark glasses, wondering what his motives were for choosing Smallville as opposed to the dozens of other vacation houses scattered around the world.  
  
"Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable at the beach house?" He suggested when he regained the power of speech. "I think the sea air would be invigorating."  
  
"I'm getting the distinct impression, Lex, that you don't want me here," Lionel accused, frowning just a bit.  
  
Blind or not, his father certainly hadn't lost his powers of intuition, that was for certain. Lionel was right - Lex didn't want him there. It had been years since they'd last lived in the same confines and only by moving into the penthouse had Lex succeeded in not committing patricide at an early age. This was a bad idea. Of that, Lex was certain.  
  
Of course, he couldn't and wouldn't say as much to his father. Not when it was his responsibility that Lionel was here in the first place. He owed his father, at least this much, to offer to take care of him for awhile. To call a temporary truce between them.  
  
"No, Father," he denied, hoping he sounded sincere. "I just want what's best for you. Stay as long as you like."  
  
Lionel smiled and settled back against the couch, leaving Lex to wonder if he hadn't just been suckered in by the world's biggest guilt trip.  
  
***  
  
Hudson sat on the porch step, staring down the drive when she heard the familiar sound of her parents truck approaching. She sighed and chewed on a fingernail. How was she supposed to explain what she did today?  
  
The talk with Lana. hadn't gone well. She shouldn't have expected it to, and now Hudson understood what her parents always warned her about. After all, how was a person supposed to take the news that aliens are real? Let alone that the best friend you thought you knew happens to be one.  
  
For minutes after Hudson stopped the truck, they just stared at one another before Lana finally opened the door and slid out of the cab. She'd approached Hudson warily, waiting for an explanation, an apology - likely anything other than what Hudson had to tell her.  
  
"Lana, I. You can't tell anyone about the ship."  
  
"How did you just do that?" Lana pointed to the truck, ignoring her words.  
  
"I... " Hudson swallowed. Now that she was able to think again, she realized this was a really dumb idea. But there was no way out. No quick little lie would get her out of this one. "That ship. I. It's mine."  
  
Lana stared at her, her expression unchanging, disbelieving.  
  
"Thirteen years ago, my ship landed here in Smallville, and the Kents found me and took me in to raise as their own." God, it sounded unreal, even to her own ears.  
  
Lana opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it, then closed it again. Instead, she simply shook her head.  
  
"Lana, it's true. Think about it - all of those times I've saved you and never offered you an explanation as to how, the truck just now." She waved a hand toward the truck, knowing she was babbling and not caring. "Remember your necklace? The meteor rock? It always made me sick when you got too close. That's why I've only ever been able to really get close to you after you stopped wearing it. I'm allergic to the meteor rock and - "  
  
"So you're some sort of... what? You're not a human?"  
  
Hudson blinked. It really hurt to hear that from the people that mattered. "I don't know what I am, Lana. I don't know where that ship brought me from. I just know that I grew up in Smallville, and everything that I care about and everyone that I care about is here."  
  
"If you care about me so much, how come you never told me sooner?" Her friend demanded.  
  
"Lana, believe me, there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't want to tell you, but my parents thought it was too dangerous. Not just for me, but for anyone else who knew the truth."  
  
Lana took a step back. "You didn't think I could handle it?"  
  
"Can you?" Hudson frowned as the girl began walking around her slowly, looking at her as if she was some kind of fascinating bug. She tried not to let that hurt even more. "Lana, another reason why I didn't say anything is because I knew people would look at me the exact same way that you're looking at me right now."  
  
"And how's that?" She backed up a little, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.  
  
"Like a freak," she replied, sighing when Lana's eyes widened a little in confirmation. "Lana, I've tried my whole life just to blend in, to try and be more normal than anyone else."  
  
Lana didn't say anything. Just continued to stare at her, hugging herself.  
  
"Would you just say something?" Hudson pleaded, the desperation coming through in her voice. "Call me... call me an alien, call me a monster. I don't care, just say something."  
  
"It's like I don't even know you," Lana whispered.  
  
Hudson winced, and took a step toward her, holding her hand out. "Yes, you do know me. I'm the same girl who pulled on your pigtails in first grade and goes riding with you and spent an entire weekend over the summer watching Keanu Reeves' movies. Nothing has changed."  
  
A strange expression fell over Lana's face and her hand fluttered upwards between them, covering her mouth. "Thirteen years. oh my god. You. the meteor shower. "  
  
Shaking her head quickly, Hudson took another step toward Lana. "Lana, no. I. I mean, yes, my ship came with the meteors but I don't know anything about them. I don't know why it happened and - "  
  
"You killed my parents!" Lana shouted, tears escaping from her eyes. "All this time - and you knew!"  
  
"Lana - " Hudson reached out for her, voice breaking at her friend's pain. "Please?"  
  
"Stay away from me!" Lana ran past her, back to the truck, hurriedly climbing in and slamming the door behind her.  
  
"Lana, please! Let me explain," Hudson called out, knowing that it would do no good. Her friend saw her as a murderer, and Hudson couldn't help but think she wasn't far from the truth.  
  
After rousing herself from the pain and fear her conversation with Lana caused, Hudson made her way back up to the barn and moved the ship down into the cellar where it belonged. Suddenly hating the sight of it, she hadn't lingered long, returning to the house to sit on the porch steps and wait for her parents to come home.  
  
"Hey, honey." Hudson looked up to see her mom and dad walking in to the yard, arms loaded with bags of groceries. "What are you doing out here?"  
  
"Waiting for you," she replied quietly, climbing to her feet to take the bags from her mom. She followed her parents into the kitchen, setting the groceries on the counter while her mom began sorting through them.  
  
"Did you get the fence in the south pasture fixed?" Her dad asked, glancing at her from across the kitchen.  
  
She nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"H.C., what's wrong?" Her mom asked as she placed a dozen cans of Coke into the refrigerator. "You seem upset."  
  
Both of her parents looked at her expectantly.  
  
"I, uh, found the ship today."  
  
"What?" Her dad straightened up at her words and moved toward her. "Where was it? Were you able to bring it back?"  
  
"It was tucked back in the woods, on Lex's property," she told them, inwardly sighing when her dad blanched with her words. "It's in the storm cellar now."  
  
"How did you find it?" Martha moved over to them, touching Hudson's arm gently.  
  
"Lana found it." Hudson glanced at her parents before dropping her gaze. "Last night, when she pulled that guy from the van. She came by today to show it to me." "And she hasn't told anyone about it?" Her mom asked, concerned. Hudson shook her head. "No. She wanted to. She wanted to go to the police about it. But I convinced her not to." And you're not going to like my solution. Unfortunately, she didn't have the strength to admit that much to them at the moment. Her world was upside down as it was. She didn't need her parents yelling at her and reminding her what kind of danger she'd put herself in to compound the fear she already felt. Fear at losing her friend, at being alone, at everything. "What did you tell her?" Jonathan asked. Hudson went with her original plan. "That I was going to wait until you got home to find out what we should do." She paused, deciding to gauge their reaction to telling the truth. "What. what do I do if she asks about whether or not you told anyone?" "You're gonna have to play dumb," Jonathan replied with a shrug, like it was expected. "Dad, I'm sick of lying," Hudson told him. And she was. Unfortunately, the truth hadn't turned out to be the best option either. "H.C., you don't have much of a choice here." She nodded, took a deep breath and suggested, "Well, I can tell Lana the truth." "H.C.. "  
  
"Dad, she's not gonna tell anyone." She didn't know that. As angry and hurt as Lana was when she left, she might decide to strike out at Hudson, pay her back for what happened to her parents. But she tried not to think about that.  
  
"Honey, people slip sometimes," her mom told her, patting her arm. "Even the most trustworthy of friends."  
  
Her dad nodded. "This information is way too dangerous for Lana."  
  
"We understand that this secret is a huge burden," Martha continued, tucking a strand of Hudson's hair behind her ear gently. "But if you share it with Lana, you might be giving her a responsibility she's not ready to take on."  
  
Or she might hate you for it. Hudson glanced at her parents, nodding slightly, but didn't bother admitting that the damage had already been done.  
  
***  
  
Hudson was roused from her bed earlier than usual that morning from a panicked call from her mom downstairs. Speeding out of her room, she raced into the kitchen to find her mom waiting for her, expression grim.  
  
"Mom? What is it?" She feared the worst, like her dad decided to work on the tractor without her there and an accident had occurred.  
  
"The ship," Martha told her. "It's gone."  
  
Hudson blinked. They'd had a conversation like this before, hadn't they? Only, the ship had been found and was safe in the cellar. "Mom, that's impossible. Unless I dreamed up yesterday's events, the ships in the - "  
  
"It's gone. Your father's out there now. He told me to get you."  
  
Heedless of the fact that she was still in her pajamas, Hudson hurried out of the house and to the storm cellar where her dad was standing at the bottom of the steps, staring at the empty space in front of him. The ground that only last night held her spaceship. Jonathan glanced over at her as she stepped down beside him, staring in befuddlement. What the hell?  
  
"Do you think Lana followed through on her desire to alert the authorities?" He asked, regarding her with a frown.  
  
Hudson shook her head, still staring. "No. No, she. " She refused to believe her friend would be capable of such a thing. She wouldn't betray her like that. "Lana would trust us to do the right thing." It hurt to say, but it was true.  
  
"Then someone else knew about it, H.C."  
  
She lifted her gaze to meet her dad's eyes. They were tired, frustrated. "Dad, I'm sorry. "  
  
He sighed. "It isn't your fault, H.C. - "  
  
"Everyday it seems like something else happens to endanger our family and I just don't know how to stop it anymore." She bit her lower lip and turned away, wanting very much to hit something.  
  
"Hey." Her dad reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. "We'll face this like we do everything else. Together. While you're at school, I'll do some looking and see if there's any information out there regarding someone discovering a spaceship. That's all we can do until we can figure out who took it. All right?"  
  
She sighed, knowing he was right. She was just going to have to confront Lana at school and see if she knew anything. And that terrified the hell out of her. Nodding to her dad, Hudson made her way back to the house to change and begin her chores.  
  
By the time she made it to school, the last thing Hudson could really concentrate on was history and English. Normally, when her mind was this confused and worried, she would find Lex and they would talk - even if it was rarely about what was really bothering her - and he would make her feel better. They would watch movies or play pool or just make out on the couch and her worries would fade away. But that option wasn't available to her anymore. In fact, she really couldn't even allow herself to think about it on top of everything else. If she did, she might just break down and scream her lungs out.  
  
Moving down the corridor toward her biology class, Hudson glanced ahead to see Lana at the lockers, exchanging her books. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her way through the crowd of students and walked up beside her friend, leaning against the lockers.  
  
"Hey," she greeted with a smile, shoving her hands into her back pockets as she watched Lana hopefully. Her friend didn't acknowledge her presence. "Look, Lana, I know you're freaked out. Don't you think I freak myself out sometimes?"  
  
Lana remained silent, stowing her books away in her locker from her bag, then replacing them with others.  
  
Sighing, Hudson dropped her gaze for a moment, hating that the truth always had to be so difficult and painful. Of all the people she probably never should have told, it was Lana. Her arrival with the meteor shower just affected Lana's life too greatly. Frustration mounting, Hudson tried again.  
  
"All right, look. You have every reason in the world to hate me, Lana, but I need you help. When we woke up this morning, the ship was gone."  
  
A freshman girl at a locker beside Lana's flashed Hudson a strange look, eyebrows crooked before she slammed her locker closed and walked away.  
  
"What? Do you think I took it?" Lana snapped, casting her a glare before shoving another book into her bag.  
  
"No. Of course not," Hudson denied the charge quickly. "I just wondered if you mentioned anything to anyone? Or, the guy you pulled out of the truck -- he must have told someone something. I thought we could - "  
  
Lana cut her off. "The other day, when we were moving the ship. You said it was heavy. You were lying, weren't you? And everyday you've missed the bus and still ended up at school ahead of the rest of us? You always said you got a ride, but you never got rides, did you?" Turning, she started down the hall, Hudson moving close beside her. "You know, I thought I'd finally found a friend in you, H.C. I thought you'd forgiven me for the way I used to treat you and that we were really growing close. Best friends. But everything you've ever told me was a lie!"  
  
Hudson couldn't help but feel a little angry. She'd done everything she could to be a good friend to Lana. "Maybe I was right not telling you with the way you're reacting."  
  
Stopping in the hall, Lana glared at Hudson angrily. "H.C, you don't get it do you? I don't care if you're from the moon. One day I might even be able to overlook that fact that you've known the reason my parents had to die and you've never told me." She shook her head, anger turning to hurt. "You never trusted me. What kind of friendship is that?"  
  
Hudson opened her mouth to reply when Chloe appeared beside them. "Hey, you two. Why didn't you tell me about the superhero deal?"  
  
They both looked at her, startled and shocked into silence.  
  
Chloe grinned, as if they were suddenly very amusing. "Lana pulls a guy from a mangled van and rushes him to the hospital? That's got Torch exclusive written all over it." She turned to Lana, still smiling. "So how about an interview?"  
  
"I don't think so," Lana replied quietly.  
  
"Your reluctance wouldn't be part of a vast conspiracy designed to cover up the whole spaceship thing, would it?"  
  
Hudson blinked at her words. "Wh-what are you talking about?"  
  
"My source from the medical center gave me a call," she replied, shrugging her purse strap more securely over her shoulder. "He said that the guy that Lana brought in was rambling on about some alien spacecraft that landed in the cornfield." Her eyes were shining with barely suppressed excitement.  
  
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Hudson wondered how much more screwed up the situation could get.  
  
The blonde shrugged. "I don't know." She glanced at Lana. "Not unless Lana can corroborate the story."  
  
Pursing her lips, Lana glanced sidewise at Hudson, her gaze considerate. "Sure, Chloe. I saw a spaceship. I even met an alien."  
  
Hudson sucked in a sharp breath and stared at her friend, silently pleading with her not to do this.  
  
"Really?" Chloe seemed amused, if not very curious. "Would you like to describe it?"  
  
"Actually it looked a lot like H.C.," Lana remarked.  
  
Chloe frowned, glancing at Hudson. "I thought aliens were little and green."  
  
Lana shrugged. "I guess things aren't always what you think they are." Flashing another glare at Hudson, she turned and walked away.  
  
Eyebrows raised, Chloe turned to glance up at Hudson curiously. "Okay, what's up with her?"  
  
"Nothing. Just that time of the month and junk," Hudson answered hurriedly, steering Chloe away from the direction of the hall Lana disappeared down. "Ummm, you're not really looking into this UFO story are you? I mean, it sounds like Inquisitor stuff."  
  
"Maybe." Chloe shrugged. "But if there is some truth to it, that's front- page news. For the Daily Planet." She grinned up at Hudson before hurrying away toward the Torch office.  
  
Sighing, Hudson glanced down both directions of the hall. Hell.  
  
***  
  
Hudson could only imagine how horrid it would be to gather eggs if her skin wasn't invulnerable. She hated chickens - they were nasty, smelly creatures who deserved nothing less than to be fried up in oil and served alongside a helping of mashed potatoes. And she always received the smallest bit of satisfaction whenever one of the dumber hens decided to take a peck at her hand, and wound up stunned and walking around in circles for the following few minutes.  
  
She always got stuck with the crappy chores.  
  
Sighing, Hudson balanced the bowl of fresh eggs in one hand while she opened the door to the kitchen and stepped inside, immediately coming to a halt when she noticed Lex sitting at the island. He looked up as she entered and flashed her a hesitant smile.  
  
"Hi."  
  
Shifting from one foot to the other for a moment, Hudson bobbed her head in greeting as she hurried over to the counter to deposit the bowl. "Hi."  
  
"Your mom said it would be okay if I waited for you."  
  
Figures.  
  
Ever since everything came to light regarding Desiree's perfidy, Martha Kent had been on some kind of crusade to convince Hudson to make up with Lex. She didn't understand it. Hudson always believed her mom hadn't been too pleased with their relationship. Apparently she'd been wrong because every time she became particularly grumpy, missing Lex and wishing she could just forget everything that happened, her mom would suggest going over to see him. Or tell her that people who really cared about one another could make it through the difficult times. Or how there was no more reason to blame Lex for what happened than her dad.  
  
And while she agreed with everything her mom said to her, she just couldn't make them understand that it wasn't as if she was angry with Lex. It wasn't as if she hadn't forgiven him for what happened. It was just. she couldn't stop thinking about it. It was her hatred of the situation itself, of what she felt throughout that entire nightmarish week, of every unbidden image that would creep into her mind of Lex and Desiree together. That was what held her back. She wanted to be with Lex, she wanted to tell him that it was all right. But Hudson knew couldn't do that until she accepted what had happened. Until she knew in her heart that it never really meant anything to Lex. And then she could let it go.  
  
Silence continued behind her. Hudson fidgeted, rearranging the eggs in the bowl. "Umm. what's up?" She asked without turning.  
  
There was a slight pause and Hudson began worrying her lower lip as she waited for Lex to speak, hating the tension, and knowing there was nothing she could do to ease it at the moment.  
  
"I just needed to get out of the mansion," he replied finally. "It's getting crowded."  
  
Hudson felt a smile at his remark. She'd heard that Lionel was visiting and sympathized with Lex for suddenly having to share his personal space with his dad. Turning, she leaned back against the counter, meeting his gaze. "Lex, the mansion has seventy-five rooms. It can't be that hard to get away from your dad," she teased.  
  
He acknowledged her humor with a slight smirk. "Yeah, well, he takes up a lot of space."  
  
Kicking at the floor, Hudson glanced down at her work boots, thinking how it was easier just to not look at Lex. She loved him so much, and acknowledging the silent plea in his eyes to close this distance between them was more than she could handle right now. "So. ummm. when is he going back to Metropolis?"  
  
"Not soon enough."  
  
"Is he really being that difficult?" She spun back around and began separating the eggs onto the counter - smaller ones in one pile, larger eggs in another.  
  
"Just the opposite," Lex replied, the bewilderment evident in his voice. "He's the picture of civility. Says he wants to work on our relationship."  
  
Hudson frowned. "Is that such a bad thing?" One of the eggs threatened to roll off the counter and she silently reminded herself not to use her superspeed to catch it. Luckily, her hand got there before the egg reached the edge.  
  
"He's lied to me so many times it's hard to believe he doesn't have an ulterior motive."  
  
Poor Lex. She couldn't imagine not being able to trust her parents. Okay, so there was the whole Santa Claus fiasco, but she couldn't really blame them for that. All parents lied to their children about that one - it was an accepted practice in child development or something.  
  
She glanced over her shoulder. He was still looking at her, and she turned back around quickly. "Maybe you can give him the benefit of the doubt?" She suggested.  
  
"No. No. If a person's deceived me once, I find it hard to give them a second chance."  
  
The egg she was holding in her hand broke into a mess of yolk, egg white and splintered shell. "Shit," she muttered, diving for the sink as the slimy substance began dripping between her fingers onto the floor. Chickens sucked.  
  
And so did lying. It sucked to no end, and it all ready had her in trouble with Lana. And someday, she just knew, the same goddamned issue would happen with Lex, and what was she supposed to do then? He just told her that he doesn't give people who lie to him a second chance, and damn but if her lie isn't the lie to end all lies. Hello, Lex. I'm not human, got it? That's right. I'm an alien. You've had your gorgeous mouth all over an alien body. What do you think of that??  
  
"Problem?"  
  
Hudson started, glancing to her right to find Lex standing beside her, holding a towel out to her, the barest hint of amusement glinting in his silver eyes. "Ummm. sometimes the eggs are really fragile."  
  
She turned on the water to wash her hand off, and then took the towel from Lex to dry it. She could still feel Lex watching her, his gaze assessing. She took her time folding the towel, setting it on the counter beside her before she brought her gaze back to his. He was standing really close, she could feel the heat of his body, smell his cologne, and the hint of musk that was entirely his own. Hudson's eyes focused on a piece of lint near the shoulder of his jacket, and she ached to reach out and pick it away. But if she touched him now she might never stop, and that just wasn't right. Not with everything that still stood between them.  
  
"How's school going?"  
  
Her eyes drifted back to his. "Good. Surprisingly uneventful. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop or something."  
  
"Maybe life will calm down from here on out," Lex suggested quietly.  
  
Hudson raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. And maybe Mary Poppins will show up on the doorstep, snap her fingers and finish all my chores for me."  
  
Lex smiled a little in response, his gaze moving over her as he remained silent a moment longer before asking, "By the way, do you remember that piece of scrap metal I had on my desk? The octagonal one?"  
  
Swallowing any reaction to his question about the disc, Hudson shrugged. "Uh, kinda. Why?"  
  
"It came up today," he replied in a non-committal tone. "Made me wonder what happened to it."  
  
It was hard not to panic at the idea of the key to her ship missing. Then again the ship was missing, too. Could they be in the same place? Maybe they went home without her. They probably both got completely fed up with Earth and humans and decided to head back out to the stars. As much as she longed to discover that information regarding who she was and where she came was locked away in the ship, something about the idea that she no longer had to deal with it made her feel an overwhelming sense of relief. Then again, it was entirely possible both the ship and the key had been found by someone.  
  
Nah. That kind of story would have been in the papers already.  
  
Glancing up at Lex, Hudson asked, "When did you lose it?"  
  
"During the storm."  
  
She bit back the sigh of relief. "It probably got carried away with all the other debris from the mansion, you know?"  
  
Lex nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure you're right."  
  
More silence. Hudson looked away from Lex, her gaze sweeping over the wood floor. A part of her really wanted him to leave. Another part of her wished he would stay forever. She hated being this conflicted, and this uncertain. Every part of her screamed that it was right to forgive him, to just forget everything that happened with Desiree and move forward. Except her heart. It was loudly proclaiming that to trust Lex was stupid, and would only get her hurt again.  
  
Hudson started from her thoughts when Lex suddenly reached out and touched her cheek, drawing her eyes back to his.  
  
"I miss you," he told her quietly.  
  
Her lips parted at his admission. God, she hated hearing the sorrow in his voice. She didn't want to cause him pain, she didn't want revenge or anything. Then again, in the past two weeks, Lex really hadn't made any move to apologize or ask for her forgiveness again. She didn't understand what was going on between them. Had they silently come to a mutual agreement that a relationship simply wouldn't work?  
  
No, she didn't want to think that.  
  
"I miss you, too," she offered, trying not to move into his touch, even though his hand lingered, thumb caressing her cheek.  
  
Lex's eyes searched hers, as if determining the truth of her words. He nodded once, as if finding what he was looking for. "Do you. we should go to dinner soon. Nothing fancy, just a night out together."  
  
Did he have any idea how much she wanted to say yes? Instead, Hudson found herself shaking her head. "I don't think that would be a good idea, Lex."  
  
His hand fell away from her cheek and a blank mask immediately fell over his expression. "You're right. I guess it wouldn't be." His tone was clipped. "I'd better go."  
  
"Lex. "  
  
Hudson turned to follow him as he moved around her toward the door, but he didn't stop. She watched in dismay as the screen door slammed shut behind him. Why must she succeed in hurting everyone she cared about?  
  
"Dammit." She sighed in self-disgust.  
  
Obviously she was having serious relationship issues this week.  
  
***  
  
"I'm going for a walk, Nell," Lana called out as she exited the house, letting the door slam shut behind her. Tugging her light sweater around her shoulders, she moved down the steps and across the yard toward the path that led through the woods.  
  
Glancing up, she slowly came to a stop, staring at the sky through the canopy of trees above her. Knowing for a certainty that there was life out there, that there were such things as aliens, was kind of disappointing. It was almost like the end of innocence or something. Maybe there were just some mysteries that were never meant to be solved. Lana couldn't help but feel anger towards Hudson for ruining that for her. The knowledge, on top of the lies and distrust, was almost too much to fathom. She didn't want to be angry at her friend - she wanted to help and understand - but she just couldn't find that kind of acceptance or forgiveness in her heart yet.  
  
She wanted to. If for no other reason than Hudson was really and truly alone in this world. There was no one else like her, and no one could know who and what she was, and how did she go through life, day to day, like that? At least she now realized why her friend never opened up, why it seemed like she was always hiding, always buried beneath layers and layers of complexity that Lana never understood.  
  
Of course, knowing all of this didn't make any of it easier. Not when Hudson had known, all this time, the reason why Lana's parents had to die, and never said anything to her. It wasn't that she blamed her for their deaths, it was just. she wished Hudson could have trusted her sooner, been honest with her. Lana felt like a fool, and maybe that upset her more than anything. She trusted Hudson, trusted her not to make her feel so stupid and useless. And that was how she felt now. She continued to try to see Hudson's side of it, to empathize with what it must feel like to be an alien, alone among humans but. she just couldn't.  
  
This was the stuff of sci-fi movies, right? And as reference material, there wasn't much there. Typically, all alien-encounters either dealt with humans freaking out, aliens attacking or they were like Star Trek, where the initial encounter occurred long ago and everyone was used to aliens in their midst. It wasn't like Lana could walk up to aunt Nell and say 'So how do you deal with the aliens you know?' because no one other than her and Hudson's parents knew about the alien on earth! God, she almost would have preferred to have never known. It would be easier.  
  
Glancing up, Lana realized that during her walk, she'd subconsciously made her way to the Kent farm. Now she stood there, at the edge of the woods, staring at the darkened farmhouse, wondering where everyone was. She wanted to talk to Hudson's parents, ask what made them decide to take Hudson in and raise her as their own. Why did they choose to keep her identity a secret? Were they satisfied with living this life of lies? Didn't they feel like they were betraying the people they called friends? Did it ever get any easier - knowing what they knew?  
  
Apparently, her questions were going to have to go unanswered for the moment. Turning, she was about to make her way back to the path that would lead her home when she noticed a light coming from the storm cellar at the edge of the east pasture.  
  
Hoping Hudson's parents were there and not Hudson herself - she just wasn't certain that she was ready to discuss all of this with her friend yet - Lana hurried past the barn and work shed, hesitating when she reached the cellar. Peering down the stairs, she waited until she heard movement, signaling that there was indeed someone inside, before she stepped onto the top stair and carefully made her way inside.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Kent?" She called out, stopping on the second to last step to look up, eyes widening at the older black man who stood near the empty shelves, the contents strewn about the floor around his feet. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? You're trespassing on the Kents' property!"  
  
He lifted a flashlight, shining it into her eyes. "There's a piece missing from the spacecraft," he told her, gaze narrowing in recognition as he stared at her.  
  
"You're the one who stole the spaceship?" Lana asked, lifting a hand to shield her eyes.  
  
"It's octagonal in shape," he continued, ignoring her question. He held up his hand. "The size of my palm. Tell me where it is! I saw you and your friend bring the ship here! You must have the octagon!"  
  
Lana moved backwards, onto the next step, frowning at the strange man who was slowly approaching her. He looked familiar to her. Where had she seen him before? Something to do with the Torch and Chloe. The meteors. That was it! Now she remembered. He was that scientist who used to sell meteor fragments to tourists.  
  
"Aren't you that Dr. Hamilton?" She asked.  
  
Apparently not pleased that she recognized him, Hamilton growled and lunged toward her, causing Lana to take a misstep and fall backwards against the stairs with a cry. She scrambled to push her way back up but he was already leaning over her, shining the flashlight into her eyes.  
  
"Stop it!" She cried out, attempting to glare at him, to make him think she wasn't afraid. Any moment now, Hudson would be there to save her, and then he would be in trouble. "You don't know who you're dealing with! That spaceship belongs to someone a lot smarter and braver than you!"  
  
Too late, she realized her mistake.  
  
Hamilton smiled, reaching out to fondly stroke her cheek with his shaking fingers. "You know who it belongs to. "  
  
Lana immediately shook her head. "Er. no. I don't know anything," she denied quickly, struggling to push away from him, but his hand moved down her face to her neck, where his fingers tightened.  
  
"Tell me. Tell me who it is!" He demanded, spittle flying as he shouted into her face.  
  
Panicking, Lana kicked him in the shin, pushing off of his shoulders and twisting to try to make her way up the steps. Behind her, Hamilton hurried after her, grabbing hold of her ankle and yanking her back down to him. She screamed, kicking and struggling beneath his hold but he was stronger and he flipped her back over, shoving his knee into her stomach to hold her down.  
  
Hand shaking, he covered her mouth to stifle her screams as he leaned back into her face. "The spaceship, I need to know! Are you going to tell me who this belongs to?"  
  
She shook her head, eyes wide as his gaze narrowed.  
  
"Very well. I'll just have to find a more constructive way to get you to. open up to me."  
  
Lana went to scream again when Hamilton pulled his hand back but too quickly he grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and slammed her head back into the edge of the stair.  
  
Darkness immediately consumed her.  
  
***  
  
Could nothing go right this week?  
  
Hudson's parents were beyond angry with her. When her dad asked her earlier if she could talk to Lana again, see if she might have mentioned the spaceship to anyone, Hudson told them that they weren't talking at the moment. Then she proceeded to admit to why, explaining that she confessed everything to Lana regarding her origins.  
  
No, they hadn't been pleased at all. The conversation ground to a quick halt when Nell called, looking for Lana. Apparently, she'd been missing all night. She'd gone for a walk and Nell went to bed, thinking Lana simply got home late. But she woke up that morning to find that Lana's bed hadn't been slept in. She'd checked the Talon, even called Whitney, but Lana was nowhere to be found. She headed toward the high school last, knowing that if anyone might have a clue to her friend's whereabouts, it would be Chloe.  
  
Glancing ahead to where she saw the Torch's editor walking along the path toward the school entrance, attention focused intently on a piece of paper in her hands, Hudson sped up to move alongside her.  
  
"Hey, Chloe, have you seen Lana?"  
  
Chloe looked up at the question and shook her head. "No, but the weird- meter just kicked up another notch." She handed the paper she was reading to Hudson.  
  
Frowning, Hudson read the first few words on the sheet. "A hospital visitor log?"  
  
Nodding, Chloe explained, "Yeah. I was looking into Ray Wallace's death. It turns out he had a visitor drop by just before he flat lined. A certain Dr. Steven Hamilton." She raised her eyebrows as she said the name.  
  
Hudson blinked. "The meteor freak?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Hudson hadn't heard that name since the Nicodemus flower - a few days in her life that she would rather just forget about. "I thought he left Smallville?"  
  
"So did I." Chloe shook her head before laying out the scenario, "So Lana plays good Samaritan and Dr. Hamilton visits the patient... "  
  
". The patient dies and Lana disappears," Hudson concluded for her.  
  
"It's not exactly a smoking gun, but... "  
  
Hudson cut her off. "It's good enough." She handed the paper back to Chloe. "I'm gonna go check on Hamilton."  
  
"Okay," Chloe responded with a nod. "You know, he used to have a place down on Allentown Road. Maybe he's back there... "  
  
Not waiting for Chloe to continue, Hudson ducked through the bushes and broke into her superspeed out toward Allentown Road.  
  
She couldn't help but think it wasn't coincidental that first Hamilton was using the meteor rocks to regenerate an extinct flower, and now he knew about the spaceship. Something or someone had to have brought him back to Smallville. Obviously, Dr. Hamilton and Lex knew one another, and Lex had something to do with the Nicodemus flower, which was likely why he risked his own life to help find a cure for those infected. But Hudson refused to believe that he continued any association with the scientist, nor did she think he knew anything about the spaceship. Yes, he'd spoken with that one farmer who claimed he saw a ship come down the day of the meteor shower, but since that one discussion, Lex never mentioned anything else to her. Hudson figured he dropped it, realizing how ridiculous the entire story sounded.  
  
Then again, Lex rarely dropped anything.  
  
Slowing as she reached the house on Allentown road, Hudson stopped at the driveway and glanced around until she spied the garage. Focusing her gaze, she peered through the walls to see two figures - one seemed to be bound to a pillar, the other was leaning toward it with a syringe in hand. Eyes widening in panic, Hudson raced forward, crashing through the door just as Hamilton neared Lana's neck with a needle dripping green liquid.  
  
"Lana!" Hudson called out as Hamilton turned to look at her. She glared at him. "Put the needle down!"  
  
Hamilton shook his head. "No, not until she tells me what she knows."  
  
Hudson frowned momentarily, torn between pleasure that Lana apparently had not told him anything and concern that her friend was willing to go through pain and torture in order to keep her secret. She hadn't wanted it to come to this. Not ever. Fixing her eyes on the syringe, Hudson allowed her anger to come to the forefront until the object flamed red and burst into pieces. She started toward Lana but Hamilton jumped to his feet to stop her, succeeding in doing little more than getting in her way and angering her further. Arm snaking out to catch him against the chest, Hudson pushed the scientist across the room where he slammed against a pile of steel barrels. She looked down to see Lana watching her, a mixture of shock and happiness present in her gaze. Forcing a slight smile, Hudson ripped the ropes off of Lana pausing suddenly when an all-too familiar pain shot through her hands, moving in waves up her arms and through her body. Glancing down, she noticed the green drops that soaked into the ropes and realized traces of it were now on her skin. Stumbling, she grasped at her hands, desperate to clean them somehow, but succeeded in doing little more than falling forward into a nearby table and collapsing onto the floor.  
  
"H.C., what's wrong?" Lana cried out, eyes widening in shock as she stared at her.  
  
Hudson struggled to get back to her feet but the pain was ripping through her, causing nausea, dizziness and unspeakable torment that engulfed her senses. "I - I'm allergic to the meteor rocks," she gasped.  
  
Hearing movement behind her, Hudson strained to turn her head just a bit in time to see Dr. Hamilton heading toward her, a beaker of the green fluid in his hand. He stumbled to a stop, standing over her, tipping the beaker threateningly above her, the liquid meteor rock hovering near the rim.  
  
"This ship is yours, isn't it?" He asked, wiping nervously at the sweat on his brow. "Open it. Open it! Open it!"  
  
"H.C!" Lana called to her, struggling to remove the ropes from her ankles.  
  
Pulling free, she jumped to her feet and grabbed a metal pitcher from one of the tables. Using both hands, she slammed it across the side of Hamilton's head, knocking him away from Hudson and into the table beside him. It shook under his weight, the bottles and equipment scattered across the top teetering precariously. One bottle, filled with the liquid meteorite, fell to its side, dripping slowly onto Dr. Hamilton's forehead, each drop immediately absorbing into his skin. Lana stared at the damage for a moment before breaking from her stance and hurrying over to Hudson, leaning over to grab her shoulders and help her to her feet.  
  
"H.C., come on!" She encouraged, shouldering much of Hudson's weight.  
  
Across the room, Hamilton began shaking with blurring speed, drawing both of the girls' attention.  
  
"Lana. " Hudson planted her feet, refusing to move. "Lana, we have to get him to a hospital. "  
  
Her friend was already shaking her head in denial. "No. We have to get you out of here!"  
  
But she couldn't allow that. Whatever this man may have done, was doing, meant to do, Hudson wouldn't be responsible for just letting him die. She didn't think he was a bad man, she couldn't judge him because he was curious about her and where she came from and what she was. Hudson knew that there were plenty of people who would likely react in the same manner - she doubted he really meant to hurt her, he just wanted to know. His other actions. well, they were the wrong decisions surely, but that didn't mean Dr. Hamilton should die for his crimes. No one should.  
  
"Lana, I have to help him!" Hudson argued.  
  
Unfortunately, the moment she tried to move from her friend's side to get to the scientist, she immediately felt the violent reaction from her body to the meteorite in his system. She stumbled, almost falling once more before Lana caught her. Their gazes met and Hudson tried to silently communicate how important this was to her. They had to try to save him.  
  
Finally nodding, Lana pulled away from Hudson and attempted to approach Dr. Hamilton but the shaking of his body only became more violent. If she made any attempt to touch him, she could have been seriously injured. Glancing over at Hudson, she waited for some instruction but none was forthcoming. Turning her gaze back to the scientist, she stared in confusion as the shaking came to an abrupt halt, his body slumping to the ground, unmoving.  
  
Lifting her eyes back to Hudson, Lana shook her head. "It's too late. I think he's dead." She walked back over to her friend, slipping her arm around her waist and tugging her away from all of the green liquid. "Come on. We better get the ship out of here. Then we can try to take him to the hospital or something."  
  
Hudson swallowed, knowing there was nothing more to be done. Lana was right - they needed to clean up what evidence regarding her origins was laying about before they took Dr. Hamilton to the hospital. To do otherwise, no matter how much her conscience warred with her, would be much too dangerous.  
  
***  
  
Keeping track of a blind man wasn't as easy as one would think it to be, especially when that blind man happened to be Lionel Luthor. Even though Lex constantly assured himself that his father's disability granted him a minor level of security, he still couldn't help but feel a slight amount of panic whenever Lionel came up missing. He always checked the study first, expecting to walk in and find his father going through the files on his computer or the paperwork in the cabinet. It was ridiculous, he knew, but having his father in the same house for the past few days had done little more than raise Lex's paranoia about ten notches.  
  
Of course, it never helped when Lex discovered that his concern about his father being up to no good stood grounded in fact. When Dr. Hamilton stopped by the mansion earlier that week so that Lex could dismiss him from his work, Lex believed it to be the last he would see or hear from the man. After all, he'd served his purpose and was clearly more of a liability to keep around with his emerging illness than an asset. The man's sudden violence, along with his near-manic determination to locate the octagonal disc, was certainly enough to set Lex on edge.  
  
But standing there in the doorway, watching as his father worked over some of Hamilton's notes, a computerized voice droning on with the information contained in the papers as he moved the device over them, Lex realized Hamilton wasn't going anywhere.  
  
"Hamilton reports finding large concentrations of meteor fragments spread over a large area south of County Highway 17. These fragment vary in circumference from 24 microns to 562 millimetres."  
  
"Interesting reading, Dad?" Lex drawled, pushing off from the doorway to step into the room.  
  
"Lex." Lionel glanced up in surprise. "I didn't hear you come in."  
  
"I'm surprised." He was also slightly amused. Being able to surprise his father and catch him off guard was something Lex always strove for. "Dr. Roland says he's noticed a marked improvement in your other senses since you lost your sight."  
  
Lionel glanced to the side sharply at Lex's comment. "You spoke to Roland?"  
  
Nodding, Lex approached his father, frowning down at him as he replied, "You can imagine my surprise when he told me how worried he was that you'd gone AWOL. You've missed your last several physical therapy sessions. In fact, he says the worst thing for you right now is to be away from your care providers."  
  
"Do you have any idea how degrading it is to be constantly poked and prodded by occupational therapists? How demeaning it is to be told by a Braille instructor, "One day, one day, all this will feel natural"?" Lionel demanded angrily. "You want the truth, Lex? I was tired of being treated like an object, an invalid. I had to get away from that."  
  
Lex wasn't going to fall for the guilt trip again. "So you decided a couple days of Oedipal mano a mano would make you feel better?"  
  
Frowning, Lionel told his son, "Your analogy is apt but flawed, Lex. Blind Oedipus was the son, not the father." Grasping his cane, he moved to stand. "I'll go back to Metropolis."  
  
As much as Lex fought it, the guilt still took over. It was possible that he was paranoid, that he'd spent so much of his life on the defensive with his father, that he really didn't know any other way to be. What if Lionel was really attempting to make peace between them? To make up for so much lost time that they could have spent as a real father and son?  
  
Okay, so Lex wasn't quite that naïve. His father was always up to something, disability or not. The question was, what?  
  
Glancing down at the papers scattered across the table, Lex's gaze narrowed a little as he wondered what caused his father's interest in Hamilton. Had Hamilton approached him after Lex sent the man away? Lifting his eyes back to his father, Lex asked, "So, uh, your sudden interest in Dr. Hamilton was really just a coincidence?"  
  
Lionel turned toward his son. "I admit I find his work intriguing."  
  
"He's sick, possibly delusional," Lex pointed out.  
  
"Never underestimate the value of eccentrics and lunatics, Lex. Every Arthur needs his Merlin," Lionel informed him with amusement. After a slight pause, he added, "Hamilton said that he found some sort of. disk and that you had it."  
  
"He's mistaken."  
  
What was it about the disc that made Hamilton want it so badly? Yes, Lex was upset when he lost it but mostly because it was a mystery to him - one that would never be solved once it disappeared. But with the way that Hamilton was behaving in his need to find it caused Lex to wonder if the disc's purpose hadn't finally been solved.  
  
"Oh?" Lionel shrugged. "Even so, I think it may have been a bit rash to terminate his contract."  
  
Frowning, Lex eyed his father for a long moment before asking, "Why do you say that?"  
  
Lionel smirked. "Have you taken a look in the good doctor's barn lately?"  
  
Gaze narrowing, Lex dropped his gaze to the floor, wondering what he was driving at. "No. I haven't had the. pleasure."  
  
Moving forward, cane stretched out before him, Lionel drew closer to his son. "I was there, Lex. I couldn't see but. I touched it. And I could tell - it was different. Not of this earth."  
  
"What was?"  
  
"The ship."  
  
Lex was suddenly thankful for his father's blindness because he was certain he'd been unable to keep the surprise from his expression.  
  
A ship. The ship he'd been searching for. The one Eddie Cole had seen come down the day of the meteor shower. The same one that might have something to do with the octagonal disc found in the field.  
  
Carefully schooling his voice to the tone of boredom and disbelief, Lex asked, "How can you be so sure? I already said the man is delusional."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Lionel countered.  
  
Lex's frown deepened.  
  
"Why don't we go for a ride, Lex?" His father suggested.  
  
"The helicopter will be here soon to take you back to Metropolis," he pointed out, glancing at his watch. A half hour to go. Then Lex would be left once more in solitude, peace, no longer carefully censoring everything he said and did.  
  
Lionel waved a hand dismissively. "It can wait. Take me to Hamilton's, Lex. I'll show you - you can see for yourself."  
  
Sighing, Lex took his father's outstretched arm and led him through the room toward the door to the garage. He knew Lionel wouldn't let this go. And there would be nothing that Lex could think to say to dissuade him. That angered him to no end - to think that his father was now sniffing around a mystery that belonged solely to Lex. After all, if he'd gone to his father and told him he believed a spaceship might have landed the day of the meteor shower, and that he once had a disc that was formed of materials not found on earth, Lionel would have deemed him insane. He would have laughed, told Lex how naïve and foolish he was, that he would fall for anything. But when someone else comes to Lionel with the same information. well, suddenly he'll take a stranger's word on faith. It didn't matter if Hamilton was telling the truth - that he actually found the spaceship. What mattered was that all of it - every bit of information, every twinge of interest, every answer - belonged to Lex. Not Lionel.  
  
The drive to the south end of town, where Dr. Hamilton's property was located, was silent. Lex was thankful for that. His father sat beside him in the Jaguar, lost deeply in thought, leaving Lex to his own thoughts and concerns. If there really was a ship sitting in Hamilton's shed, complications would arise. Lionel would want a hand in it - he would want to take over the research and Lex would be left with nothing. Then again, if there really wasn't a spaceship, likely Lex would be blamed for getting involved with Hamilton at all, and his father wouldn't waste a moment in telling him what a worthless son he truly was.  
  
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Lex flashed his father a quick glare as he pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. He wished he'd just forced the old man onto the helicopter and sent him on his way. Then he could have investigated on his own. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to work out that way and he told himself to calm down, to bury his emotions as he climbed out of the car.  
  
Helping his father forward toward the shed, Lex glanced around the property intently. The place looked deserted - recently deserted. Looking down at the dirt beneath their feet as they reached the shed, he noticed different sets of shoe prints scattered in several directions. Brow furrowed, Lex raised his gaze to the door that hung off of its hinges, a section near the knob splintered into pieces. Slowly, he led his father inside the building, expression growing more perplexed as he gazed around at the destruction within. Overturned tables, shattered bottles, a chair with ropes laying beside it.  
  
No ship, though.  
  
"Does it look anything like Hamilton's description -- what he says it was?" Lionel asked, unseeing gaze moving about the room, as if the blindness might suddenly disappear.  
  
Lex shook his head. "There's nothing here, Dad." He didn't feel it was necessary to tell his father that it appeared as if something might have been there, and simply wasn't any longer.  
  
"Well. he must have moved it," Lionel commented stubbornly. "Or someone took it."  
  
Lex was more than willing to believe the latter. "Come on." He tugged on his father's arm, attempting to move him toward the door. "The helicopter's waiting."  
  
"No, no," his father argued, pulling back. "I'm not going back to Metropolis. Not just yet."  
  
Damn. Lex glanced back around the shed. "What about your treatment?" He asked, knowing that the physical therapy meant nothing in contrast to a mystery. There were some traits all Luthor's shared.  
  
Lionel smirked with his reply, "I'm afraid those charming physical therapists will just have to come to me."  
  
"I hope you're not staying because of a sudden interest in alien spacecrafts." No matter how his father answered, Lex knew it was an idle hope.  
  
"Of course not. I'm staying because I want to spend more quality time with my only son."  
  
Lex started when his father reached out, searching for his face, touching it. As much as he wanted to pull away - had schooled himself in doing so for years - Lex found his eyes closing at the feel of his father's fingers on his skin. It had been so long since he'd received anything that even remotely hinted at caring from his father, and he couldn't help but take just a moment to lose himself in it. This act between them wouldn't last long - as much as Lex wanted to believe in his father's motives, he just couldn't expose himself that much to do so. It was dangerous. For years he'd worked to earn Lionel's love, his approval, his pride, but time and again he'd failed, and suffered painful humiliation in the process. That wasn't going to happen again. The only reason his father was staying, the only reason he was pretending to care for Lex, was because he was interested in Hamilton's research.  
  
Research that Lex funded.  
  
Grabbing his father's hand, he pulled it away from his face and took Lionel's arm once more, leading him toward the door. "Good. Because this could all be a hoax."  
  
If he wanted to keep the information gleaned from Dr. Hamilton to himself, he was going to have to somehow convince his father that it was all make- believe.  
  
"Hoax or not, I'm not the only one who's suddenly interested in it." Lionel smirked.  
  
Beside him, Lex blanched and cast a quick look at his father.  
  
Dammit.  
  
***  
  
"So, does it do anything?"  
  
Lana glanced over at the three Kents with her question before returning her gaze to the ship that was now safely ensconced back in the storm cellar. It was still unbelievable to her - even with everything she'd witnessed for herself, from her rescue from Dr. Hamilton to Hudson carrying the ship out of the shed as they waited for Jonathan to pick them up.  
  
Martha smiled and shook her head as she replied, "We've always hoped we'd find some answers inside about Hudson and where she's from, but we haven't been able to get it open."  
  
Nodding, Lana stared at the ship a moment longer before returning her gaze to Hudson. So amazing - to think that she came in that tiny ship. Travelled who knew how far all by herself, only to land safely here in Smallville. And no one but those gathered in the storm cellar knew.  
  
Lana reached out and touched her friend's arm. "H.C., look... I know I reacted badly when all this started. But after what happened to Hamilton. " She trailed off, squeezing the arm beneath her hand gently. "I realize why you never told me and I'm sorry."  
  
"You had good reason to be upset, Lana," Hudson replied with a slight shrug. "You were one of those whose life was most affected by my arrival."  
  
She still felt as if she was coming to terms with how deeply the meteor shower changed her life from what it should have been. While Lana knew she didn't blame Hudson, she found herself wondering what life would have been like if her friend hadn't arrived here. Was that selfish and cruel of her?  
  
"There's still one thing I'm curious about," she commented, frowning as she considered the day's events. "Dr. Hamilton tried to kill me, and he could've told the whole world about you, but. you still tried to save him. Why?"  
  
Smiling a little, Hudson told her, "Well, Lana, I couldn't let you die to protect my secret, and I can't let anyone else die either." She worried her lower lip a moment before adding, "No matter who they are."  
  
Lana smiled in understanding. "It's not easy being you. Is it?"  
  
Dropping her gaze to the ground, Hudson toed the dirt with her boot. "Some days are easier than others, I guess."  
  
"Lana... I'm proud of you," Jonathan commented, stepping between the two girls to focus his attention on her. "But I do hope you realize what a tremendous responsibility knowing this secret is." He gazed at her intently for a long moment. "And believe me, it's not going to get any easier."  
  
"That's my dad's way of saying welcome to the family," Hudson told her.  
  
Martha laughed while Lana smiled at the family. She watched as Jonathan took Martha's hand and led her out of the cellar, discussing dinner. Turning back to her friend, she waited until Hudson looked away from the ship before catching her gaze. She hesitated only a moment, thinking carefully over the words that she wanted to say to make Hudson understand how much knowing the truth meant to her, how much their friendship meant to her.  
  
"It's all a little unreal, you know?" She commented softly, staring up at her friend. "I mean, I've always known there was something about you, something that made you stand out from everyone else and yet, you always tried so hard to hide it. I never understood that, and maybe, for a long time, I resented it - "  
  
"Lana - "  
  
"No, H.C. Let me finish." She waited until Hudson nodded before she continued, "The day of the meteor shower. It was a tragic day for many of us. But it was a glorious day for your parents. Not only did they finally have the child they always wanted - they got you. We all did." She waved her hand, as if encompassing the town outside of the cellar walls. "And that makes knowing what happened to my parents, to others. just a little easier to accept." Reaching out, Lana took Hudson's hand in hers. "Everything about you, Hudson Kent, is amazing. And I. I feel as if I'm special, too, just because I know you. Just because I can call you my friend."  
  
Hudson lowered her gaze once more, a bright blush coloring her cheeks. "Thank you, Lana. I. That means a lot to me."  
  
"It means a lot to me that you trust me with your secret." She let go of her friend's hand, turning to follow her as they made their way up the steps and out of the cellar. Brow furrowing, Lana couldn't help but ask, "Have you. ever wanted to tell Lex?"  
  
Hesitating in her steps a little, Hudson waited until Lana was walking beside her before nodding. "Every day since the day we met," she answered, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I wake up every morning and think 'Today's the day I'm going to tell him'. And then. "  
  
"And then?"  
  
"I don't know." Hudson stopped, glancing down the driveway. "I get scared, I hesitate, I find myself thinking up every reason not to tell him."  
  
"Don't you trust him?"  
  
Hudson looked at Lana quickly. "Yes. Yes, I do. I trust him to keep my secret and I trust him to protect me. And that's the problem. You've seen for yourself how dangerous it can be. Lana, you have no idea how many people who've known the truth have already died or been hurt. I know Lex. I know how tenacious he can be." She paused, her gaze sad. "And I know how dangerous some of the people are that he associates with. Telling Lex couldn't just possibly endanger my life, it would endanger his and my parents and. " She trailed off and shook her head. "I want to tell him. I wish I could tell him. But I just. I can't."  
  
"It's all right."  
  
Lana moved forward to hug her friend. It was hard enough to be truthful with someone you love about simple things like not agreeing with them or not liking their friends. Hudson's secrets were so much deeper than that and Lex. well, he wasn't your average guy. Lana didn't know him all that well, but she knew enough to know that he wouldn't just exclaim how cool her being an alien was and then grab a beer out of the fridge and sit down to watch the game. He'd want to be in the midst of Hudson's secret, he'd want it all, and he was simply too public a person for someone outside the situation not to learn the truth.  
  
"Maybe someday it'll be easier," Lana suggested, pulling back to smile up at Hudson. "Maybe someday you can tell him."  
  
Hudson nodded, and returned the smile with a tentative one of her own. "Yeah. Maybe. Someday."  
  
***  
  
Hudson stood outside the entrance to the castle kitchen, worrying her lower lip as she stared at it. It had been almost a month since her last delivery and she was beyond nervous about opening the door. She still hadn't admitted to her parents about Dodd seeing the bullet hit her, and she hadn't spoken to him since that night. So far, no government agents had shown up on her doorstep with scalpels in hand, but that didn't mean it would never happen. Hudson trusted Dodd but she was quickly learning that it was impossible to determine how people were going to react to the truth about her. The recent events with Lana, more than anything, taught her to be cautious.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Hudson reached out and turned the knob, pushing the door open and stepping inside. "Hello?" She peered around the counter to see Dodd at the sink, peeling potatoes.  
  
He looked up at her, his gaze frank and assessing for a long moment, before greeting her with a slight inclination of his head. "Miss Kent. I thought your mother was making the deliveries."  
  
"Oh, that was just. temporary." Hudson shrugged as she set the box down onto the countertop. "I'm back to doing it now."  
  
Dodd nodded. He wiped his hands on a dish towel then moved over to begin digging through the box, inspecting each piece of fruit and produce that sat inside. Silence stretched on through the room as Hudson waited for the cook to speak. She tapped her fingers against the countertop, watching Dodd as he worked his way through the produce, and she searched for any sign that he was behaving differently than usual.  
  
Finally frustrated with her mounting tension, she commented, "So, Lionel Luthor is here visiting."  
  
"Hmmm."  
  
"Lex came by the other day, seeking refuge or something." Hudson smiled.  
  
Dodd glanced at her but didn't comment. His gaze was steady, intent.  
  
She shifted beneath his eyes, looking away for a moment as she contemplated a way to approach the topic of Desiree. "Look, Dodd, about Desiree - "  
  
"Men are weak when it comes to beautiful women," he interrupted, still watching her. "All women have power over us - they don't need meteors." His gaze swept over her with that statement, from head to foot.  
  
Hudson frowned. What did he mean by that? "I'm not blaming anyone for anything that happened. Well, anyone beyond Desiree." She pushed her hair back off her forehead, scratching her scalp for a moment. "What I meant was. well, that night. after the fire in the Talon - "  
  
"When you look at me, Miss Kent, what do you see?"  
  
She was taken aback by his question. Frown growing, she worried her lower lip before commenting, "I don't understand."  
  
"Is that your answer? Or a question?"  
  
"Both, I guess." She kicked at the floor, scuffing the tile with the edge of her boot.  
  
"Then it is my answer as well." Dodd turned back to the produce and he began storing it away in the refrigerator.  
  
Hudson remained silent, mulling over his words. Even Lex wasn't that cryptic. She pressed her fingers into the pockets of her jeans and leaned back against the counter. Something about this wasn't right. "But, don't you want to know?"  
  
He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Do you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And yet, you never ask."  
  
"Well, I. " She trailed off, wondering about her reluctance to ask what Dodd really did for Lex and where he came from. Maybe she preferred the mystery and her own imagination to whatever the truth could be. "I just don't want to."  
  
A ghost of a smile appeared on Dodd's face as he turned to face her. "You'll have to do better than that, Miss Kent."  
  
She didn't like this conversation. It made her uncomfortable. A little angrily she snapped, "Well, as my friend, you should tell me. I shouldn't have to ask."  
  
"Plausible deniability." He folded his arms over his chest and stared at her.  
  
"That's a feeble excuse."  
  
"Is it?" Dodd moved closer to her, his voice dropping an octave. "We all have secrets, Miss Kent. For some of us, those secrets are more closely guarded than others. They have to be. Not only for our own safety but the safety of those around us. Lex doesn't know everything about me and I like to keep it that way - it keeps him safe. It's my job to keep him safe." He watched her intently a moment before asking, "Why do you lie to him?"  
  
"I don't - " She cut herself off, reddened, and looked away.  
  
Dodd watched her a few moments longer before nodding and turning back to his work. "Just remember, Hudson Kent, that the longer you guard your secrets, the closer you keep them to yourself, the lonelier your life becomes."  
  
She raised her head. "Is your life lonely?"  
  
"Who's lonely?"  
  
Hudson started at Lex's voice, spinning around to cast him a guilty expression as he stood in the doorway, glancing between her and Dodd. "Ummmm. "  
  
Lex 's brow furrowed briefly before moving forward. "Hudson, I thought your mother was making the deliveries now."  
  
"That just. " Because I was too afraid to face you. "No. I mean, I'm doing it again." She glanced over at Dodd who was pretending to ignore them both.  
  
Stopping beside her, Lex flashed Hudson a quick, tiny smile, his stance suggesting that he was just as uncomfortable at the moment as she was. They looked at one another, traded small smiles and both looked away again. This went on for the next few minutes until Dodd finally questioned:  
  
"You have more deliveries to make, Miss Kent?"  
  
"Huh?" Hudson blinked at the reminder, wondering if Dodd was just trying to get rid of her. She nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do. I'd better get out of here before Mrs. Winfrey wonders if I ran off with her peaches. "  
  
"I'll walk you out," Lex offered, moving toward the back door and holding it open for her.  
  
"Oh. Okay." Flashing him a smile as she passed by, Hudson stepped out into the sunlight, squinting briefly at the sky before shading her eyes and looking back at Lex as he closed the door and moved up beside her. "So, ummm, how're things going with your dad?"  
  
Lex shrugged, hands slipping into his pockets as he walked. "He's decided to stay for an interminable amount of time. On the one hand, I'm this close to tossing him out the door. And on the other. "  
  
"You feel responsible for him."  
  
"Yes." He glanced over at her quickly. "I still can't help but think that if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be blind."  
  
"Lex." Hudson laid her hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "It's not your fault. None of it. You can't keep blaming yourself."  
  
They stopped beside her family's pickup. Lex brought his eyes to hers. "Unfortunately, my greatest talent seems to lie in making the lives of those around me miserable."  
  
Hudson swallowed at his words and shook her head. "No, Lex, that isn't. "  
  
She sighed and looked away toward the castle. She realized she was still holding on to his arm and didn't bother to let go. Bringing her gaze back to his, she tugged on his wrist, pulling his hand from his pocket and threading her fingers through his.  
  
"Lex, I'm sure that isn't true for your dad. And. and I know it isn't true for me."  
  
Pursing his lips, Lex looked down at their hands, watching as Hudson's thumb moved over his skin in small circles. He shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I wish I could believe that."  
  
Leaning in to him, Hudson kissed his cheek gently. She tried not to allow her thoughts to linger on how good he smelled or how soft his skin was or how easy it would be to just move a few inches and kiss his mouth instead. "Believe it," she told him before pulling back.  
  
She started toward the truck but Lex still held her hand, his grip tightening. At the slight squeeze, she glanced back at him, her other hand on the door. "Hudson, I. " Lex frowned, as if searching for words to say. "What would happen if I called tonight? Or sometime?"  
  
Hudson smiled. "Well, I guess I'd have to take the call, huh?"  
  
Slowly, Lex returned her smile. "Yeah. I guess you would."  
  
Hudson couldn't help but think it was ridiculous really, how they just stood there, holding hands, smiling at one another, not saying another damn thing. She'd been terrified this week, when she thought she was going to lose Lana's friendship because of what she was, because of the truth. And that only served to remind her how much she missed Lex, how much it hurt to push him away, and how scared she was that someday she might lose him completely. Dodd was right - the longer you kept your secrets, the closer you held them to you, the more difficult it became to admit to them, the more alone you became. Now that Lana knew the truth, Hudson had someone else she could confide in. But when would that no longer be enough?  
  
"I need to go." She slipped her hand from his and pulled the door open, climbing into the cab.  
  
Lex moved up beside the truck, closing the door behind her as she rolled down the window. He leaned in, looked up at her. "Hudson, I. " He trailed off.  
  
"I know." Reaching out, Hudson touched his cheek and smiled. She knew he was sorry. And she knew that he loved her. And she knew he wouldn't say either. "I'll talk to you later."  
  
Nodding, Lex took a step back from the truck as Hudson started the engine and pulled out of the drive. Glancing into the rearview mirror, she noticed that Lex stood there watching her as she drove away. And for the briefest moment, she was certain that everything was going to work out in the end. 


	19. My First Taste: Unleashed

EPISODE THIRTEEN  
  
UNLEASHED  
  
I am Jesus Christ  
  
Can't thou see the light?  
  
I preach the holy way  
  
Join or be my prey ~ I am God by Unleashed  
  
"See you this afternoon!" Hudson shouted to her parents, just before the screen door shut behind her and she jogged down the porch steps, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.  
  
Taking a few bites of the chocolate Pop Tart in her hand, Hudson glanced up at the cloudless sky, wondering for a moment if Fall was ever going to hit. It was unseasonably warm for October, and a part of her was really looking forward to some snowfall. After all, it usually meant snow days at school, fewer chores and hot chocolate with marshmallows. It was still warm enough outside for her mom to brew sun tea in the garden, and make fresh lemonade. Hudson wanted hot chocolate, beef stew and pot roast. On top of that, AJ kept trying to cuddle at night and it was just too hot for that, so she continually told him to wait until the first snowfall. And then he could cuddle all he wanted to.  
  
As she moved down the driveway, Hudson glanced around, checking for any passersby as she prepared to break into a run to school. The bus hadn't arrived yet but she wasn't really in the mood to take it anyway. The discussion among her classmates would most likely focus on the purchase of the class rings, which was taking place that day. She just wasn't in the mood to hear others talk about how their parents were paying for their rings, while hers had flatly refused. Hudson understood that her mom and dad were tight on money, and that the farm was costing much more than it was bringing in at the moment, so she really didn't need to see her peers flaunt their families' money.  
  
Hearing the roar of an approaching sports car, and thinking how ironic it was for him to show up just then, Hudson glanced up and smiled as a red Ferrari came around the corner, turning into the gravel driveway. She met Lex's car halfway, pulling the Pop Tart away from her mouth as she leaned down to greet him through the window.  
  
"Hey there, beautiful."  
  
Blushing, Hudson's smile grew. Their easy banter had returned due to their nightly phone calls over the past week. Things were almost back to perfect. Almost. "Hi. I thought you were going into Metropolis this morning?"  
  
"I am. But I left early so I could give you a ride to school." He paused and gazed up at her a moment through his sunglasses. "That is, if you want one?"  
  
Like she was going to turn that offer down. "Sure!" Hurrying around the front of the car, Hudson took a few more bites of her breakfast as she opened the passenger door and slid inside. "New car?"  
  
"Yes." Lex made a face at her pastry. "Try not to get crumbs all over the interior."  
  
"Snob," she replied good-naturedly, finishing off her Pop Tart and licking her fingers clean.  
  
Lex watched her silently, his gaze focusing on her fingers as they slid into her mouth before he turned his attention back to driving the car, and made a u-turn in the drive. Once they were headed in the right direction, he cast another quick look in her direction. "So, did you get that essay finished last night?"  
  
"Mmhmm." She flashed him a smile. "Thanks for the help. I'm sure your insights into Helen of Troy will garner me an A."  
  
Frowning, Lex stared ahead at the road. "Well, you shouldn't have waited until the last minute, and you should have done the research on your own."  
  
"Nag, nag, nag- " Hudson broke off in her teasing to squeal when Lex reached over and pinched the inside of her thigh. It didn't really hurt but she knew from observing others that it was supposed to. "Ow! Hey!"  
  
"Don't be a brat," Lex scolded but a smile hovered over his lips. "What are you going to do when you're off at college and I'm not there to help you pass your classes?"  
  
Hudson glanced over at him and offered a bright smile. "You'll always be there, Lex."  
  
"Yeah. as your librarian apparently."  
  
"Nag."  
  
"Brat."  
  
"Hmph." Hudson leaned forward to mess with the radio, flipping it over from the classical station Lex had it set on, to her favorite country station.  
  
"By all means, make yourself at home," he commented sarcastically.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Ignoring his quick glare, Hudson wiggled around in her seat until she was able to slip her hand into her front pocket and withdrew a folded stack of money. Flipping it open, she carefully began to count the bills, hoping she hadn't lost any of it between her bedroom and the car, and praying she counted it correctly earlier that morning. She was terrible at keeping track of money. Maybe she should start carrying purses or something, like Lana and Chloe did. Even though the contraptions seemed like a horrible nuisance.  
  
"That's quite a bit of money," Lex remarked, flashing his gaze into the rearview mirror before looking over at her. "Planning on running away? Getting an apartment in the city?"  
  
"Oh, ha." She waved the bills in the air. "The class rings are in today. And I'm thinking of buying one."  
  
Lex's brow furrowed above his mirrored glasses. "If I remember correctly, you and your dad had this discussion more than once throughout the summer. He didn't want you buying one."  
  
Hudson snorted. Sometimes having Lex around was like being constantly followed by her dad. It was ludicrous how alike they could be. "Yeah, well, it's my money and I'll do what I want with it."  
  
"Three hundred and fifty dollars is a lot to throw away on a ring."  
  
"Oh, tell me you haven't spent much more on things much sillier."  
  
Lex shrugged. "That's different, Angel, and you know it. My dad has more money than he could possibly spend in his lifetime. It's there for me to throw away on stupid things." He nodded toward the money. "You worked hard for that. Shouldn't you spend it on something that means a lot to you?"  
  
"Having a class ring does mean a lot to me," she replied stubbornly.  
  
Honestly, Lex and her parents just couldn't seem to understand. Fitting in at school was practically impossible for her. Sure, she had a few really good, close friends but she couldn't participate in any of the sports, wasn't interested in any of the other extracurricular activities other than the Torch. She wanted to be a part of something. Having the ring would make her feel as if she really was a student at Smallville High, that she belonged there just as much as the rest of the student body. And one day, she would be able to look at her ring and remember that at one point in her life, she did fit in, even if it was marginally.  
  
"Chloe and Lana are both getting one."  
  
"I see."  
  
Lex didn't seem to like her reasoning but she didn't comment on it.  
  
"What about Christmas? I thought you said you wanted to spend a lot of money on people this year."  
  
"I have plenty of money saved, Lex," she responded with a heavy sigh. "You can lay off the lecture."  
  
"Sorry." His mouth tightened a little. "I just don't want you to be disappointed."  
  
Pulling the car into the school parking lot, Lex brought it to a stop next to the sidewalk, and put it into park before turning in his seat to face her.  
  
"Promise me you'll think it over before you make any rash decisions. Is it really something you can't live without?"  
  
Hudson smiled a little before reaching up to pull his sunglasses off. His eyes were especially blue this morning, probably caused by the deep blue dress shirt he was wearing. Sometimes she forgot how beautiful he was - though she was usually reminded very quickly. "You might be able to convince me a little better if I could actually see your eyes."  
  
Lex grinned and leaned in to give her mouth a quick kiss. "Think about it." Pulling back, he snatched his glasses out of her hand and slipped them back on. "Now go get that essay turned in. We don't want points deducted for tardiness."  
  
Making a sound in the back of her throat, Hudson pushed the door open, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes you can be such a parent." Climbing to her feet, she shouldered her book bag and leaned in the door to give him another smile. "Have fun in Metropolis!"  
  
It was Lex's turn to roll his eyes. "Loads. Bye, Angel."  
  
Shutting the door, Hudson stood back and watched quietly as Lex peeled out of the parking lot, drawing the attention of every student in the vicinity. She thought, Show off.  
  
"Too good for the bus, I see."  
  
Turning, Hudson flashed a smile and a shrug at Chloe as her friend walked up beside her. "Yeah, well. can you blame me?"  
  
"You have it bad, Kent." The blonde shook her head as they headed into the school. Reaching into her purse, Chloe withdrew a check and glanced up at Hudson. "So, are you getting a class ring?"  
  
She hadn't. Not until that moment at least. Nodding, Hudson replied, "Yeah. I'm going to do it."  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows but didn't reply.  
  
As they approached the end of the hall where the tables were set up, Lana turned and waved to them from where she was about to step into the line. Hugging her books to her chest, she smiled at them both as she walked to meet them, though her eyes lingered on Hudson. The only explanation Hudson could think of lately for the way Lana watched her was that her friend was still coming to terms with the truth. It had to be a little weird - finding out that your friend was an alien. Then again, it wasn't much easier finding out that you were an alien.  
  
"Hey, guys!" Lana greeted.  
  
"Hi, Lana." Chloe stepped immediately into line, peering over the shoulder of the student in front of her.  
  
Hudson reached into her pocket for her money once more as Lana stepped up beside her.  
  
"So, have you decided to go through with this?"  
  
"I'm here, aren't I?"  
  
Lana raised her eyebrows and shrugged as she stepped into line, smiling a little.  
  
Frowning at Lana's amusement, Hudson asked, "What?"  
  
"I believe your dad's exact words this weekend were 'Three hundred and fifty dollars is a lot of money to spend on something you really don't need'."  
  
Hudson sighed. First her parents, then Lex, and now Lana. Didn't anyone think she was capable of making a decision on her own? "I earned that money," she defended. Then she added, "Besides, my dad said that it was my decision to make."  
  
Lana glanced over her shoulder at her. "Which means you're not really supposed to buy it."  
  
Before Hudson could reply, Chloe turned around and waved her hand in front of them, flashing her new school ring, the red jewel glimmering in the light. "Nothing says school spirit like a ring that looks like it was jacked from P. Diddy."  
  
Smiling, Hudson told her, "I think it looks great, Chloe."  
  
Her friend frowned as Lana stepped past her in line to purchase her ring. "I think we'll be lucky if the glue holds through graduation," Chloe commented, her brow furrowing deeper as she stared at it. "I wonder if the ruby's even real?"  
  
Hudson watched in amusement as a familiar glint appeared in Chloe's eye and then she darted away without another word, heading straight toward the Torch office. Hudson couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the ring company - after all, if it turned out they didn't use real jewels, Chloe would make certain everybody knew about it.  
  
Stepping up to the table at her turn, Hudson handed over the three hundred and fifty dollars, regretting it only a moment until the tiny velvet ring box was handed back to her. Moving back to where Lana stood waiting, she opened it up to admire it, smiling at the object. Other than the necklace Lex gave her, it was the only real piece of jewelry she owned. Moreover, she worked for it and paid for it all by herself. That alone made it worth having.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Lana leaned in beside her, glancing at the ring in the box before lifting up her hand to show her own off.  
  
"It's very cool." Lifting it out of its cradle, Hudson carefully slid it onto her ring finger and a strange thrill ran through her. Something changed. A sense of freedom, of power flooded through her immediately. Heart rate accelerating just a bit, she smiled. God, nothing had made her feel like that since. Lex.  
  
"H.C.? Are you feeling all right?" Lana was gazing up at her, concern showing on her beautiful features.  
  
Hudson blinked. She'd never felt better in her life. It was like all of the cares of her life were suddenly gone, over with. She felt like laughing. Instead, she smiled down at Lana, who was really quite cute when she was worried, scrunching up her nose the way she did.  
  
"Yeah. I feel great."  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
The voice of the vice principal, Mr. Gibbons, drew the attention of Hudson and Lana to where they saw Pete standing next to a tall blonde student. Hudson had never seen her around before - she definitely would have remembered anyone who dressed like that. Black leggings, sheer black midriff top that exposed her red bra beneath it. And she had the figure and confidence to match. It was a far cry from Lana's preference for pink and Chloe's preference for the Salvation Army stores. Hudson realized she wanted to look like that.  
  
"It's Jessie, isn't it?... " the vice principal began. "Perhaps Mr. Ross didn't tell you, but there's a dress code here at Smallville High."  
  
"Lame and lamer?" the girl named Jessie replied.  
  
Hudson laughed, causing both Pete and Lana to cast her quick, sharp looks.  
  
The vice principal looked in her direction as well, gaze narrowing. "You think that's funny, Miss Kent?"  
  
Drawing in her laughter just a bit, Hudson watched in continued amusement as Jessie turned back to Mr. Gibbons and told him, "By the way, I'm not changing."  
  
Wow. She had spunk. Hudson had yet to actually see any of the students at Smallville High stand up to authority like that. It kind of reminded her of something Lex would do, which just made her smile more. Mmmmm. Lex. She could think of something of his she wouldn't mind making stand up at the moment. Damn. He was in Metropolis.  
  
"Well, perhaps you would like to discuss your attitude in my office," Mr. Gibbons replied.  
  
Jessie rolled her eyes, casting a quick glance at Hudson, who was still smiling, before she turned to follow the vice principal down the hall.  
  
Frowning a bit, Hudson started after them. "Excuse me, Mr. Gibbons. " She passed by Pete, who was watching her as if she'd sprouted horns. She smiled, felt like laughing again for some reason, and turned her attention to the vice principal and Jessie. "I think she looks really hot."  
  
Jessie flashed her a smile and she found herself returning it. "And I think that your dress code. sucks." She giggled and Jessie joined her.  
  
"Excuse me?" Mr. Gibbons demanded.  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes. "Come on, it's her first day. Cut her some slack." She glanced at the vice principal and grinned again. "Besides, I don't think you should be the one giving fashion tips."  
  
Seriously, the man was wearing a brown-striped tie and a suit that looked as if it walked out of the seventies.  
  
Shrugging, as the people around her grew quiet, Hudson cast her gaze back to Jessie who was still smiling, though softer this time, her eyes assessing Hudson with a similar expression.  
  
They ignored Mr. Gibbons as he finally turned to Jessie and told her, "Tomorrow, young lady, proper attire - or you're going straight home!" He stalked off.  
  
Pete moved back up between them, glancing at Hudson once before smiling at Jessie. "Well, young lady," he mimicked the vice principal. "I guess we can finish our tour."  
  
Jessie nodded a little, though she still stared at Hudson, even as Pete started down the hall. Hudson was about to introduce herself but Jessie flashed her a wider smile, almost teasing in its appearance, then turned and followed Pete.  
  
"Uh. H.C.? Where did that come from?" Lana was beside her once more, staring up at Hudson, and then looking down the hall toward Jessie, who occasionally glanced over her shoulder back at them.  
  
Hudson frowned at the question, only just realizing that she never before had spoken up to authority figures. Nor had she ever been quick in introducing herself to new students. Another smile appeared as she watched Jessie disappear down the hall - she really wanted an outfit like that. Then maybe Pete and the other guys in school would look at her the way they were looking at Jessie.  
  
"I don't know, Lana." She turned back to her friend. "But, I think I like it."  
  
***  
  
School had been. a little more boring than usual that day. Hudson found it difficult to stay awake during classes, and quickly learned that amusement came in the form of making paper airplanes and tossing pencils into the tiles of the ceiling above her. Of course, there was a special knack for being able to do that without sending the entire pencil through the ceiling as she had done three times before she learned to throw it gently enough. It made her laugh though, even if it did disrupt Mr. Craney's history lesson.  
  
Moving down the hall, Hudson flashed a smile when she noticed Lana approaching from the opposite direction. They met near the door and headed outside together as Hudson reached into her pocket to pull out a piece of paper. Unfolding the flier, she waved it to her friend.  
  
"This is the place I was talking about," Hudson told her, referring to a conversation they'd had during lunch in the cafeteria. "It's right over the county line and they don't check ID's." Although Hudson was certain that if she really wanted an ID, she could probably convince Lex to get one for her.  
  
Lana made a face before glancing up at Hudson. "You know, this is a bar, right?" She handed the flier back to her.  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes. "I know! Isn't Whitney always telling you that if you want to have fun, you've got to take some risks?" She glanced back at the flier with a smile. "We can go this weekend."  
  
Laughing a little nervously, Lana commented, "The day Hudson Clark Kent decides to break the rules, I'll be there."  
  
Wondering if Lana knew she planned on keeping her to her word, Hudson nodded. "Alright then. It's a date."  
  
"Hey! Wait up!"  
  
Turning slightly at the call, Hudson and Lana watched as Jessie moved toward them, hips swinging from side to side as she walked. There was something about her that reminded Hudson of Desiree Atkins - maybe it was the walk or the confidence or just the sensuality that seemed to flow off of her in waves. She wasn't certain, but she liked it either way. And she wanted to emulate it - Hudson wanted to make people see her that way, want her that way.  
  
"Hudson, right? Jessie Brooks," she introduced herself to Hudson, ignoring Lana. Her eyes drifted down to the flier in Hudson's hand and she smiled. "That place rocks... I checked it out on my way into town. Are you planning a road trip?"  
  
Hudson returned the smile, pleased to know that Jessie approved of the place. She had a feeling that meant it really was a lot of fun. "Well if we do, I'll let you know."  
  
Jessie watched her silently for a moment, grinning, before she reached over and grabbed a pen that was sticking up out of Lana's purse. Lana made an annoyed sound at the action but Hudson was too focused on the other girl, because Jessie took her hand, to notice. She flipped it over, palm side up, and began writing her phone number across Hudson's skin. It kind of tickled.  
  
"You'll need to know how to get in touch with me," Jessie commented before lifting her gaze up to meet Hudson's eyes.  
  
They smiled at one another once more as Jessie tossed the pen back to Lana, then turned and walked away. Hudson glanced down at her hand, instantly memorizing the number before lifting her gaze to watch Jessie.  
  
"What was that all about?" Lana asked, frowning up at Hudson.  
  
Hudson shrugged. "She's just being. friendly."  
  
"Friendly?" Lana repeated in disbelief. "She was hitting on you, H.C."  
  
Raising an eyebrow in amusement, Hudson looked down at Lana and couldn't resist replying, "Jealous?"  
  
She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted when Chloe appeared, commenting, "H.C., you and Jessie seem to be making fast friends."  
  
Was Chloe jealous, too? Oh, this was far too entertaining. She wondered if she could make Lex equally jealous with another girl. Then again, he was the one who liked to tease her about the time she and Lana kissed. So, more than likely, he would simply want to join in. Hudson glanced back down the sidewalk, searching for Jessie. A threesome certainly sounded interesting.  
  
"I'm just trying to make the new girl feel welcome," she finally replied, looking back at her friends.  
  
Lana made a face, casting a quick look at Chloe once before asking them both, "So...are we still on for that cram session tonight at the Talon?"  
  
Hudson slipped her arms over her friends' shoulders and started down the sidewalk, leading them with her. "If my two favorite girls are gonna be there, why not?"  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Uh, H.C. Are you feeling okay?"  
  
Grinning, Hudson tossed her hair, glancing ahead. "Never better."  
  
She left her friends at the bus stop, telling them she was in the mood to walk, ignoring the strange expressions they flashed her over the idea of walking three miles home. Barely out of sight, Hudson took off full speed, laughing at the thrill of the wind around her and how everyone and everything seemed to stop. People and cars froze in place and she couldn't help but have a little fun with it. She switched the baseball caps of two old men as she flew by the barber shop and snatched a Snickers bar out of the grocery bag of some woman while she loaded her things into a car. She zigzagged through traffic downtown, took out a few mailboxes and finally arrived on the farm, coming to an abrupt halt in the barn to find her parents standing around her dad's motorcycle, wondering where she was.  
  
"Hey, where's H.C.? She's really late."  
  
"Looking for me?" Hudson called out with a big grin.  
  
Her parents looked over at her call and returned her smile.  
  
"Yeah," her dad nodded, moving away from the motorcycle that he never rode. "Weren't you supposed to be here with me, working on that garage door?"  
  
Hudson snorted and rolled her eyes. "Geez, Dad, that'll take like, two seconds."  
  
Flashing him another grin as he nodded, she lifted her hand and held it in front of her, gazing at her new ring happily. It sparkled from the few rays of sun sneaking in through the slats in the roof of the barn. Hudson loved the way it felt on her finger - heavy and warm, just like it belonged there. She never wanted to take it off. Her silent admiration was interrupted by the angry voice of her dad.  
  
"And I thought we agreed that you weren't gonna buy that ring."  
  
Making a face, Hudson glanced up at him, pursing her lips. "I thought we decided it was my decision to make." Turning away from her parents, she reached out for the hammer on the workbench, fiddling with it in boredom.  
  
"That's because I assumed you'd make the right one. H.C., that ring costs a lot of money... "  
  
Money. It was always about money. Lex never had to worry about that, Lana never had to worry about it, neither did Chloe or Pete. Spinning around, Hudson glared at her parents and snapped, "And I'm tired of worrying about every nickel and dime around here!"  
  
Her parents stared at her, expressions clearly displaying surprise at her outburst. Hudson couldn't help but feel pleased - it was nice to get her true feelings off her chest. Maybe she should do it more often. What was the point of bottling everything up inside anyway? She had the right to be angry with the way her life was going.  
  
"H.C., honey, why don't you go get washed up for dinner," her mom suggested quietly, flashing her a gentle smile.  
  
"I'm not hungry," Hudson replied, thinking another night of cornbread and pork chops might be more than she could handle. She wanted to eat like Lex did - fancy meals in his dining room or expensive dinners out on the town.  
  
Of course, Lex never had to mend fences and feed cows, either.  
  
She glanced over at her dad and added bitterly, "Besides, I have chores to do."  
  
Flashing them both a glare, she sped out of the barn.  
  
***  
  
Jonathan finished washing his hands in the sink in preparation for breakfast the next morning when the phone began ringing. Giving his wife a quick smile, he moved over and lifted the receiver off the hook.  
  
"Kent Farm."  
  
"May I speak with Jonathan Kent, please?"  
  
"Speaking."  
  
"Mr. Kent, this is Annie with Capital One," the cheerful voice on the other line informed him. "I'm calling you this morning because there were an unusual amount of charges to your credit card last night- "  
  
"You're kidding!" Jonathan blinked in disbelief at the news, glancing over at Martha as she lifted the pan of sausage off the stove and turned to watch him, brow knitted into a frown.  
  
"I take it by your response that these charges were not authorized by yourself or the other card holder, Martha Kent?"  
  
"No, they weren't." He frowned, knowing very well Martha wouldn't have been off spending money they didn't have without telling him first.  
  
"If you could please check into this and get back with me this afternoon so that we can cancel your card if it has been stolen. You can reach me at 1- 800-555-2434, extension 213."  
  
Jonathan grabbed a pen and wrote down the information as she relayed it to him. "Okay, Annie. Thank you." Jonathan hung up the phone, and turned to his wife, who was gazing at him thoughtfully.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"That was the credit card company. They were calling to verify some charges that were made on our card. Last night."  
  
They stared at one another in confusion for a moment, while Jonathan reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. His card was right where it belonged. Martha started for her purse when the whine of a guitar, followed by a loud, thumping base line broke out across the silence of the farm. Martha started, looking up at her husband in astonishment before they both hurried over to the kitchen window. Pushing the curtains aside, Jonathan searched for the source of the music, which was coming from the direction of the barn. His gaze stopped on the new small satellite dish, attached to the side of the barn, near the window of his daughter's loft.  
  
As if reading his mind, Martha asked beside him in bemusement, "When did we get a satellite dish?"  
  
Frowning, Jonathan shook his head and started for the kitchen door, his wife tossing the dishtowel to the sink and hurrying after him. They cut across the yard toward the barn, glancing up at the loft window occasionally as the music blared. Pushing the door open, Jonathan stormed inside only to come to an immediate halt as his gaze moved over the items that littered the interior - a jet ski draped in clothing, with the tags still attached, a shiny guitar, a brand new Western show saddle with matching bridle, all covered in silver and turquoise, unopened boxes of even more junk and stereo equipment wires hanging down from the loft. Martha gasped as she moved past him, her hands waving around her as she seemed at a loss for words. They continued forward toward the stairs as Martha grabbed a jacket off of the jet ski, while Jonathan frowned at the wires.  
  
"This is suede!" she exclaimed.  
  
Shaking his head, Jonathan continued upwards, Martha still close behind him, both stopping once more in shock to find the loft likewise littered with an assortment of items - a new stereo, a flat panel TV, stacks of clothing and boxes of shoes. Hudson was in the center of it all, dressed in a new pair of stone-washed jeans and wearing only a fancy black velvet bra. It was trimmed in gold satin and pushed her breasts upwards as she bounced around to the music, mussed, wild hair framing her face. She seemed not to notice her parent's presence as she sang at the top of her lungs:  
  
"Allow me some time to play with your mind  
  
And you'll get there again and again  
  
Close your eyes and imagine my body undressed  
  
Take your time, we've got all night  
  
You on the rise as you're touchin' my thighs  
  
And let me know what you like  
  
If you like, I'll go down  
  
Da down down down da down down  
  
I'll hold you in my hand and baby  
  
Your smooth and shiny feels good  
  
Against my lips sugar  
  
I want you so bad I can taste your  
  
love right now, baby. "  
  
Jonathan felt his face flame red as he realized what his 'little girl' was singing about. "H.C.!" he shouted above the din.  
  
"Hudson! Where did you get all this?" Martha chimed in beside him, waving her hand around the loft.  
  
Hudson glanced over at them both briefly before returning to her pseudo- dancing as she moved in front of the full-length mirror, admiring herself. "Discount Eddie's in Metropolis," she replied with a smile. "Open all night"!"  
  
"You mean to tell.... " Jonathan began to shout, then gave up trying to be heard over the music and searched through the stack of DVD's on the couch before locating a remote to the stereo that was hidden behind more boxes near the loft window. He struggled with the buttons, as he continued, "You mean to tell me, you took our credit cards... " The damn remote didn't seem to be working. "...credit cards, and you bought all this... "  
  
Sighing in impatience, Hudson snatched the remote from his hand and switched off the stereo with the flick of a button.  
  
Grateful for the silence, Jonathan finished, "You bought all this junk?"  
  
His daughter shrugged. "Yeah! I figured it was time I had all the same cool stuff everyone else has."  
  
Anger immediately swept over him and it was all Jonathan could do not to reach out for something to throw. Instead, he raised his voice, "Hudson Clark Kent, you stole from us!"  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes. "No. I used your credit cards." She moved away from them over to her desk where she searched through a box of makeup, and removed a tube of lipstick. Opening it, she turned back to the mirror and began applying the fire engine red color to her lips. "What's the big deal? We don't have to pay for it right away."  
  
Martha gasped at her reply, looking from her husband to Hudson with a stunned expression. Jonathan reached down and grabbed a supple leather motorcycle jacket lying over the couch, tossing it at Hudson angrily.  
  
"Well, I'll tell you the big deal," he snapped. "The big deal is you're gonna take all this garbage back right now! Come on!"  
  
Snorting as she caught the jacket, Hudson sneered, "Yeah, right," before blowing a kiss to her reflection.  
  
"'Yeah, right!'" Her father mimicked, his tone angrier than he ever remembered using with her. He stabbed a finger towards Hudson, continuing, "And then, after you've taken all this garbage back, you and I are going to have a nice long conversation about this new attitude you've developed!"  
  
Shrugging into the jacket, Hudson lifted up her hair, letting it fall back over her shoulders before replying dismissively, "Well, Dad, you can talk all you want. I'm out of here."  
  
Flashing both parents a smirk, she superspeeded out the loft window. Jonathan glanced at Martha before they both raced to the opening, staring down at the ground where Hudson swung her leg over her father's motorcycle, gunning the engine to life  
  
"Hudson!" Jonathan yelled down to her. "Hudson, come back here!"  
  
Ignoring his calls, Hudson removed a pair of sunglasses from her jacket pocket and slipped them on before revving the engine once more and pulling out down the driveway at a breakneck speed, a pile of dust swirling in her wake.  
  
"Oh... " Martha began and couldn't seem to finish. She looked up at her husband in dismay before dropping her head against his shoulder.  
  
Slipping his arm around her, Jonathan stared after Hudson until he could no longer see her before squeezing his wife gently. "What did you say last night about teenage rebellion, Martha?"  
  
She looked up at him and shook her head. "I. This should be a gradual thing. Not all at once. I can't believe she. " She trailed off and gazed around his shoulder at the items scattered around the barn.  
  
Nodding once, Jonathan stepped away from her and walked toward the stairs. "Call Discount Eddie's and see about returning all of this stuff..."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To bring our daughter back here."  
  
Jonathan quickened his pace as he exited the barn and moved toward his truck. Climbing inside, he started the engine and headed for Smallville High.  
  
During the trip there, Jonathan went over every theory in his mind for what was causing his usually perfectly behaved daughter to act out like she was. This was the kind of behavior he'd worried they might see from her when she began dating Lex - exposed to his world, Jonathon feared Hudson would decide her own life wasn't good enough. But, that hadn't been the case. If anything, Lex almost seemed like a good influence on her, though Jonathan would be the last to admit such a thing out loud to anyone. The only explanation he could conjure by the time he pulled into the high school parking lot was that Hudson was reacting to the pain she'd been through in the past few months. Lex's surprise marriage and Lana discovering the truth about her, could have simply been too much.  
  
Seeing his daughter moving away from his motorcycle and following Lana toward the school, Jonathan pulled up alongside her and called out through the passenger window, "Hudson, I'd like a word with you please."  
  
She glanced in his direction, rolled her eyes, and continued across the parking lot. "Not right now, Dad."  
  
Putting the truck in park, Jonathan threw the door open and stepped out as Hudson passed by. "Get in the truck, Hudson Clark."  
  
Ignoring him, Hudson continued on her way, flashing a smile at a boy who walked by. "Give me one reason why I should," she called out over her shoulder.  
  
Angrily, and not thinking, Jonathan reached out and grabbed his daughter by the arm, spinning her around to face him. "Because, I am your father and I just told you to get in the truck!"  
  
"You're not my father," Hudson replied, gaze narrowing.  
  
The words hit him hard. Jonathan had always feared telling Hudson the truth of her origins because she might feel even more detached from them, to the point where simply being the people who adopted her and took her in wouldn't be enough. The fear immediately returned with her words and he found himself stepping back, stunned by the pain they caused.  
  
She smiled, almost pleased. "You never were."  
  
With that, Hudson reached out and pushed Jonathan in the chest. He gasped at the impact, feeling as if a wheelbarrow full of bricks had just slammed into his chest as he flew backwards, into the open door of the truck. It shut behind him and he heard the metal dent with his impact, the air quickly escaping him as he slumped to the ground in pain.  
  
Lana ran to his side, kneeling down beside him, her hand reaching up to touch his shoulder gently. "Are you all right, Mr. Kent?" She asked quietly.  
  
Jonathan didn't reply. He just stared after his daughter as she turned and walked away.  
  
After Lana helped him into the truck, asking over and over again if she shouldn't get an ambulance for him instead, Jonathan returned to the farm where Martha was pacing anxiously on the porch, phone in hand. As he hobbled out of the cab, she hurried toward him, almost bursting into tears when he explained what happened. Once she got him situated on the porch, she helped him out of his shirt, gasping at the bruises already forming across his ribs and back. Jonathan remained stoically silent, unable to stop thinking about the hurtful words Hudson had so casually tossed at him.  
  
Standing, he moved over to the railing as he heard the door swing open behind him and his wife emerged with a bag of frozen peas to use as an ice pack. Gently, she set it against the worst of the bruising.  
  
"Here you go," she said softly, wincing as he grunted in pain. After a moment of silence, she added, "I can't believe Hudson would do that."  
  
Jonathan shook his head and sighed. "It's like she's a whole different person."  
  
"How are we going to get her home?"  
  
"I don't know." He frowned as the enormity of their problem hit him full force. "The fact is, if she doesn't want to come home, there isn't much either one of us could do about it."  
  
Irritated by the inaction of the moment, Jonathan reached over to grab his shirt and pull it back on, ignoring the pain that the movement caused him. He took the frozen bag from his wife and held it against his side with a sigh. "Takes your whole teenage rebellion theory to a new level doesn't it?"  
  
Martha leaned against the porch railing beside him and shook her head, eyes tired with worry. "This is more than teenage rebellion. A change this drastic doesn't happen overnight."  
  
"Martha, it's Hudson," Jonathan reminded her. "All of her other abilities cropped up overnight."  
  
"Do you think this is part of her development?"  
  
He shrugged, then realized exactly how painful that motion was. "I don't know. From what she said... " He hated thinking about what she said, about how dependent he was on knowing that their daughter loved them as much as they did her. "I guess those feelings have been boiling up inside her for a while."  
  
"No, Jonathan." Martha reached out and touched his shoulder gently. "Hudson loves you. But there's something seriously wrong with her."  
  
"I don't think another father and daughter talk is gonna help this time," he replied, unable to keep the sorrow from his tone.  
  
Martha grew thoughtful for a moment before suggesting, "Maybe Lana can help."  
  
Jonathan shook his head. He didn't see how anyone could help right now.  
  
"They're always together," his wife continued encouragingly. She pressed, "We should talk to her, find out if she has any idea what's causing Hudson's behavior."  
  
It couldn't hurt, he supposed. "Well, we've got to do something." Giving his wife a quick look, Jonathan let out a low breath and turned to disappear into the house.  
  
***  
  
As Lana moved down the halls of Smallville High, she wondered if life was just going to continue to get weirder. First she finds out her best friend is an alien from another world -- no matter how human she might look. And now that same gentle, kind, slightly bashful friend was running around town on a motorcycle, openly flirting with other girls, wearing leather and shoving her dad around. What the hell was going on?  
  
The Kents had called her, apparently at their wit's end of what to do with Hudson. Mr. Kent explained to her that they didn't think this was a normal part of her development, that something had to be causing it, and asked if there was anything Lana could think of that would pinpoint the moment Hudson went all raging bitch whore on them. Of course, he hadn't used that exact term but they were the only words Lana could equate with her friend's current behavior. During lunch that day, Hudson had spent the entire time detailing every little sexual escapade she'd ever had with Lex - and then went on to tell them every little thing she was still looking forward to doing with him! Lana doubted she would ever be able to look at her business partner again without turning bright red. Jessie only seemed to encourage Hudson in her behavior, telling her it sounded like Lex just needed to be showed what he was missing out on, and then take it. God, she really didn't like Jessie.  
  
And it wasn't just because she was jealous, either.  
  
Turning the corner, Lana entered the office of the Torch where Chloe was standing behind her desk, examining a large rock. While Lana had no idea where to begin searching for clues regarding Hudson's off-the-wall behavior, she figured the best place to start was with the one person who always noticed the strange and absurd. If Chloe didn't know how to help, she really didn't know where to turn.  
  
Glancing up to see Lana, Chloe's expression lit up and she exclaimed, "Lana! You are not going to believe what I found out! Our El Cheapo class rings are, in fact, fake."  
  
That really wasn't as important as their friend at the moment. No matter how much she might have spent on the damn thing. "Chloe, there's something wrong with Hudson."  
  
Chloe comes out from behind her desk. "More than usual?"  
  
"Her behavior with Jessie, the motorcycle, pushing her dad... " Lana thought about the credit cards her parents told her about, and her descriptions of Lex and her at lunch. "Other stuff. "  
  
"What kind of other stuff?"  
  
"The kind of that has Mr. and Mrs. Kent calling me," Lana replied as Chloe handed the rock over to her to look at. She took it and continued, "They're really worried. It's like, they think she's on drugs or something."  
  
Chloe smirked. "H.C. would have to be on drugs to be on drugs," she replied, eyeing Lana as she tapped the rock against her opposite hand distractedly. "Uh, just be careful with that." She reached out and snatched the rock back from her friend.  
  
Having completely forgotten about the object, Lana glanced at it once more, frowning a little. "What is it anyway?"  
  
"My exposé," she replied as she walked back behind her desk and held out the hand on which she was wearing her class ring. "See this lovely $350 piece of school spirit?"  
  
Lana looked down at the ring and nodded.  
  
"It's a rip-off," Chloe told her bluntly. "The Jewelry Company was substituting worthless meteor rocks for rubies to save money."  
  
Lana shook her head. That was impossible. "Uh, Chloe, the ring's red," she pointed out. "Meteor rocks are green."  
  
"Not the load they found near Hobbes Pond." She held the rock back out to Lana, smiling smugly as if she held the key to the universe. Her finger tapped against the glitter of red near the usual green. "Note the red vein."  
  
Taking the rock from her hand, Lana studied it carefully, a frown appearing between her brow.  
  
"You can read all about it on page one of today's Torch."  
  
Lana continued to study the rock, barely hearing Chloe's comment. She'd seen the effect of the meteor rocks on Hudson and how sick and weak they made her. But, Hudson never mentioned anything about red meteor rocks. If no one knew about them, then maybe that included the Kents as well. Her frown deepened as she glanced down at her own ring, and she remembered the morning they purchased the rings - how Hudson seemed so flush suddenly and Lana asked her if everything was all right. Immediately afterwards, her friend approached the vice principal, telling him what she thought of his dress code. An act completely out of character for the usually shy and retiring Hudson Kent. If Chloe was right, and the red veins were actually meteor rock, what if.  
  
She needed to get this information to Hudson's parents right away!  
  
Turning, rock still in hand, Lana broke into a run out of the office, ignoring Chloe's shout behind her.  
  
Not bothering to call her aunt and let her know she was going to be running a little late that evening, Lana headed straight for the Kent farm, meteor rock tucked firmly in her purse. She'd overheard Hudson tell Jessie that she was going to stop by to visit Lex that afternoon, so she knew it would be safe to explain her theory to Mr. and Mrs. Kent. Lana only hoped Lex could hold his own against the very newly formidable Hudson Kent.  
  
Pulling up beside the white picket fence, Lana turned off the truck's engine, swung the strap of her purse over her shoulder and climbed out of the truck. She glanced toward the barn for a moment, wondering if she shouldn't check there first, before changing her mind and heading straight for the back door that led to the kitchen. Knocking on the screen door, she peered inside to see Hudson's parents standing in the kitchen, silence heavy between them.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Kent?"  
  
Martha looked her direction. "Lana. Come in!"  
  
Pushing the door open, she hurried inside, sliding her purse off her shoulder and setting it on the island beside where they stood. Reaching in, she pulled out the meteor rock and handed it over to Mr. Kent. "I think Chloe stumbled on the reason for H.C.'s recent behavior."  
  
Jonathan frowned as he looked over the rock. "This is a meteor rock, Lana. It makes her sick, not crazy."  
  
Shaking her head, Lana reached out for the rock and turned it in his hand until the red veins were facing upwards. She pointed to them. "See those? Red meteor rock."  
  
Martha leaned over to examine the rock while Jonathan continued to frown. "Lana, even if there is such thing as red meteor rock," he commented. "I don't see what this has to do - "  
  
"The class rings we just purchased," she interrupted, pulling off her own ring and holding it out to him. "Chloe's going to force a recall because all the rings are made from this stuff."  
  
Jonathan took Lana's class ring from her hand and looked over it quietly, while Martha did the same with the rock. "You think that's what's causing Hudson's behavior?"  
  
Lana shrugged. "Well that's when it all started, right after she slipped on the ring."  
  
Jonathan and Martha glanced at one another and then at the ring and the rock again.  
  
"If the green meteor rocks affect Hudson physically," Martha began, looking once more at her husband. "Maybe the red affects her... emotionally."  
  
"It would sure explain her personality changes," Jonathan agreed, handing the rock back to Lana.  
  
Martha frowned, worrying her lower lip, the exact same action usually made by her daughter when thoughtful. "The longer she's exposed to the green meteors, the worse she gets. If the same is true with the red rocks, then God help us all."  
  
"We've got to find her," Hudson's dad stated in a determined tone. "And we've got to get that ring back."  
  
"I'll be seeing her tonight," Lana offered, pursing her lips as Jonathan and Martha turned their attention to her. She nodded. "Hudson wants to go to out, so she's taking me and Jessie with her. Maybe I can convince her to come back here with me?"  
  
"Just be careful," Jonathan warned. "There's no telling what she might do in this state. She could hurt you, Lana."  
  
Lana glanced over at Martha who made a sound of frustration at her husband's comment. "How are we going to stop her, Jonathan? Like you said, if she doesn't want to do something, we're not strong enough to force her."  
  
"Sweetheart, I don't know, but we have to figure out a way."  
  
Martha sighed, and both of Hudson's parents looked over at Lana as if she had the answers to everything. Sadly, she couldn't think of a damn thing to do. Right now her best friend needed her, and she felt more helpless than ever.  
  
***  
  
Lex frowned as he looked around the study - his study - that no longer looked or felt like his study. His father couldn't be happy with just adding his equipment. No. He had to rearrange the entire room, turn the pool table into a work station, move the desk in front of the fireplace - a stupid position if anyone asked Lex, which he knew they wouldn't - he'd even had the rugs rolled up and moved. Lionel was resting at the moment, so Lex took the opportunity to disappear into the room that was once his sanctuary and look around. Not that he really expected to find anything interesting; his father was careful when it came to hiding confidential documents. That, when it came to his own flesh and blood, meant anything from lunch receipts to doodles on post-it notes.  
  
Hearing the doors open behind him, Lex tensed a little, waiting for his father to demand what he was doing when Hudson's voice rang out across the room:  
  
"Well, I came over to shoot some pool but it looks like this establishment's been closed."  
  
Lex smiled. Just hearing her voice did that to him. "My father's presence has required. certain sacrifices."  
  
"Why don't you throw him out?"  
  
"Angel, it's not like the thought hasn't occurred to me," Lex replied, turning around to face her. "But. "  
  
He trailed off, staring in shock at the pair of bare legs that greeted him. For a long moment, they were all he noticed - impossibly long legs looking impossibly longer due to the red stilettos on her feet. Slowly, Lex lifted his gaze, discovering that her legs just continued to go upward where they ended at a too-short white denim mini skirt. An expanse of flawless back was bared to him, followed, starting at the midriff, by a sheer white blouse. Hudson turned around to face him, and Lex knew he was catching flies when he realized she wasn't wearing anything under the shirt. A pair of dark nipples teased him from beneath the ghostly fabric. He swallowed, searched his mind for whatever it was he'd been talking about as she moved across the room toward him.  
  
"His. his blindness changes the. situation," he stammered, body tensing as she drew up beside him.  
  
Hudson seemed oblivious to his reaction. She flipped through some of the paperwork on the top of the pool table. "Just because your father has a problem doesn't mean he needs to ruin your life."  
  
Lex's mouth was dry. He stared at the hipbone exposed above the waist of the skirt - a skirt that couldn't have been more than seven inches total in length. Okay, so maybe it couldn't be classified as a skirt. More like the piece of material that was wrapped around her hips to keep her from being entirely indecent. Lex's brow furrowed as he stared. She couldn't possibly be wearing underwear under that, could she? Slowly, his gaze moved back upwards, lingering over her breasts before meeting her eyes. They were darkened in black liner, her lips ruby red, hair full and wild. He'd never seen anything so fucking gorgeous in all his life. She was the thing wet dreams were made of. She was. Hudson?  
  
Mouth twitching just a bit, Lex asked, "Hudson, what's going on?"  
  
A corner of her mouth turned up in a smile and she leaned back against the table, thrusting her hips out. "Why? Like what you see?" She reached out to run her finger along the line of the buttons on his shirt.  
  
Watching her finger for a moment, warmth sweeping through him at her touch, Lex finally replied, "Uh. it's just different. for you, I mean."  
  
"It's the new me," she responded, her voice an octave lower, softer. She leaned closer, hand smoothing over the material of his shirt at his stomach. "I'm sick of the old Hudson Kent. She's boring. I thought it was time for a change. Time to be more like," she raised her gaze up to his, "like those women you seem to enjoy being with so much."  
  
Lex frowned. Oh, that was what this was about. Desiree. Apparently they weren't completely past his mistakes. Sighing, he began, "Hudson, look - "  
  
"I'd like to borrow your new Ferrari," she cut him off, switching subjects, licking her lips as she watched him. "Lana and I are going to go out. I'd like to do it in style."  
  
"Neither you or Lana have ever struck me as the type to care what people might think about their style."  
  
"Fast cars, fancy clothes and lots of money always seem to get the women you've been with exactly what they wanted."  
  
"Hudson, that isn't - "  
  
"Victoria, Carrie Castle, Desiree. "  
  
"No one ever said I was with Carrie Castle," Lex defended.  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes and laughed softly. "Oh, please, Lex. I'm not that naïve." She smiled suddenly and moved back to him. "Come on, Lex." Her voice was a caress. "I just want to make tonight special."  
  
Lex didn't like the idea of her going out - not without him, and especially not dressed the way that she was. The Ferrari would be a target for every male in Kansas, and once they saw what it contained. Well, every cent he had wouldn't be enough to keep them at bay. Hudson belonged to him, and apparently she didn't understand that yet. They were too close to making things work again for him to allow her to throw it away on some stupid teenage whim. Of course, he couldn't tell her that. Jealousy was an emotion too easily used as ammunition.  
  
Brow furrowed, Lex told her, "I don't know. It's a very expensive piece of machinery. Difficult to handle."  
  
Hudson smirked at his reply. "It's not like I'm going to. drive it off a bridge."  
  
That was rude. Lex glared.  
  
Apparently sensing his displeasure, Hudson softened her smile and stepped closer, hand reaching out to touch him once more. "All you have to do is ask yourself, who's more responsible than Hudson Kent?"  
  
Swallowing, Lex stared at Hudson, at how bright her eyes appeared lined in black, the full lips that she swept the pink tip of her tongue over once more. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn Hudson had an evil twin. Okay, maybe not evil so much as naughty. Then again, with the way her gaze seemed to be devouring him, evil could be a good word, too.  
  
The thought caused Lex to frown. His gaze swept over her outfit again, hovering on her barely-seen dark nipples through the sheer fabric. "You're not going anywhere dressed like that," he told her. "I can't believe your parents let you out of the house in that outfit."  
  
"Like they can tell me what I can and can't wear." She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well, I'm telling you." He pointed at her. "At least. put on a bra or something."  
  
A slow smile spread across her face. "Since when did you become so stodgy?" She glanced up at him through her lashes. "Besides, why should I wear a bra when I'm not even wearing any panties."  
  
Okay, that wasn't the response he'd been expecting. Lex's gaze drop to her skirt, as if he might be able to possibly see through the denim while next to him, Hudson giggled.  
  
"Now you. you look good enough to eat." Hudson moved in to breathe against his neck, her fingers moving teasingly against the front of his slacks. "Is that what you want, Lex? To be my dinner?"  
  
Well, yeah. That wasn't exactly an invitation he would turn down. He could think of worse things to be than Hudson Kent's dinner, and everything it implied. Lex sucked in a sharp breath as he felt her nails drag gently along the zipper of his slacks, against his growing erection. Fuck. It had been far too long since he'd felt her hands on him.  
  
"You've never let me taste you, you know," she whispered, teeth nipping lightly at his earlobe. "I bet you taste good."  
  
Lex suddenly couldn't remember what they were talking about. Her tongue was in his ear and her hand was pressing against his slacks and god, she smelled good. His eyes closed as he listened to the sound of metal against metal as her fingers guided the zipper downwards. Her hand slipped through the opening of his boxers and then long fingers wrapped around his cock. There was something very wrong here but it was difficult to concentrate on that fact when everything he'd dreamt about since Desiree left his life turned upside down was now being offered to him.  
  
Still, Lex tried. "Hudson," he gasped as the pad of a finger slid over the head of his cock. "What's. going on?"  
  
"Shhhh." She nipped at the shell of his ear, a little hard, causing him to flinch. "Stop thinking so much. You always do that, think too much. Try to have a little fun."  
  
Then Lex watched in astonishment, and undeniable excitement, as Hudson slid to her knees before him, working at the button on his pants and tugging his boxers down. He swallowed, shifting slightly as she knelt there, hand slowly stroking the shaft, eyes focused fully on his cock as she licked her lips. Fuck. He was going to come just watching her. Then she leaned forward and licked at the head, gathering a drop of precum on the tip of her tongue. Her head fell back a little, eyes closed, and she smiled as she tasted it.  
  
"Mmmm. Premium Luthor, vintage 2002."  
  
Lex was beyond the ability to speak.  
  
Hudson's eyes opened and she watched him for a moment before moving forward and swirling her tongue around the head of his cock once more. And then her lips were closing around it, just barely covering the tip, and she went at him like she was dining on her favorite ice cream. Lex reached blindly behind him, grabbing the edge of the pool table to hold himself up as he wondered where in the hell had she learned to do that? Hudson told him once that she'd been doing research on the web so that she wasn't a complete idiot when it came to sex. But what exactly was the internet teaching kids these days??  
  
Not that he was complaining. This was the stuff that his dreams were made of, right? He was standing here, in the midst of his father's new 'office', in the middle of the day with his Angel kneeling at his feet, his cock in her mouth, dark hair brushing against his slacks as she bobbed over him. And he was supposed to be feeling guilty about this, supposed to be fighting it a little harder - hell, fighting it, period - but he couldn't find the desire to do so. For weeks he'd been waiting for her forgiveness, waiting for her to put his mistake behind them and come back and now here she was, giving a lot more than just forgiveness. Sure, something was wrong, but Lex doubted it was anything beyond teenage rebellion and Hudson Kent's methods of teenage rebellion paled significantly when compared to his own. If she had a burning urge to give him a blow job, there was no point in arguing any longer. The summer they'd spent together effectively wiped out any of Hudson's innocence that Lex might have wished to keep intact.  
  
Just as soon as the exquisite torture began, it ended. Lex blinked, staring down at Hudson as she leaned back on her heels and looked up at him. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but then she was on her feet and he was falling backwards, splaying onto his back across the pool table and Hudson was on him, straddling his hips. Immediately the head of his cock was enveloped in wet warmth and he groaned a little at the sensation, fighting the urge to grab her hips and press upwards. She really wasn't wearing panties.  
  
Bringing his eyes to hers, Lex was a little surprised to see an expression on her face that he hadn't expected. Anger, resentment, determination. His gaze narrowed and the previous desire quickly began to cool. He grabbed her hips, but attempted to push her up, instead of pulling her down.  
  
"What're you doing, Lex?" Hudson asked, remaining in place.  
  
"That's what I was about to ask you, Hudson." He struggled to sit up but she flattened her hands against his shoulders and pressed him down into the felt.  
  
"I'm just taking what I deserve."  
  
Lex felt his eyes widen a bit at her reply. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Hudson barked an ugly laugh before leaning down, pinning Lex closer to the table. "What do you think it's like for me, Lex, to watch you with all of these women, knowing you're fucking them, and you won't fuck me. What kind of masochist do you think I am? How many times must I be forced to live with the knowledge that all of these women know what it's like to feel your cock inside of them and I'm denied?" She straightened and smiled. "Now, I guess I'll just have to take what I want, what you owe me."  
  
During her tirade, it was all Lex could do not to flinch with her use of the words 'fuck' and 'cock'. Apparently, Hudson decided to take teenage rebellion to a whole new level, and she seemed particularly focused on testing his limits. While he found her clothes sexy and the attitude new and a little thrilling, there was no way in hell he was going to allow her to believe she had an ounce of control over him, let alone that she could take advantage of it. No woman ever had control over him; and no woman ever would, not even Hudson.  
  
Grabbing her wrists, Lex pushed at her. "Get off of me, Hudson."  
  
Smile fading, her eyes narrowed as she continued to gaze at him. She squirmed a little over him, hiking her skirt up another inch as her wetness slicked the tip of his cock. Her smile quickly returned. "You want me, Lex. Don't deny it. It'll go quickly. I promise. Just be a good boy and let me do the work - "  
  
"I said get off of me! Now!"  
  
Hudson jumped a little at his words and her eyes flashed with anger. The fear that she would truly force him, actually rape him here on his own pool table, was enough to cool the desire that had been burning through Lex, and he was beyond thankful for the reprieve. Unfortunately, as his cock softened beneath Hudson's attempts, her expression only seemed to darken with more anger. When she shifted in an attempt to try a different approach, Lex took the opportunity to catch her off guard, throwing his hips upwards as he pushed her back. She slipped backwards off of the edge, catching herself before she fell, stumbling back as she continued to glare.  
  
Lex struggled to sit up, returning her narrowed gaze with his own. He reached down to redress himself, looking up at her once. "You and I are going to have a long talk, Hudson, right after you go home and change out of those ridiculous clothes and wash that whore's makeup off your face." If she wanted to behave like a child, then he was more than happy to treat her as one.  
  
Instead of showing an ounce of fear at his words, Hudson laughed and tossed her head. "Yeah. Whatever, Lex." Her eyes traveled over him for a moment before she added, "Since it looks as if I'm not going to get what I'm after here, I'll have to go find it elsewhere. Why don't you go jack off in the bathroom, Lex? Apparently, it's what you do best."  
  
Still fumbling with his belt, Lex slid to his feet just as Hudson hurried out of the room. "Fuck!" He started for his phone then thought better of it. Lex doubted that the Kents had any idea Hudson was behaving this way and he just wasn't ready to get her grounded just yet. The idea of reprimanding her himself was far more entertaining.  
  
Staring at the empty doorway, it slowly began to dawn on Lex that he'd just turned down the one thing he'd longed for since the day he first laid eyes on Hudson Kent. To be buried in her warmth, where he was certain he'd find safety and peace like he'd never felt before. The only problem was, the Hudson he imagined making love to wasn't the girl who just left the study - this one had been more like Desiree and that comparison was every shade of wrong. To make it worse, he'd still wanted her, he'd still been tempted. If his upbringing hadn't warred with his desire, Lex would have allowed Hudson to do whatever she damn well pleased. It didn't matter if she was behaving strangely or not. Sure, he would have hated himself afterwards, mentally and emotionally reprimanded himself into a drunken stupor of guilt, but that wouldn't have stopped him from enjoying it.  
  
Fortunately, Luthors never allowed anyone that kind of control over them.  
  
God, he needed a drink.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Glancing up at Dodd's voice, he found the man standing in the doorway of the study, brows knitted together in a frown. Hell. He sure as hell hoped Hudson hadn't decided to use her newfound attitude on Dodd. "What is it?"  
  
"Miss Kent just took off in the Ferrari."  
  
"Goddamn it," Lex snapped, running a hand over his scalp in aggravation. He hadn't given her permission. What the fuck?  
  
Dodd seemed amused by his exclamation. "Should I call the police?"  
  
It was tempting. Beyond tempting, really. But Lex shook his head. "No, just. " He paused, and considered her words to him before she left. He'd be damned if another man touched her. Ever. "Find her, Dodd. Follow her. Don't get too close unless you need to. Just. don't let another man touch her."  
  
"Understood," Dodd replied with a quick nod before turning and disappearing down the hall.  
  
Lex headed for the wet bar. He really needed a drink.  
  
***  
  
Head cradled in the crook of her bent arm, Hudson stared up at the night sky above while beside her, Jessie sang along softly to the music blaring through the speakers of the car stereo. It was a perfect night. It kind of reminded her of the night of Homecoming her freshman year, when Lex found her walking along the roadside and danced with her in the headlights. Only tonight had been a lot more fun and not quite as. wholesome. The more Hudson thought about it, the more she realized she lived the life of someone on a family holiday TV special - safe, sheltered, boring and poor. She hated it. She wanted more. She deserved more. Being what she was, she could damn well have anything she wanted.  
  
She'd learned that tonight, learned how easy it was to make people fear and respect her. She understood a little better why Lex and Lionel got such a rush off the stuff. There really wasn't much out there that felt better than having people back away from you, sensing their fear, their shock, their realization that you're so much better than they are. Even Jessie was treating her with a little more respect. At least some people seemed to understand.  
  
After leaving Lex's place, Hudson had been angry enough to do serious damage to the Ferrari. After all, it wouldn't have hurt her whatsoever. She just couldn't believe that someone who'd participated in the kind of activities he had back in Metropolis could be such a prude now. What guy turned down sex? She refused to believe it had anything to do with her - she was just as good as Desiree or Victoria or any of those other women. Hell, better even. The biggest issue was, Hudson didn't want anyone else. Oh sure, she'd had her share of pickings tonight but none of them had interested her. They were either too ugly, too dumb or too Smallville. She wanted Lex. And whether or not Lex knew it at the moment, she would have him. No matter what it took.  
  
Rolling onto her side, heels scraping over the hood of the car, Hudson propped her head onto her hand and stared at Jessie for a moment. The girl flashed her a tentative smile before returning to singing along to the music. It was 'I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman' by Britney Spears. Jessie had a nice voice.  
  
"I'm not a girl  
  
Not yet a woman  
  
All I need is time  
  
A moment that is mine  
  
While I'm in between"  
  
Hudson reached out and brushed her fingers through Jessie's hair. "Did you have fun tonight?"  
  
Jessie shrugged as she stopped singing. "Sure. You looked. well, it was cool to see you beat up those guys. I guess farm girls really are tough, huh?" She gave her a curious sideways glance.  
  
"Something like that." Hudson grinned.  
  
Well, if Jessie hadn't had any fun, she sure did.  
  
After picking up both Jessie and Lana in the Ferrari, the two girls squished together in the passenger seat, Hudson floored it across the county line to the Wild Coyote bar. It obviously wasn't what Lana had been expecting, considering she was dressed more for a trip to the ice cream shop and shopping in the boutiques. Jessie, on the other hand, was dressed as sexy as usual in knee-high boots and skirt, hair all done-up. She'd complimented Hudson's choice in clothing while Lana just stared in open- mouthed shock, eyes rarely moving from her breasts, barely visible beneath the sheer blouse.  
  
"H.C., are you. sure you should be wearing that?" Lana had asked her, voice higher in tone than usual.  
  
Hudson glanced over at her and smiled. "What's the matter, Lana? Afraid you'll get too turned on?"  
  
Lana's gaze shot quickly to hers and she paled a little before looking back out the windshield, her tiny body tensing beside Jessie. Hudson just laughed. It was strange but she found she truly enjoyed the way Lana looked at her. It almost made her feel the way Lex did when he admired her. She considered the ramifications of those thoughts only briefly before they headed into the bar.  
  
Unfortunately, the bar had been kind of a bust. Lana became snippy and uptight almost immediately, saying they didn't belong there and that they should leave. But the music was loud and the atmosphere was rowdy and there were men all over the place - men checking her out, their appreciative gazes lingering far too long, leering smiles crossing their faces as their eyes lingered over her body. She'd smiled back, and even caught the gaze of a few women before Jessie pulled her out onto the dance floor and they began moving to the music.  
  
Hudson hadn't exactly spent her years learning to dance. It was just one more strike against her parents that while other kids were out enjoying themselves, going to clubs and parties, she was stuck at home on the family farm. Luckily, Hudson picked up on things quickly, and by watching Jessie she discovered that dancing was all about making a statement, advertising yourself. All of her moves seemed to scream 'I know I'm sexy! Check me out!', and by the gazes from the crowd, it seemed to be working.  
  
Soon, Hudson was moving right along with her, hips gyrating slowly to the music. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the moment, in the freedom that she felt, the sheer pleasure that was rushing through her. She could feel the pulse of the crowd around her, smell the smoke and sweat and alcohol, hear the admiring whispers. She felt Jessie's hands settle on her waist, and then their bodies were pressed together and they were moving in sync with one another and she could feel her breath against her neck, warming her. Seconds later, Hudson felt another body behind her, bigger, taller, heavy hands moving over her hips, entwining over Jessie's and brushing against her bare stomach. Her muscles flexed instinctively at the touch and a thrill ran through her. She smelled the thick musk of male, cigarettes and domestic beer.  
  
Opening her eyes, Hudson turned her head slightly to look at the man behind her. He was older, probably in his late twenties, blonde and scruffy, weathered skin from too many hours in the Kansas sun. He reminded her of her dad, and that was enough to send an instant frown storming across her face.  
  
"You're the hottest chick I've ever seen in here," the man whispered into her ear, the smell of beer wafting over her.  
  
"That's right," Hudson replied with a smug smile. "Far too hot for you. Excuse me." She slipped out of his reach and moved a few feet away with Jessie.  
  
"They fall short of a sexy bald billionaire, don't they?" Jessie asked over the music, grinning at the disgruntled expression Hudson's recent castoff was giving them.  
  
Hudson snorted. "If Lex wants a piece of this, he's going to have to come crawling back to me." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and glanced around at the less-than-adequate men that were gathered in the bar. Okay, maybe he wouldn't have to crawl that much. "I thought Lex was different from everyone else around Smallville. Apparently, I was mistaken."  
  
"I doubt that," Jessie replied, turning her back to Hudson who pulled her close against her as they moved. "He's probably just trying to fit in. Remember, Hudson, you can take the boy out of the city but. "  
  
Grinning, Hudson buried her nose into Jessie's hair, breathing deeply for a long moment, preferring the scent of soft perfume over the smoke around them. She closed her eyes again, enjoying the feeling of her friend's body brushing up against hers until she felt a hand tug on her shirt sleeve. Pulling back, she discovered Lana glaring up at her, arms wrapped tightly around her waist as if to protect herself.  
  
"I want to go home!" she demanded, flashing Jessie a dirty look.  
  
Hudson smiled and stepped back from her dance partner. "Lana, chill. Get yourself a beer or something. Loosen up."  
  
"This is not my idea of a good time," Lana told her, moving closer as she pointed a finger around the bar. "We don't belong here. You don't belong here. Hudson, don't you see that? There's something wrong with you and you need help!"  
  
"Wrong with me?" Hudson laughed and shook her head, glancing over at Jessie who was smiling beside her. "I've never felt more right in my entire life." She moved closer to Lana and reached out to run her finger along her cheek. "Come on, Lana. Even you've loosened up before. Remember the Nicodemus flower? Before it made you sick, you were having quite a good time. If you want, you can even kiss me again. You seemed to enjoy it before. "  
  
Lana's eyes widened in panic and she abruptly pulled back from Hudson's touch. "I. we what? Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Sorry. I thought you might freak." Hudson pulled her back and leaned in, nudging her ear with her nose. "What'd you say, Lana? Wanna find out what gets Lex so hot and bothered?"  
  
Lana was silent and unmoving for the next few seconds, as if making up her mind. Then she suddenly pushed away, shaking her head. "You need to go home, H.C. You need to let me and your parents help you. Please?" She held out her hand. "Come home with me?"  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes and turned back to Jessie. "Get a drink, Lana."  
  
Her friend stood watching her silently as she returned to dancing before telling her, "I'm going home! And I'm going to call your parents and tell them where to come get you!"  
  
Lana turned to leave and Hudson reached out quickly to grab her. "Lana - "  
  
"Let me go!"  
  
"Something wrong, girls?"  
  
Hudson glanced to the side at the voice, to see the man who had been dancing with her earlier, and another man with dark hair and a John Deere cap, walking up to them. They eyed Lana for a moment and then turned their gazes to Hudson. The blonde folded his arms over his chest.  
  
"I know you seem to think you're something, gorgeous," the blonde told Hudson. "But, I don't think your friend agrees. Why don't you let her go? Let my buddy here take care of her. And maybe I can give you a lesson in manners."  
  
Lana quickly jumped between them. "Sir, I'm sorry, this is none of your business. Please don't - "  
  
"Nonsense, Lana." Hudson pushed her gently out of the way and stepped closer to the blonde. "If this 'gentleman'," she grinned at the term, "thinks he can teach me a lesson, maybe he should just give it a try."  
  
"Don't do this, H.C.," Lana pleaded.  
  
Hudson was no longer listening. She eyed the man in front of her, blood pumping through her veins excitedly. She felt constrained suddenly, too confined in her surroundings and life. Surely it would be all right to let loose a little. as long as she didn't kill anybody. Humans were fairly resilient, and healed quickly. The dark-haired man in the baseball cap started toward Lana but Hudson reached out and slapped her hand against his chest, stopping him. Both men faced her.  
  
"Thinking of taking us both on, gorgeous?" Her ex-dance partner asked with a leer.  
  
Glancing down at her stomach, Hudson smiled. "Y'all don't seem like much a challenge," she replied before reaching out and grabbing them both by the collars of their flannel shirts.  
  
With a flip of her wrists, she sent them sailing behind her, their bodies crashing into tables and knocking over chairs, sending the bar patrons scurrying. Hudson laughed as she spun around to look at them, while beside her Lana said something about her parents and then she disappeared through the crowd. Her actions only caused Hudson to laugh again - like her parents could seriously stop her. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at Jessie, whose eyes were wide with shock and awe. She met Hudson's gaze and returned the smile tentatively.  
  
"Okay, cunt, you're going down!"  
  
Hudson looked up at the words to find the bartender moving toward her, baseball bat brandished over his shoulder. Hudson chuckled a little at his actions and responded, "I don't think so. "  
  
Focusing on the bat, she felt the glorious waves of heat emanating from her eyes, sending the makeshift weapon up in flames. The crowd around them screamed as the bartender dropped the bat to his feet in surprise. Turning an angry gaze back to Hudson, he quickly pulled back his fist and slammed it toward her. Shaking her head in amusement, Hudson caught his hand in hers as it came toward her, holding it as she reached out with the other hand and took hold of him by the throat.  
  
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit a woman?" she asked curiously, frowning when she felt a large object slam into her back. The chair splintered into pieces around her and the patrons gasped. She glanced back at the man who had smashed it into her as he backed away in fear. Sighing, Hudson tossed the bartender out of her grasp, sending him sailing across the room and into the bar.  
  
Brushing the bits of wood from her shirt, Hudson turned slowly, catching the gazes of the other patrons in the crowd. "Anybody else?" she challenged defiantly, smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She could tear this entire place apart piece by piece, and no one could stop her.  
  
"Hudson!" Jessie was suddenly beside her, tugging on her hand, gaze anxious. "I can't be here when the cops arrive! We've gotta go!"  
  
Shrugging, Hudson allowed the girl to lead her out of the bar.  
  
An hour later, they ended up parked in a wheat field, just outside of Smallville. Hudson had no idea what happened to Lana. Maybe she really did call her parents. They wouldn't find her; not unless she made the choice to let them do so.  
  
Laying her head on her arm, Hudson continued to watch Jessie as the song she was singing ended.  
  
"I'm not a girl  
  
But if u look at me closely  
  
You will see in my eyes  
  
This girl will always find  
  
Her way"  
  
"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Hudson asked, fingers trailing over Jessie's jaw line.  
  
Jessie shrugged, shifting a little beneath her touch. "I don't know. It's quiet here."  
  
Hudson laughed. "No. I didn't mean this field and now. I meant leave Smallville. Leave Kansas even. Start new lives, live without restrictions." She sat up again and leaned over Jessie, their eyes meeting. "I'll take care of you, you know. I can give you the world. "  
  
Frowning, Jessie remained silent before asking softly, "How?"  
  
"That's for me to know. And you to find out." Hudson grinned. "Maybe."  
  
Scrambling to her feet, Hudson balanced herself on the hood of the Ferrari and spread her arms wide, head dropped back as she gazed up at the star- filled sky. "I want to see the world! And I want the world to see me!" She stomped a heeled foot into the hood rhythmically. "I'm sick of hiding out on some poor farm, spending my life mending fences and shoveling cow shit. I'm better than that! I'm better than all of this! Don't you see?" She looked down at Jessie, who watched her silently. "The world can, and will, be mine."  
  
***  
  
Finished gathering the few clothes that she thought weren't completely embarrassing - considering her parents had the nerve to return everything she purchased - Hudson grabbed the bag, stopping a moment to look at her reflection in the mirror. She smoothed her hand over the snug-fitting red silk suit jacket and matching skirt, admiring how adult and sexy she looked. The heels added another three inches to her height, so that she no longer just felt like she could take on the world, she looked like it, too. Blowing herself a kiss, she moved down the steps of the loft and headed out of the barn, squinting a bit against the bright light of the sun. Heading toward the Ferrari, she didn't slow her pace when she heard her mom call out behind her:  
  
"Where were you all night? We looked everywhere, Hudson!"  
  
Smiling, Hudson opened the trunk of the car and commented, "Last night was the best night of my life."  
  
"We want to help you," her mom pleaded, hurrying after her, brow furrowed with concern.  
  
Hudson snorted in disdain as she tossed the bags into the Ferrari's trunk. "Help me. Help me what? Stay here on the farm, doing chores, wasting my life for a $20 a week allowance? Hardly."  
  
"H.C., I wish you could hear yourself for just a minute." Jonathan moved up beside her, tone milder than it had been the day before. "There's something very wrong with you. It's that ring."  
  
Hudson looked up at his words, raising one of her delicate eyebrows. "You're still upset about me buying this stupid thing? How pathetic."  
  
"Hudson Clark. " Jonathan warned before reaching out to grab for the ring.  
  
Hudson quickly jerked her hand away and gave her dad a warning look. "You really don't want to touch me," she told him, voice soft and menacing.  
  
"Why don't you just hand it to me then?" he suggested.  
  
"Honey, please," her mom chimed in. "It isn't the ring itself. Chloe found out it's made out of red meteor rock," she explained.  
  
Jonathan nodded. "You know how the green rock makes you sick? Well, we think that this red rock is affecting your mind."  
  
Well, that was interesting. Hudson glanced down at her ring, the same one she previously thought was simply a trinket to remind her of her high school years. She would look back on it some day, remember her time in Smallville, and laugh her ass off. But apparently, it was much, much more than that. If she was to believe her parents, this ring made the entire world, and all of it's cares, seem to filter away. It showed her what was important, it made her feel so much stronger, braver, more worthy.  
  
"It's changed your personality, H.C."  
  
With her dad's words, Hudson raised her eyes to his. "Everything I've been doing and saying is because of this?" It hardly seemed likely. But then, she was an alien.  
  
"That's right. That's why you've got to take that thing off right away." He pointed to her hand.  
  
"Take it off?" Hudson scoffed, wondering if the man was insane or just plain stupid. "I just wish I would have found it sooner!"  
  
She slammed the trunk of the Ferrari and headed toward the driver's side of the car. "If you guys want to waste your life in this mud hole, that's your problem. I'm through being poor."  
  
Apparently, that was all she needed to say to piss her dad off again. He was already charging toward her, face reddening with anger. "Listen, we might not have all the things that other people have, but I didn't think our family was about that!"  
  
Shrugging, Hudson told him, "With my abilities, I can make millions. Sports, TV, movies - it's all waiting for me. You're the ones who have been forcing me to hide who I really am."  
  
Reaching the car door, she opened it, only to have her dad approach and slam it shut before she could climb inside. His action brought her gaze around to face him, frank and assessing. It was all she could do to keep from yawning as he reiterated the same words she heard from her parents over and over again.  
  
"No! We are the ones who have been trying to protect you. We don't want anybody coming here and taking you away!"  
  
"Protecting me?" She spat. "Using me is more like it! I'm just another piece of equipment to keep your little farm going."  
  
Her mom made a sound of negation as Hudson climbed into the car and started the engine. Slipping on her sunglasses, she glanced up at her dad and flashed him a smile.  
  
"Well now, that's all going to change. I'm going to go where I want and do what I want." Her smile grew and she winked at her dad. "Hell, I think it's time I even did who I want."  
  
With that parting comment, Hudson threw the car into gear and tore out of the driveway, glancing in the rearview mirror to see a cloud of dust surrounding her parents as she sped away.  
  
Turning up the music, Hudson settled back against the leather seat and contemplated which direction to head as she neared the main road. Jessie was expecting her, and from there they would drive to anywhere, just because they could, and no one was going to ever tell Hudson what to do and how to do it again. Of course, it was only fair if she informed Lex that she would be borrowing his car a little while longer. At least until she got a hold of something better. Besides, she could probably give him one more chance to see exactly what he's missing out on. If she ran a little late to picking Jessie up, she certainly planned on making it worth her while. Smiling at her decision, Hudson floored it to the castle.  
  
Pulling up outside the main door, she made her way inside without bothering to knock, moving through the halls as if she owned the place, though it was a little dank and dusty in her opinion. When she had the kind of money Lex did, her place would look a hell of a lot fancier, and she'd have more staff, too. People ready at a second's notice to answer her beck and call. And maybe, for the fun of it, she'd have a farm out back just so she could tell them to go mend fences and muck a few stalls.  
  
Throwing the doors to the study open, Hudson moved inside, glancing around with a frown at the state of disarray the room was in. Father or not, she would have kicked Lionel Luthor out long ago. Glancing ahead, she saw Lex sitting on one of the couches, laptop in front of him, staring up at her as if she'd grown a second head or something.  
  
"Hudson," he drawled, raising his brow. "I have to admit, I'm a little surprised to see you here."  
  
Hudson shrugged at his petulant tone. "If it's all right with you, I'm going to keep the Ferrari a little bit longer. I'll send it back when I get myself set up."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down." Lex frowned as he watched her. "Angel, what's going on?"  
  
Moving over to the leather sofa beside Lex, Hudson dropped into it, sighing in relaxation as she kicked her feet up on the opposite arm. She lifted one leg slightly, admiring it's shape for a moment before replying, "I left home."  
  
"What happened? Was it a fight with your folks?"  
  
Hudson rolled her eyes and glanced back at him. "My parents don't understand me. Truth is, there's nothing left for me here in Smallville."  
  
Lex grew silent, studying her for a second. Finally, he asked quietly, "What about me?"  
  
"What about you? You obviously have absolutely no interest in taking this so-called relationship any further. So I suppose it's time to move on." She sat up and pointed at him, adding sharply, "Look, you're the one always telling me I need to find my destiny. Well, one thing is for certain, it's not here in Kansas!"  
  
"So, you just packed your stuff and you're off," Lex commented, looking back toward his laptop.  
  
Bastard. Didn't he know he had no right to take that superior tone with her? Not when she offered him the world and he turned it down. She could give him a hell of a lot more than the proverbial silver spoon that was dangling from his mouth. Apparently, Lex Luthor simply didn't know a good thing when he saw it. Maybe if she slapped him upside the head a few times, he'd get it.  
  
Eyeing him intently, Hudson finally remarked, "You have no idea what I'm capable of."  
  
That seemed to catch his attention. Lex started slightly and turned to look at her, returning the intent gaze. Silence continued between them before he replied, "Really. Why don't you fill me in?"  
  
Too late. You blew it, buddy boy. Hudson stared back at him, smirking to herself before getting up from the couch. She walked away, glancing at her ring, wondering if what her parents told her was true, and the only reason she felt so good was because of the little red rock. If so, she should have an entire jewelry set made of the stuff.  
  
"Let's just say, that when I'm through showing the world what I can do, I'll have everything I've ever wanted. I may be even richer than you."  
  
"Maybe you're right to get away from your folks," Lex remarked behind her. "Maybe I should do the same."  
  
At his words, Hudson quirked an eyebrow and turned back to him as he stood, moving toward her, the same slinky walk that she used to be able to stare at for hours drawing her attention once again. Had a tailor once told Lex that black wool slacks and his hips went together like peanut butter and chocolate? Or maybe it was just something he instinctively understood.  
  
"If my father wants the mansion so much," he continued as he moved to stand in front of her. "He can have it. I never wanted to live in Smallville anyway."  
  
A slight smile broke out across Hudson's face. She suddenly had visions of traveling the world with Lex and Jessie at each side. She'd show them both what life was all about. "You can come with me."  
  
Lex returned her smile. "Nobody's using the penthouse in Metropolis. We can stay there."  
  
"Hudson Kent and Lex Luthor. I've always liked the sound of that." Hudson smirked.  
  
She took a step closer, reaching out to run her hands over his chest and shoulders. He was slightly shorter with her in the heels, and she enjoyed forcing him to look up to her. She leaned in and brushed her nose lightly over his cheek before breathing against his mouth.  
  
"You can come, but only on one condition, Alexander. "  
  
Lex swallowed and shifted at her words, eyes darkening slightly. "What's the condition?"  
  
Hudson slipped her tongue over his lower lip teasingly. "That you fuck me senseless every night in your Penthouse bedroom."  
  
"I. I think I can accommodate you."  
  
Curious. She could feel his heartbeat accelerating beneath her fingers and the skin of his neck was suddenly slightly damp. He wanted her. He wanted her bad. So why did he turn her away the other day? Well, it didn't matter. He was hers now. Just the way it was meant to be.  
  
"Good boy."  
  
"Let me just tie up some loose ends at the office," Lex told her, pulling back slightly, face flushed. "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back."  
  
Hudson watched as he began to move away from her before commenting, "Aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
Lex frowned as he glanced at her over his shoulder.  
  
God, sometimes he was so dense. "Don't I get a kiss?"  
  
The man seriously looked as if she'd just asked for a ritual sacrifice. She wondered at the response but quickly forgot it was he moved back to her, reaching out to wrap a hand around the back of her neck and pull her to him. Hard, fast, he totally consumed her mouth and she loved every moment of it. Her hands curled into his shirt and she was tempted to just rip it off of him then and there but instead, she concentrated on swabbing his mouth with her tongue. If Lex was afraid of being devoured but Hudson, then maybe he had every reason to worry. Nothing was allowed to taste that good, smell that good, send electricity shooting through her with every touch and not belong to her. She wouldn't allow it.  
  
When Lex eventually pulled away from her, he was breathing hard, eyes shining silver with desire. She watched in silent amusement as he attempted to regain his control, gaze darting around the room, focusing on anything but her. Christ, they wouldn't make it out of Smallville without fucking like bunnies.  
  
"I thought you were going to the Plant?" She reminded him, reaching into her pocket to pull out a lollipop. Mmmm. Cherry. She tore off the wrapper and popped it into her mouth, sucking loudly.  
  
Lex blinked at her words, stilling as he watched her. He took one deep, slightly shuddering breath and turned abruptly, moving toward the doors as if his ass was on fire.  
  
"I'll be back," he told her, the doors slamming shut behind him.  
  
Hudson watched him go in amusement. The poor boy. He really needed to get a hold on those emotions.  
  
Sighing, she sucked on her lollipop for a moment before extreme boredom swept over her. Glancing around, Hudson spied the pool cues hanging on the wall and decided a game of pool might be enough to tide her over until Lex returned. It wasn't sex, but it would have to do.  
  
Taking the cue she regularly used off the rack, she sauntered over to the pool table and methodically tossed the paperwork and maps that were littered over the top to the ground. Once cleared, she removed the balls and set them up, before leaning over and preparing to take her shot. Unfortunately, a rhythmic tapping sound moving down the hall distracted her. Pursing her lips at the annoyance, Hudson glanced over her shoulder to see none other than Lionel Luthor enter the office, feeling his way around with his cane. Grinning at the idea of having a one-on-one chat with Lex's esteemed father, Hudson slammed the pool cue home, scattering the balls. She watched in triumph as four of them found their way into two corners and a side pocket.  
  
"Lex? Is that you?" Lionel asked, stopping as he cocked his head, listening.  
  
Tossing the pool cue to the table, Hudson straightened her jacket, pushed her hair over her shoulder and walked over to Lionel. All summer long, she was forced to listen to Lex berate himself over and over again regarding Lionel's blindness and how he was the cause of it. Lex should have seen this for the blessing it was, should have been taking advantage of it. He was always being pushed around by his father, just like her, and now he had the opportunity to push back. Only, he didn't because Lex wasn't really the holy terror the town seemed to think he was. Deep inside, Hudson thought it was kind of cute, how hard Lex fought to earn his father's love. But mostly, it annoyed the hell out of her.  
  
Moving in front of Lionel, Hudson reached out and quickly snatched his glasses off of him, smirking as he jumped back in shock and fear.  
  
"Hey!" He called out, swinging his cane out wildly in front of him, attempting to strike his attacker.  
  
"Whoa!" Laughing at his useless antics, Hudson dodged the waving weapon.  
  
"What do you want?" he demanded, circling out of the direction of her voice, though keeping his cane raised in front of him defensively.  
  
Trying his glasses on, and finding they were a good fit, Hudson shrugged dismissively. "Lionel, go back to your room." She looked up thoughtfully, reconsidering her words. "Better yet, pack your bags and get the hell out."  
  
Lionel turned toward her direction in shock. "I beg your pardon?"  
  
She took off the glasses and slipped them into her pocket. "Lex may be too afraid to tell you, but I'm not." She leaned forward, enunciating her words carefully so that he would understand her when she continued, "No one in Smallville wants you here."  
  
"You seem to know a lot about me. You got a name?"  
  
"Hudson Kent."  
  
"Jonathan and Martha Kent's daughter?"  
  
Hudson nodded, annoyed.  
  
"As far as I know, they're good people. Salt of the earth. I'm astonished they'd raise such a blatantly aggressive offspring."  
  
"Well, if you like them so much, I'm sure they'll put you up. I hear they have a spare bedroom, and I, uh, know they could use the cash."  
  
"You've got a lot to learn about tact, young woman. But you speak your mind. That's good. It'll take you far."  
  
"Oh, I'm going to the top." Right after I fuck your son through the floor, that is.  
  
A knock on the side door into the study interrupted the conversation, and Hudson turned to the side to see a man in a suit enter the room. "Mr. Luthor?" he asked.  
  
Lionel turned to the voice. "Yes?"  
  
"I apologize for the interruption." He opened his jacket, flashing a shiny badge. Hudson grinned, considering Lionel would have no idea if they guy was showing him his library card. "I'm a federal marshal. Your people at the gate let me in."  
  
"Ah. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Well, this young woman was seen last night leaving the scene of a disturbance in your son's Ferrari."  
  
"Oh." Lionel turned slightly toward Hudson. "Is that while you were on your way to the top?"  
  
She stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
The US Marshal reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph. "Where can I find this girl?" He showed the picture to Hudson.  
  
Glancing at it, she recognized Jessie immediately. Ever since their first meeting, Hudson had the feeling there was more to Jessie than she was letting on. And last night, she'd seemed terrified of the cops catching them. Of course, she wasn't about to give this man any information about her friend. Not when they had places to go. and billionaires to do.  
  
Hudson shrugged. "I've never seen her before."  
  
The marshal's expression slowly dissolved into anger and he shoved his hand into his pocket, withdrawing a gun. Hudson watched in mild interest as he clicked off the safety and pointed it at her. Beside her, Lionel stiffened at the sound, his eyes widening slightly.  
  
"Is that supposed to scare me?" she asked with a smirk, wondering why human's seemed so incredibly one dimensional in their behavior.  
  
In a burst of superspeed, Hudson rushed over to the marshal, yanking the gun out of his hands and flipping it in hers to aim it at him. Shock at the blinding movement flashed across the man's face as he quickly raised his hands in surrender.  
  
"How. how'd you do that?" he stammered.  
  
Smugly, she told him, "You've got no idea who you're dealing with." Smirking again, Hudson held her hand out, palm up and aimed the gun at it. With a cocked eyebrow, eyes squarely on the man in front of her, she fired three shots point blank range into her palm.  
  
"What's happening? Who's shooting?" Lionel demanded from across the room.  
  
"Don't worry, Lionel," Hudson told him. "He missed."  
  
In front of her, the marshal looked on in terror as Hudson opened her palm, blackened from the gunpowder. Slowly, menacingly, she turned her hand, allowing the bullets, their tips smashed from the impact against her invulnerable skin, fall to the floor. The clinking against the ground in the ensuing silence was an ominous sound.  
  
"I'll call security," Lionel called out as he turned and shuffled from the room.  
  
At the interruption, the marshal decided to make a futile attempt for the exit. Sighing in agitation, Hudson sped to the pool table, grabbing the edge and pushing it across the floor toward the man, pinning him against the opposite wall before he could escape. She pressed it against him until he gasped.  
  
"Why are you looking for Jessie?" she demanded.  
  
"It's not the girl," the marshal replied quickly, wincing as she pushed the table again. "It's her father. They were under witness protection, and they rabbited."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He's a corporate whistle blower. His former employer offered me a million dollars if I could get the evidence from Jessie's dad."  
  
Stepping away from the table, Hudson walked toward him, curious over the information he was giving her. She grabbed a ball as she moved past, tossing it into the air casually. "What kind of evidence?"  
  
"Computer disks," he told her. "Accounting files, memos...endless smoking guns. Look, we can split it," he offered. "It's enough money to start a whole new life."  
  
So pathetic. Hudson leaned in and put her hand on the marshal's shoulder, whispering to him in a conspiratorial tone, "It's a great idea... but who needs you?"  
  
Grinning broadly, Hudson reached up to flick her palm against the marshal's forehead, stepping back as he slumped over onto the pool table, unconscious.  
  
***  
  
Maybe she was insane.  
  
Lex frowned as his foot pressed down on the gas a little harder, rounding the curves heading toward the Kent farm.  
  
No, that didn't make sense.  
  
He shifted gears, forcing himself to slow into the last turn as he neared the farm entrance.  
  
Simple teenage rebellion was one thing. And it generally came in stages. Going from attempted rape to running away from home was a little over the top, even for someone like Hudson, who seemed surrounded by mysteries that defied explanation.  
  
Lex had been beyond angry with her when she left his place the day before. He'd never been so tempted to take the little brat over his knee and tan her gorgeous ass. Yes, he'd made his mistakes where they were concerned and yes, he'd hurt her, and yes, he'd been paying for those mistakes ever since. When would Hudson choose to just let the past go and move on? Allow him to learn from his mistakes and give him another chance? Instead, she chose to demand what she felt she deserved, attempted to simply take it from him, as if she'd never learned in all their time spent together, the type of person he was. If there was one thing his father taught him, it was how to keep control. That strength was the only thing that kept him from ravishing Hudson on the banks of the river that sunny October afternoon over a year before. No one, not even Hudson Kent, had the power to take that away from him.  
  
But she tried, and that was the thought that wouldn't leave him alone. That, and the realization that she was likely strong enough to have succeeded. Luckily, he'd been able to somehow reach her before any real damage between them had been caused. The question still remained though - what was causing this behavior?  
  
Pulling into the gravel driveway, Lex stopped the engine and climbed out, heading up to the porch. He knocked on the door twice, waiting for a few moments before realizing no one was inside. Turning, he glanced around the farm, until he spied the familiar red pickup. Moving down the steps, he headed across the yard and toward the barn, hoping one of Hudson's parents might be there. If they were out in the fields, he wouldn't know where to begin looking. And it would seem kind of strange to ring the dinner bell in order to get their attention.  
  
Rounding the back of the barn, Lex walked through the door, blinking a moment as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He heard voices and focused in their direction, finally seeing Mr. Kent and Lana standing near the opposite entrance, forms framed by the light beyond the door. Jonathan's hand was on Lana's shoulder and, for the briefest moment, Lex fought back the jealousy over how easily Hudson's other friends were accepted, when after all they'd been through over the summer together, her father still regarded him with misgivings.  
  
Forcing the thought aside, Lex called out, "Excuse me, Mr. Kent."  
  
Jonathan and Lana turned at his voice, their conversation dying abruptly, as if they'd been discussing something they'd rather he not hear. That hurt, too, because if it was about Hudson, and it likely was, then he had as much right to be a part of it as they did. He loved her. Couldn't they see that?  
  
"Lana, why don't you. why don't you get going?" he suggested, patting her on the shoulder once and slightly moving her toward the exit.  
  
Lana glanced over at Lex for a moment, flashing the barest hint of a smile. It almost seemed like an apology but that didn't make sense to him. He gave a slight nod in reply then watched silently as she moved in a quick pace out of the barn and disappeared around the corner. Lex's gaze returned to Jonathan as the man started toward him.  
  
"Uh. Lex. this is really not a very good time."  
  
Was it ever? "I understand you and Hudson have been having some problems."  
  
Jonathan frowned and looked away, and Lex couldn't help but brace himself for the scathing set down he almost surely would receive. "Yeah. look, I don't want to be rude," he began.  
  
Like hell you don't, Lex thought briefly, before pushing the thought from his mind.  
  
"But, I'd prefer it if you'd stay out of my family's problems."  
  
It was exactly what Lex had been expecting. Jonathan had spoken little more than a few sentences to him since the marriage to Desiree. It was as if even though the man had fallen under the exact same spell Lex had, being a Kent somehow held him above any recrimination regarding his mistake. That hurt, and no amount of Hudson assuring him that her father really didn't hold a grudge would help dispel his belief that Jonathan Kent would never give him a fair chance.  
  
"Believe me, Mr. Kent," Lex replied softly. "I'm not trying to pry. But you know how much Hudson means to me. You know how close we are. I'd hate to see her relationship with you fall apart."  
  
Jonathan sighed and reached up to rub the back of his neck, as if just talking to Lex made him tense. Maybe it did. Or maybe he had other things on his mind. Things like the fact that his daughter was running all over the countryside in hardly any clothing, driving a red sports car and planning on ruining her future in order to traverse the world at sixteen.  
  
"I appreciate your concern, Lex, but Hudson and I can work this out."  
  
Or, in other words, we don't want or need your help, Lex.  
  
He should have just left. Just let Jonathan figure out how exactly to work this out, while he headed back to the mansion, climbed into the car with Hudson and sped away to. anywhere. It was a tempting fantasy. To simply forget that he was Lex Luthor, that he had a destiny and an empire waiting for him, and to just disappear with the one person on earth who made him feel stronger and better than any other.  
  
And if it was all just about him, Lex would have. But, it was Hudson's future at stake here, Hudson's happiness. She simply meant too much to him for him to allow her to throw that all away.  
  
"Then why is Hudson hiding out at the mansion?"  
  
Jonathan glanced up sharply at Lex in surprise, and it took all his will not to smile in triumph. "How long has she been there?"  
  
"Forty minutes, maybe." Lex shrugged. "I came over as soon as I could. I told her I had to run to the plant. She. uh. wanted me to run away with her."  
  
Frowning, Jonathan looked away as he clenched his jaw.  
  
"Mr. Kent, what's going on?" Lex questioned curiously. "Yesterday she came by and she. she wasn't herself. She was aggressive and angry and. "  
  
"I can't talk about this right now, Lex. I have to bring my daughter home."  
  
Sighing with impatience, Lex told him, "You wouldn't even know where she is right now if I didn't come by. I'm only asking for a little explanation, Mr. Kent. I don't see how you can't even grant me that much."  
  
Jonathan stared at Lex as he finished, something changing slightly in the depth of his gaze with his words. His expression grew thoughtful for a moment and he nodded. "You're right, Lex. But unfortunately, my wife and I have no explanation. We're thinking it might be drugs - "  
  
"Hudson would never do that," Lex defended quickly, realizing the thought had never once crossed his mind. He knew his Angel - she would never touch the stuff, not even out of curiosity.  
  
"Well then, do you have an explanation for it, Lex?" Jonathan demanded. At Lex's silence, he nodded. "I didn't think so."  
  
Swallowing back the irrational desire to shout at Jonathan about how wrong he was, Lex looked away. "What do you need me to do?"  
  
More silence. When Lex lifted his gaze back to Jonathan's, the man was frowning as if in indecision. Their eyes met, and Lex could have sworn Hudson's father was about to tell him to go to hell. He was hiding something - anyone could have seen that. The man was tense and agitated and it wasn't just because he was having typical teenager/parent relation issues. But just as quickly, the feeling seemed to pass, and Jonathan gestured toward the door.  
  
"We'll follow you back to your place and see if we all can't coax her into coming back here and discussing our problems."  
  
Lex nodded, silently pleased that Jonathan was allowing him to help. "All right. I'll see you at the mansion."  
  
Pulling his keys from his pocket, Lex turned and headed out of the barn, unable to shake the feeling that there was a lot more going on around him than he might ever possibly understand.  
  
***  
  
Jogging up the steps to Jessie's house, Hudson flicked a piece of fuzz off her shoulder as she reached the porch before tapping her fist lightly against the door. As she waited, she glanced out across the yard at the Ferrari, the dents across the hood gleaming in the sunlight. She was going to have to convince Lex to take a different car before they headed to Metropolis - just the two of them if Jessie didn't cooperate. The solution to all of their problems lay just beyond the door. Once they had the disks that everyone seemed to be after, then Lex wouldn't have to rely on his father for anything anymore. They would both be free.  
  
At the sound of the door opening, Hudson turned back around as Jessie appeared, flashing a smile when she saw who it was.  
  
"I thought you'd forgotten about me," she joked. "Ready to go?"  
  
Ignoring the question, Hudson pushed past her into the house, her gaze scanning the immediate room. "Almost." She surveyed the area a moment longer before looking back at Jessie. "I know about your father, Jessie, and the disks. We're not going anywhere until I have them."  
  
Almost instantly, Jessie gave herself away as she looked around, her expression fearful. "I. I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"  
  
"The money." Hudson shrugged matter-of-factly. "You said that you wanted to leave this hick town, and a million dollars is more than enough money to make a fresh new start."  
  
Jessie reached out to her, pleadingly. "If I give you those disks, then my dad is a dead man!"  
  
"He was a dead man when he started running," a voice commented from the side.  
  
Turning, Hudson discovered the US Marshal standing in the doorway between the main room and another, gun drawn. Apparently she didn't hit him in the head hard enough. Or maybe she shouldn't have stopped to flirt with those two guys downtown before she headed over to Jessie's. Either way, she was annoyed.  
  
Frowning, she commented, "Didn't I tell you that I didn't want to split?"  
  
"You need me, doll," the man told her. "I know the players, and I know how to get the money."  
  
Hudson raised an eyebrow as she considered his words. He had a very good point. She couldn't just walk into the middle of Metropolis and start asking people on the street if they would pay her money for the disks she had. That was just silly.  
  
The Marshal pointed his gun at Jessie threateningly. "Now give him the disks, Jessica!"  
  
Glancing over at Jessie with a smirk, Hudson flashed her a 'You'd better do what he says' expression but remained silent. The girl shook her head slightly, backing away, and Hudson began to wonder if maybe she wasn't actually prepared to die in order to keep those disks safe. Curious. Didn't she understand how fragile a human life really was? Maybe Hudson would have to show her. She took a step in Jessie's direction just as the sound of a shot rang out across the room. Staring ahead at Jessie, Hudson knew it wasn't her that had been hit. She looked over her shoulder to see the Marshal staring blankly ahead in shock before collapsing to the ground, dead.  
  
Frowning at the sudden turn of events, Hudson followed Jessie's gaze to the hallway where Mr. Brooks crouched on the stairway, hiding behind the railing, gun pointed toward her. Slowly he rose to his feet, continuing to keep the gun leveled on her while he moved down the steps toward his daughter. Where had he come from? Hudson glanced back at the body of the Marshal before looking at Jessie and her father in surprise. Well, the loss of the man was a minor one; she was certain Lex had just as many connections.  
  
"I don't want to hurt you," Mr. Brooks told her quietly. "But I will. Get out."  
  
Snorting, Hudson rolled her eyes heavenward. Would they never learn? "Just like my dad. Always telling me what to do." Stalking slowly toward Jessie's father, she continued, "I don't listen to him. What makes you think I'm going to listen to you?"  
  
Reaching out suddenly, she snatched the gun from his hands, while Jessie flinched, face paling in fear. Ignoring her, Hudson moved closer, leaning into the man's face. She asked good-naturedly, as if discussing the weather, "Where are the disks?"  
  
He remained silent.  
  
Shaking her head with an impatient sigh, Hudson spun away from him and began to walk around the room, occasionally glancing through the walls and floor with her x-ray vision. "In the floorboards?" she asked curiously. "In the ceiling?" She glanced up but saw nothing but dust and termites. Gaze sweeping the room, she pointed the gun toward a chest of drawers. "In here?"  
  
Moving up to it, Hudson slammed her fist through one of the drawers, shattering the wood into splinters. Reaching in, she grabbed what was left of the demolished drawer and ripped it out, tossing it to the floor angrily.  
  
"It really doesn't matter," she taunted. "I'll figure it out one way or another."  
  
Grabbing the TV that sat on top of the chest, Hudson hurled it across the room at Mr. Brooks, watching in amusement as he dove out of the way to the floor. Sighing as the TV shattered against the wall, she walked to where Jessie's father lay huddled on the floor and picked him up by the collar. Spinning around, she threw him against the wall, lifting him upwards as she slowly tightened her grip more forcefully around his throat. He was already beginning to choke, further cementing her theory as to how fragile humans were. She was far superior, deserving of their worship, instead of this crap all of them -- beginning with her parents -- continued to give her. Hudson wondered, as she held him there, his face slowly reddening with the lack of oxygen, what it would really feel like to crush a man's skull between her hands.  
  
Shaking the thought from her mind for the time being, she watched Mr. Brooks intently before asking in a cold voice, "So, why don't you save yourself a lot of pain and make it sooner?"  
  
"You can kill me," he gasped. "You can tear this house to the ground. you won't find those disks!"  
  
Hudson stared up at him for a moment, knowing there was something hidden behind his meaning.  
  
And then she realized that Jessie was gone.  
  
"Jessie," she muttered, gaze turning toward the door.  
  
Glaring up at the man trapped helpless in her grasp, she slammed him hard into the wall before letting go, watching apathetically as he slumped to the ground unconscious. Stepping over him, she pulled the door open and moved out onto the porch, gazing around the yard. To the right was an open road; to the left, a cornfield. Narrowing her gaze, she focused through the stalks of corn until she saw Jessie running, not more than a few hundred yards ahead of her. Smiling slowly, Hudson took one step off of the porch and then sped across the yard and through the corn toward her prey. Moving in a circle around Jessie, she maneuvered her way in front of her, coming to a halt only yards away from the girl.  
  
Apparently Jessie was looking over her shoulder, searching for Hudson as she ran. Hudson smirked as she ran right into her, squealing in shock as she fell back, sprawling on the ground. She struggled up into a sitting position as Hudson squatted down in front of her, their eyes meeting.  
  
"Please, don't do this," Jessie begged.  
  
Suddenly she wasn't the tough girl she seemed to want everyone to believe she was. Apparently no one was ever who they appeared to be. Hudson considered this as she reached out to pick up Jessie's purse and ripped it open, pulling out the disks from the hidden pocket within. "I never realized how easy it would be to get everything I've ever wanted," she commented off-handedly.  
  
"H.C!"  
  
At the voice, Hudson quirked an eyebrow. "Lana?" She stood and turned to her friend, regarding her in amusement. "What, did it take the whole study group to find me?"  
  
"No. Lionel Luthor heard you mention Jessie." She glanced past Hudson to Jessie and yelled to her, "Jessie, run!"  
  
Hudson started as Jessie grabbed the purse and disks from her hands, before leaping to her feet and disappearing back into the corn.  
  
Blithely watching her go, Hudson shook her head before glancing back at Lana. "How far is she going to get, Lana?" She took a threatening step toward the girl before her. "You know, no one can get away from me."  
  
"Hudson!"  
  
Rolling her eyes at the sound of her dad's voice, she turned around, clearly displaying her annoyance. When she saw that Jonathan Kent was brandishing a sledgehammer, she almost laughed. Did he really think that could stop her? Did he really think anything could stop her?  
  
"I'm not going to let you hurt anybody else," he warned her.  
  
"Still trying to tell me what to do?" Hudson cocked her head and peered at her dad, walking slowly toward him. Strange. She could almost smell the fear emanating from him, just like those men in the bar. "Are you scared?"  
  
Her dad didn't answer, but he did grip the sledgehammer more tightly.  
  
She smiled. "Then again, you and mom were always afraid of me."  
  
Jonathan shook his head. "No. We've had nothing but love for you, H.C. That makes what I'm about to do all that more difficult."  
  
The threat was laughable. She just stared at him, waiting for this amazing thing that he was about to do.  
  
"Lana, do it."  
  
Frowning, Hudson turned around toward Lana, looking down as she pulled a box out from behind her back. Lana flicked the lid open, exposing a small pile of green meteor rocks. Instantly, pain shot through Hudson as their effects reached out to her, causing her body to feel as if it were collapsing in on itself. She dropped to her knees, looking up at Lana with fear, disbelieving that someone who could claim to be her friend could purposely do this to her. The familiar sensation of having her intestines ripped out through her throat swept over her, and the entire world seemed to waiver around her.  
  
"Lana..." She gasped.  
  
Lana blinked, eyes filling up with tears. "H.C., I'm sorry."  
  
Hudson fell forward on her hands, wincing from pain, attempting to fight against it. She had to be stronger than that!  
  
"Hudson!"  
  
Hudson looked up with her dad's cry, anger suffusing her entire body, almost overriding the pain. He was the real one doing this to her, the one out to control her again, to stick her back on the damn farm and use her as little more than a workhorse. He'd go back to telling her she couldn't see Lex, and had to wear flannel and denim because it was all they could afford and never, ever allow her to have a real life, the kind of life she deserved. Jonathan Kent wanted to take all of this away from her, and dammit, she wasn't going to let him! Not this time. Not ever again!  
  
Using her last bit of strength to form a fist, Hudson swung toward the man threatening her, determined to cause him just as much pain as he was her. If she had to rip through his stomach and tear out his intestines herself, she would do so. Just to make him see and feel and understand.  
  
At the same moment, Jonathan swung the sledgehammer toward her, and Hudson realized it could hurt if it hit her, because of the damn meteor rocks. They could knock her out, they could take the ring, they could stick her back in that loft, hidden away from the rest of the world. But, the blow wasn't aimed toward her head, it was angled instead to meet her fist, just as she hit the base of the sledgehammer with all of the force she had left. There was a loud crack, and suddenly all Hudson knew was pain and terror and humiliation as the past few days' events rushed over her. She collapsed to the ground with a cry, curling into herself.  
  
Oh god. What had she done??  
  
Her dad tossed the sledgehammer away and dropped down beside her, gathering her into his arms. He held her close and brushed her hair out of her face, kissing her forehead gently.  
  
"Dad?" She asked, wondering, hoping that everything in her mind were the effects of some horrible nightmare. Except here she was in this red suit and the scent of fear from both Mr. Brooks and Jessie still clung to her.  
  
"It's okay, honey," he assured her softly. "It's alright."  
  
Lana knelt beside her and reached out to touch her shoulder, squeezing it, stroking her soothingly. "You okay, H.C.?"  
  
"Thanks, Lana," Jonathan commented against Hudson's hair.  
  
Lana nodded and looked down at Hudson who stared off into the corn, willing herself to forget.  
  
***  
  
Wringing her hands nervously, Hudson moved down the hallway quietly toward Lex's study. She'd rehearsed the upcoming speech over and over in her mind for the past twenty-four hours, and still she wasn't certain that she would be able to get it all out. The problem was, Lex deserved an explanation for her behavior. And she didn't have one that she could give him. At least, nothing that she could accept without her conscience kicking her repeatedly.  
  
Ever since her dad destroyed the red meteor rock in her class ring, bringing her back from the strange, scary cusp on which she'd been teetering, Hudson had spent every waking moment saying 'I'm sorry'. She'd apologized to Lana time and again, unable to accept the soft assurances her friend had given her that she was forgiven, that none of it had been her fault.  
  
The apologies to her parents had been a little more difficult, their acceptance not quite as forthcoming, especially with her dad. She'd hurt him terribly, said things to him she couldn't imagine thinking, and the worst of it was, he believed she truly felt that way. He believed she resented them for keeping her on the farm, for not being able to give her everything she ever wanted, for not being richer, more powerful, for not allowing her to exploit herself. And while Hudson sometimes dreamed of living the life of luxury, she'd seen first hand with Lex that money didn't solve all of your problems. She wouldn't want his life or his family. How could her dad believe that she would?  
  
It hurt to know her dad couldn't completely accept her apology. And maybe that was why she was in the castle now, running away from the farm again because she couldn't stand the guilt over everything she'd done. Hudson had to believe that Lex would give her the forgiveness she sought, that he would make it all better. After all, he'd always done so before.  
  
And she would force herself to ignore, for the moment, that her actions were purely selfish and spoilt. She didn't care. She wanted a lap to curl into, and strong arms to hold her, and make her forget the ugly thoughts and feelings that erupted within her while wearing the red meteor rock. Hudson hoped that Lex would give her that.  
  
Stopping in front of the study, she leaned against the door that sat slightly ajar, peering into the room. She was surprised to see that everything was back in order - all of Lionel's belongings gone, Lex's desk back where it belonged. As usual, Lex was sitting behind it, staring at the screens of his dual monitors. Hudson watched him quietly for a long moment, noting the light shadows beneath his eyes, the tense set of his shoulders. Had she caused that? The set of his frame was familiar - she'd seen it in both her parents and Lana. The only thing she could be thankful for was that none of them knew what she was really feeling the past few days, none of them knew the truth about the horrible thoughts and ideas that filled her mind.  
  
"You might as well come in."  
  
Hudson started at Lex's voice, focusing her thoughts on the present as she stared ahead. He hadn't looked up yet, kept staring at the monitors. Worrying her lower lip, she stepped tentatively into the room, hanging back near the doors, suddenly afraid of everything that she needed to say to him. The apologies she needed to make.  
  
She took the coward's way out. "If you're busy. I can come back."  
  
Lex finally raised his gaze to her, and there was a hint of mockery in his expression. But, it disappeared almost as soon as she glimpsed it. "No need," he commented. "Nothing pressing."  
  
Turning off the monitors, he leaned back in his chair, hands folding into his lap as he watched her. Hudson shifted under his gaze before forcing herself to take the steps needed to cross the room. She slipped quietly into the chair across from his desk and dropped her gaze to the glass surface. The painful silence continued.  
  
"Everything better with your folks?"  
  
Hudson mentally applauded herself for not jumping at the sound of his voice. "Y-yes. We. worked everything out."  
  
"I don't suppose you have an explanation for me, do you?"  
  
Hudson raised her gaze to his quickly, watching as a sharp, painful smile flitted across his face.  
  
He leaned forward, resting his clasped hands on the desk. "Or maybe you were hoping I wouldn't ask for one?"  
  
"I. " Hudson began and trailed off before finally shaking her head. "No. I mean, I owe you one. An explanation."  
  
Lex nodded, waiting.  
  
Except Hudson grew silent again and didn't continue. Truthfully, she didn't know where to begin. Across from her, Lex frowned as her silence stretched across the moments. He looked down at his hands.  
  
"Maybe you should go home, Hudson."  
  
"No!" She looked up quickly, immediately reaching across the desk to lay her hand over his. "I mean. It's difficult. " Her voice softened and she stared at their hands. "I don't even know how to say I'm sorry to you, Lex, for the way I behaved, the things I threatened to do."  
  
"An explanation would be a start."  
  
Hudson frowned. "Would that make it better? I mean, would it make it go away?" She met his eyes. "When it came to Desiree, did the explanation make it all better? Or was the pain still there?"  
  
"You're blaming this on that?"  
  
She began to shake her head in the negative, and then stopped herself. Furrow in her brow deepening, she told him, "Maybe." Pausing for a moment, Hudson held his gaze. "It hurt, Lex. Maybe more than I let on. And maybe that resentment in me has just been festering all this time. And maybe it wasn't all focused on you - it was on her - but you're the one that's here. And in the end, you're the one that matters.  
  
"I hate the idea of her touching you, Lex. Of you touching her. Of you being together - "  
  
"Of me fucking her?"  
  
Hudson winced at his cold words, remembering how plainly she had spoken to him three days ago. She couldn't deny Lex his anger, but couldn't he see how difficult this was for her?  
  
"It was never about you, Hudson," Lex commented, voice softening only slightly. "Not once. Not when it came to Desiree or Victoria or - "  
  
"I know," she cut him off, pulling her hand away. She whispered, "I know. I just. Maybe I can't understand why you don't want me."  
  
Lex sighed impatiently and pushed back against his chair. "Dammit, Angel. It isn't that, and you fucking know it! I've explained to you a dozen times - "  
  
"Well, none of it fits anymore!" Hudson raised her voice to match his, cutting her hand in a swath through the air. "I'm not a child, Lex! I know what I want, I know who I love and I know how to love! And I don't see what the issue is. If we both want this, what makes it so wrong?" She waited for an answer but Lex remained silent, forcing her to press further. "If everything else we've done is all right, why does sex matter?"  
  
Running a hand over his face, Lex shook his head. "Because it changes things, Hudson. No matter what people might say, it has that affect. Especially between two people who lo. " He stopped before saying the words, and Hudson felt the tiniest stir of resentment within her. "Besides, you're sixteen. As safe as we can try to be, there's always the possibility you could get pregnant. Unless you're willing to go on the Pill?" He stared at her intently. "And I won't allow you to do that without telling your parents."  
  
Well, she couldn't exactly do that anyway. And how did she explain to Lex that she had no idea if she could even get pregnant, being an alien and all.  
  
"Are you ready for that, Hudson? To tell your parents you're sleeping with me?"  
  
That was the question, wasn't it? Lex laid it wide open for her, right there in front of them. Was she ready to be an adult about this and take the responsibility needed to be in the kind of relationship Lex deserved? No more holding hands at the Talon and sneaking in a hurried kiss on the couch in the family room before her parents came home. Lex wanted to know if she was willing to accept the responsibility of being his girlfriend, and not just some teenage crush.  
  
Taking her silence as the answer, Lex pushed himself out of the chair and turned away from her, walking quietly over to the windows. His shoulders slumped a little as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks.  
  
"You still haven't given me an explanation." His back was to her.  
  
Jumping out of her chair suddenly, Hudson moved over to stand beside him, reaching out to touch his arm. He refused to turn to her. Biting back her fear, she told him, "I was angry, Lex. And I took it out on everyone. You, my parents, Lana, Chloe, Jessie. even your father." She paused, wondering what explanation Lex would offer to him for her rude behavior. "Aren't I allowed to blow off a little steam now and again?"  
  
Lex turned to her, his expression incredulous. "Hudson, you were running around town braless in a sheer top!" He waved at her breasts.  
  
Her face flamed red almost immediately. "Uh. yeah. well, there's no accounting for taste. I did grow up on a farm, you know."  
  
His mouth twitched with just the slightest hint of amusement. Or annoyance. She could never tell when it came to him. Eyes flashing just a bit, Lex suddenly demanded, "And where the hell did you learn how to give a blow job??"  
  
Fighting the urge to shrink back from his obvious anger, Hudson quickly replied, "The internet! Oh, and Chloe's fanfic. But, I think she got that from the internet, too."  
  
Lex blinked and ran a hand over his scalp. "I don't think I want to hear this." He turned away from her again.  
  
"Lex, please." She touched reached out to touch his cheek. "Look at me."  
  
His eyes flashed over to her, but he didn't move.  
  
Sighing, Hudson stepped closer, arm drifting around his back, nose nuzzling the light blue fabric covering his shoulder. "I'm sorry. for everything I did and everything I said. I'm sorry if I hurt and upset you. I did the same to my parents. But, I'm not going to apologize for the truth - and that is that I want to be with you. I don't want to wait anymore. I want. I need to be with you."  
  
Lex's shoulder shifted beneath her and he pulled away, turning to face her. The lingering doubt was visible in his gaze, shadowed only by the familiar flash of longing she'd grown to understand lived in his eyes when he looked at her.  
  
She took a hesitant step toward him. "Lex, I love you. Nothing has changed that. If anything, it's only grown stronger." She touched the front of his shirt gently. "I'll tell the world, if you want me to."  
  
Lex smiled slightly. "I'm afraid of what will happen when you tell your parents, let alone the world, Angel." Reaching out, he cupped her face in his hand and pulled her close, eyes searching. "Is this really what you want?"  
  
Hudson didn't hesitate. "More than anything. I want to know what it feels like to have you be a part of me, Lex."  
  
His gaze softened. "I've always been a part of you, Hudson."  
  
Leaning in, he brushed his lips against hers and Hudson sighed at the contact, arms reaching up to wrap around his shoulders and hold him close. When he held her like this, when he touched her as if she was the most precious and fragile thing on earth, all the cares of her world seemed to melt away.  
  
"We'd better go upstairs," Lex whispered against her mouth, his voice slightly teasing. "Wouldn't want my father to walk in on us."  
  
Her face grew warm at the comment, and when Lex pulled back to look at her, he chuckled. She slapped his shoulder gently. "Don't kill the mood."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Lex caught her hand in his and tugged her out of the room. Elation flowed through Hudson as he led her up the stairs to his bedroom. She'd always believed she'd be nervous when the time finally came for them to have sex but she didn't feel a trace of that emotion in the least. She felt completely calm, except for the slightest bit of anticipation as Lex closed and locked the door behind them, turning on the light and then instantly pulling her against him for another kiss. She could sense that he was trying not to hurry this, even though his heart was slamming wildly against the wall of his chest and his breathing was accelerating with each passing moment. It was difficult not to give in to the desire to superspeed through the entire undressing process, but then everything would be halted in lieu of an explanation.  
  
And there was an entire future ahead of them left for explanations.  
  
Sweeping his tongue against hers in a wet caress, Lex deepened the kiss only a moment longer before pulling back long enough to pull her shirt up over her head and toss it aside. Immediately, his mouth was back against hers while his hands worked at the fastenings on her bra. A chill moved down her spine at the feel of his hands against her back, fingers gentle over her skin. And it had been entirely too long since he'd touched her, too long since his hands and mouth sent her sense spiraling out of control. She gasped with desire when he nipped her lower lip, and then her bra was gone and his hands were on her breasts and she couldn't hold back the moan of pleasure at the warmth of his touch.  
  
"God, you're so fucking beautiful," Lex told her, mouth slanting across hers, moving over her jaw, and down her neck.  
  
Slowly, he slid down her body to his knees, tongue lapping over her skin, teeth grazing lightly, pausing over a breast to suckle the nipple while his fingers worked at the button and zipper on her jeans. He lingered for only a moment before continuing downwards, painting circles over her stomach with the tip of his tongue, delving into her navel, placing soft kisses against her abdomen. Hudson closed her eyes at the sensations, at the butterflies that gathered deep in her belly, the ache of need that grew between her legs. She laid her hands gently against his scalp, cradling him like some priceless treasure as he pressed her jeans down her hips, over her thighs, mouth following, kissing, licking, causing her legs to tremble beneath his touch. She held back the sound of disappointment when he pulled back, carefully balancing her as he slid her jeans and panties off of each leg, dispensing of shoes and socks.  
  
Leaning back on his thighs, Lex stared up at her, eyes stormy grey, fingers trailing lightly up and down her legs. He touched the thatch of dark hair between her thighs almost reverently, fingers carding through the curls. "Sometimes, I think you're meant to be worshipped," he told her quietly.  
  
Hudson ran a finger over his temple. "I know the feeling."  
  
Lex smiled a little at her reply, turning his head to kiss the inside of her wrist.  
  
Rising back to his feet, he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, kissing her once again before moving her toward the bed. Pulling the comforter back, he kissed her forehead and then gently pressed her back against the sheets. He reached down and picked up her legs, swinging them onto the mattress, pausing a moment to nibble at each knee. Hudson wriggled beneath him, laughing a little when it tickled and using her foot to push against his chest carefully.  
  
"Tease. Get out of your damn clothes!"  
  
Flashing her a smile, Lex straightened and began undoing the buttons of his shirt, taking his time as his gaze lingered over her, moving slowly from head to foot and back again. It took every ounce of will that Hudson had not to bury herself beneath the covers, away from his penetrating gaze, but she succeeded, even if she was ten shades of red by the time the slow perusal was over. Even though she knew he was simply admiring her, just as she liked to do with him, it was still unnerving. He found her beautiful, and that would always be difficult to fathom. She was just Hudson Kent, a farm girl from Smallville. And Lex. he was her prince. And he was perfect. And try as she might, she would never be his equal.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" With his clothing finally removed, Lex sat down beside her, hand settling against the mattress on the other side of her as he leaned down to kiss her lips.  
  
Hudson reached up to touch his cheek, brushing the backs of her knuckles against his skin. "How perfect you are."  
  
Lex smiled in amusement, kissing the tip of her nose. "You have a warped sense of perfection, Hudson Kent."  
  
"And you don't know how to take a compliment."  
  
"Touché."  
  
Hudson grinned.  
  
Straightening slightly, Lex watched her face for a moment before his hand brushed over her belly. He smiled slightly as her muscles flexed beneath his touch. His finger traced a line to her left hip, circling the tip of her hipbone before falling into the dip at the inside of her thigh. Hudson closed her eyes as her legs parted voluntarily at his questioning touch, and then his fingers were dipping inside, cool against the wet heat. She whimpered at the touch, eyes slitting open to find him watching her still, even as his thumb pressed against the swollen nub of her clit. Her hips instantly lifted into his hand, searching for more. She tried to be embarrassed over the reaction, embarrassed about the pleasure in Lex's eyes when another moan escaped her as his fingers delved deeper, one sliding inside her opening, only to be shortly joined by another. Hudson bit her lip, fingers curling into the covers beneath her, even as she reminded herself not to tear anything. Holes in the mattress only led to more explanations.  
  
"I want to hear you, Angel," Lex's voice commanded above her, his thumb moving faster against her clit. "Don't hold back. I want to know what you're feeling as I watch you come for me."  
  
She whimpered at his words, head pressing back into the pillow as her hips surged up into his hand once more. His fingers moved faster and his free hand touched a breast, fingers gliding over the nipple, back and forth in a light, teasing motion as the skin ached and tightened against his ministrations. Suddenly Hudson couldn't decide what part of her body she wanted to arch into his hands as all coherent thought began to flee her mind. Thumb and index finger closed over her nipple, worrying the hard bud between them, and fingers pressed further inside of her, probing, exploring, while the circular motions of the pad of his thumb threatened to drive her mad. Hudson felt her mouth fall open, and sounds that couldn't possibly be her echoed through the room as the pressure in the pit of her stomach continued to build.  
  
"Open your eyes, Angel. Look at me."  
  
Hudson did.  
  
Her eyes met his just as she felt the eruption move through her, stomach clenching, hips tensing and she cried out, body convulsing around his fingers. She couldn't look away, even as she gasped for a breath, legs shaking, body all at once alive and tingling, skin on fire. She barely heard the opening of the drawer to the nightstand beside her, the slight shifting of the mattress as Lex worked to slide a condom on and then he was stretching over her, warm flesh covering hers, knee pushing between her thighs, forcing her to open further. He petted her hips and kissed her and whispered something about going slow. And then she felt the tip of his cock pressing through her slick folds, and she was throbbing and aching again, and she tried to lift her hips up impatiently. Lex made a sound like a grunt and there was the strangest sensation of stretching, and she couldn't help but tense out of the slightest fear that something might be wrong, that her body might not be made for this. Her hands closed over Lex's upper arms and she sucked in a deep breath.  
  
As if sensing her sudden anxiety, Lex halted his movement, spending the next few moments kissing her mouth softly. "Am I hurting you?"  
  
She tried not to laugh. He couldn't hurt her; nothing hurt. Except maybe the fear. Sometimes that ate right through her.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "No. I'm just. "  
  
"Scared?"  
  
Her fingers tightened around his arm. "A little."  
  
Lex offered a gentle smile at her admission. "I'll never let anything happen to you, Angel," he whispered before covering her mouth with his and pressing into her once more.  
  
She knew that, but he didn't understand. There was nothing she could do but wait and hope that everything was all right.  
  
And then the worries and the fears fled in the face of the realization that she could feel him inside of her; feel him filling and stretching her and it was the most amazing sensation of her life. One thought consumed her: right now, at this moment, she wasn't alone. A sound - half whimper, half sob - escaped her. It seemed she had nothing to worry about; no hymen to keep her from experiencing this moment.  
  
Lex seemed to read her mind. "Apparently an active farm girl took care of that little obstruction," he commented softly with a mixture of amusement and pleasure. Lifting his head to watch her for a moment, he asked, "How does that feel?"  
  
There was the slide of his cock withdrawing, and then pressing inward again. Her body shook from the feeling. "I didn't know anything could feel like this," she whispered in awe.  
  
Balancing his weight on his arms, Lex smiled at her reply and rocked into her again, eyes closing briefly. "Just wait. "  
  
Hudson smiled at the promise of more, hands slipping up to his shoulders, holding him closer, gaze fixed on the sight of Lex as he moved above her. Occasionally the muscles in his neck would strain, and his eyes continued to slide shut in pleasure before opening again to return her stare. Flecks of blue flickered between the grey, and Hudson thought he never looked as beautiful as he did right then, skin glistening with the first beads of perspiration. Now and then, the ghost of a smile would drift across his face, and she'd return it, like they were sharing some secret only the two of them would ever understand. Then his head dipped down to a breast and he began suckling at the nipple and there was nothing left but feeling and being. She closed her eyes and lost herself to the sound of wet sound of his mouth on her skin and the light pat, pat, pat of their bodies against one another. The scent of Lex, of them together, surrounded her. Nothing mattered but that moment, and them.  
  
Lex's hand drifted over her hip, tucking under her thigh, pulling it higher, and his angle into her changed so that the next time he thrust inside her, Hudson thought she saw stars. She gasped loudly, eyes flying open, then drifting shut once more as the indescribable pleasure continued. Lex's movements grew faster and soon Hudson was lifting her hips to meet him, a cry escaping her with each quick thrust. She began to tremble from head to toe, and she felt like crying with the ache that threatened to consume her. Against her, Lex began to tense and his hand was reaching between them, fingers once more seeking the tiny bundle of nerves.  
  
He lifted his head and kissed her lips. "Come with me, Angel," he whispered into her mouth. "Let me see those wings. "  
  
Her world exploded. And it was the most beautiful moment of her life. She heard Lex whisper her name, felt him shaking over her, body pulsing with his orgasm. Somehow, somewhere, Hudson remembered that she couldn't give in to the driving desire to sink her nails into anything within reach as her body dissolved into a quivering mass. She drew a shuddering breath, squeezing her eyes shut too late to stop the few tears that slid down her cheeks. Lex dropped his weight against her, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him closer, never wanting to let go. Wondering if she would ever be able to. Silence engulfed the room, broken only by their deep breaths.  
  
Minutes later, she felt Lex kiss her shoulder, fingers idly caressing an arm. He whispered, "Am I squishing you?"  
  
Hudson ignored the question and whispered her own, "Can we stay like this forever?"  
  
"Forever is a long time, Angel," he replied quietly.  
  
Squeezing her eyes closed even tighter, she whispered, "I don't think it's long enough. " 


	20. My First Taste: Kindred

EPISODE FOURTEEN  
  
KINDRED  
  
Where did you come from, baby dear? Out of everywhere into here.  
  
Where did you get that little tear? I found it waiting when I got here.  
  
~ Where Did You Come From?, George MacDonald  
  
More than once, Lex had been surprised by Jonathan Kent's actions. This latest tidbit from the Kent family history was one of those times.  
  
On the surface, one would believe Jonathan to be the ultimate family man, someone who encouraged enormous family get-togethers for the holidays and sent Christmas cards to everyone who somehow made it onto a branch, or even twig, of the family tree. One would assume that being related to the Kents would be a lot like the mafia - once you got in, you never got out.  
  
At least, that was the Jonathan Kent that Lex always imagined.  
  
So when Hudson showed up that evening with an unbelievable tale of family strife that included Jonathan punching his father-in-law, and subsequently ending all ties with the Clark family, Lex was more than a little fascinated with the story. He couldn't help but commiserate with Martha's father - he knew how it felt to be rebuffed by Jonathan Kent, to receive the thousand-yard glare and wonder all the while what you did exactly to stimulate such animosity.  
  
"You see, Lex, it isn't just you that dad refuses to accept money from."  
  
Somehow, the thought of being lumped into the same category as Jonathan's father-in-law didn't seem to help much.  
  
Too, Lex couldn't help but feel a little angry toward Mr. Clark and Jonathan. Were they too selfish to see that the one being hurt here was Hudson? She had every right to have the chance to get to know her grandparents, to have a large family around her, with the appropriate outpouring of love and support that she deserved. And maybe he was just a little upset because he'd always pictured her having something he didn't. Instead, it seemed as if in this instance, Hudson and Lex shared a lot in common.  
  
"So, what's your grandfather like?" Lex wrapped his arm around Hudson's shoulders and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. She seemed so miserable.  
  
She sighed. "I don't know. Kind of grumpy and gruff. In fact, in a way he reminded me of your father."  
  
Lex frowned. "Well, maybe it's better that you don't know him, sweetheart."  
  
"I didn't say he was exactly like Lionel." Hudson pulled at one of the buttons on his shirt. "Where is he anyway?"  
  
"His room. I guess he and your mother attended quite a few meetings today."  
  
It was still more than a little strange to realize that Martha Kent was working for LuthorCorp. Again, the Kents never ceased to surprise him. Or anger him. He couldn't really decide which it was. He'd pretended not to be hurt by the fact that Martha Kent would rather work for his father than receive any kind of help from him, but Hudson had seen right through the act. Lex tried not to think about it too hard after that. He almost convinced himself that the real reason Martha now worked for LuthorCorp was simply because she wanted to, and not as a personal rebuff against him.  
  
Hudson tilted her head back to look up at him. Meeting her gaze, Lex smiled slightly - more than he would give to anyone else. He watched her silently, gazing into her pale green eyes where the firelight reflected, as her fingers moved up to trail along his jaw. Sometimes it was beyond amazing to him that Hudson was his. That this sweet, beautiful, intriguing young woman loved him, wanted to be with him.  
  
Chose to be with him.  
  
He wanted to give her the world, and he couldn't. Not because it wasn't in his power -- someday he very well planned to have the world at his feet, so that wasn't stopping him from giving it to her. No, the simple fact was she wouldn't accept it. She would try to give it back; say it wasn't right, that it didn't belong to her. But it did. The world and everything in it belonged to Hudson Kent, including his heart. And he wished he had the strength to tell her so.  
  
"What're you thinking about?" She asked, finger moving lightly over his chin.  
  
Her gaze dropped to his lips and Lex struggled to keep from licking them in anticipation of the kiss he knew was coming. "How beautiful you are," he responded quietly. "How lucky I am."  
  
Hudson smiled and then her lips were against his and Lex greedily drank in the taste of her, the soft fullness of her mouth, the smooth glide of her tongue over his. Her fingers brushed against the back of his scalp in a gentle, soothing touch that even now surprised Lex when he felt it. It was like every minute of every day, she was still trying to show him that she loved him. And he wished he could tell her how much he appreciated it.  
  
Pressing her back into the couch, Lex slipped his leg between hers, pushing it up against the apex of her thighs, rubbing the material of her jeans. Emitting a sharp sound from her throat at the contact, Hudson raised her hips automatically upwards in a silent request. Lex smiled against her mouth. She was such a sensual creature. He'd always known it, expected it, in the back of his mind, but to actually see her reaction, the craving need of his touch she seemed to exhibit, never ceased to make Lex ache with responding desire. He devoured her mouth in reply, hand moving to slip beneath her sweater, petting the soft skin of her belly before moving upwards to brush against the underside of her bra. Hudson sighed and seemed to melt beneath him, her body becoming totally relaxed and pliable. Lex loved her best like this, when it was as if she were completely his to do with as he pleased.  
  
He kissed her jaw, her neck, nibbled at her earlobes and collarbone, painted a line with his tongue along the neckline of her sweater. Hudson craned her head back against the cushion, hands playing over the front of his shirt, tugging at buttons.  
  
"I should really go home," she whispered. "It's almost curfew."  
  
"Stay a little longer," he replied, sliding down her body to push the edge of the blue sweater upwards and circle her belly button with kisses.  
  
"It's very late, Lex. I've really got to go."  
  
Lex undid the button on her jeans, nipped at her abdomen. "But look at the weather," he cautioned, referring to the snow that had begun earlier that evening. "You'll catch a cold or something. And I would never forgive myself."  
  
Besides, he couldn't help but make note of the fact that she hadn't made a single attempt to get out from under him. Lex moved her sweater further up, kissing her ribs.  
  
Hudson laughed. "I've really got to go. Dad's probably pacing the floor already."  
  
He nudged the material of her bra with his nose, traced the edge with his tongue while his fingers ghosted over the top of a breast, feeling the nipple harden beneath his touch.  
  
"Your father's likely in bed, sweetheart. Just a few minutes more."  
  
Hand slipping to her shoulder, he tugged a bra strap down, lifting his head to watch as he exposed one perfect breast to his gaze. The hard bud of skin tightened even further as he stared, tempting him like some forbidden fruit. Mouth practically watering, Lex leaned in, kissing it once before capturing it between his lips and suckling greedily.  
  
Another sigh and her hands cupped the back of his head, holding him in place. "Okay. Just a few minutes more."  
  
Smiling at her acquiescence, Lex continued worshipping her body, exposing the second breast, using hands and mouth until Hudson was writhing beneath him, soft sounds of pleasure uttering from her mouth with each touch. As if reading his mind, she sat up slightly, allowing him to remove her sweater and toss it to the floor, before they both collapsed back against the couch. He caught her eye and they grinned at one another before he dove in for another kiss. Her fingers worked at the buttons on his shirt, eventually slipping it from his arms and laying it over the back of the couch.  
  
"You're cold," she whispered, nibbling at the edge of his jaw.  
  
"So warm me up," Lex suggested. "I heard body heat works best."  
  
Grinning at his implication, Hudson pushed him away to kick off her shoes then quickly began working at her jeans. Enjoying her enthusiasm, Lex turned his attention to removing his own clothes and within moments, it was skin against skin on the couch. Reaching into the left pocket of his slacks, Lex pulled out a condom packet and slipped it into Hudson's hand. She gave him a smirk.  
  
"You always carry these things around with you?"  
  
Lex nodded. "One never knows when an over-sexed Hudson will appear."  
  
She poked him in the ribs with the corner of the packet. "You know what you need?" Hudson commented, wrapping her arms around him as he sat up, pulling her into his lap. "A big, thick rug in front of the fire place."  
  
"Oh, sure. That would go well with the décor."  
  
"You're such a snob."  
  
Lex grinned as he cupped a breast in his palm, thumb flicking back and forth over the nipple lazily as Hudson squirmed in his lap, her wet heat brushing against his thighs. "Somehow, I don't think you mind that I'm a snob."  
  
"Mmmm," was the only reply he received as she leaned in to kiss him, tongue tracing the scar of his upper lip before delving deep into his mouth.  
  
Her hand wrapped around the shaft of his cock, squeezing slightly as she moved up and over the tip. The tease. She continued to play, fingers dancing over him, alternately squeezing and caressing, until he thought he was going to lose his mind. Finally she turned her attention back to the condom, removing it from the packet and slipping it over him. That was all the impetus he needed.  
  
Lex grabbed hold of her hips, lifting her upwards slightly until he felt the head brushing against her entrance. Balancing herself on her knees, Hudson pulled away from the kiss, catching his eyes as she slowly slid herself down his length, engulfing him completely in her warmth. They remained unmoving for a long moment, her fingers dancing over his bare shoulders, his hands sliding over her thighs possessively as they stared at one another. Lex loved these moments, when it wasn't the culmination of the act that was important so much as the meaning. They were connected now, he was a part of her, as close as he would ever be to her, closer than anyone ever had been, and that meant everything to him. It was during sex that the lies didn't matter because he didn't believe at that moment that Hudson was hiding anything from him. She was at her most vulnerable, her eyes showing everything behind her thoughts, her emotions, love shining through them so brightly he almost felt ashamed to look at it. And, Lex believed, if he could get her to speak at that one crucial moment in time, he would know her darkest secrets. It was the only time he knew she was prepared to let him inside.  
  
"You're thinking again," Hudson whispered as she began rocking against him slowly, hand curving around his neck as she kissed the corner of his eye. "Stop it."  
  
"I'll blame you," Lex replied, half-joking as he lifted his hips to meet her.  
  
Hudson nuzzled his cheek with her nose in response before leaning back, hands settled flat against his shoulders, neck arched, eyes closed. Lex looked his fill, gaze consuming every inch of her as she moved over him -- dewy skin glowing in the firelight, breasts pert and high and perfectly shaped, the slim column of her neck, the arousing shape of her collarbone. Holding her at the base of her back with one hand, he touched her in silent reverence, skimming his palm over her shoulders and breasts and slightly rounded belly, so soft, so warm. She was like a drug, something he couldn't get enough of, something he had to have or life became too fucking frustrating and cold. There was no substitution; work and alcohol only dulled it for a little while. Hudson made it beautiful.  
  
Moving his hand down over her abdomen, searching out the swollen nub between her thighs, Lex pulled her back to him, latching on to the side of her neck where he bit lightly at the skin. She whimpered, but he couldn't tell from which sensation.  
  
"God, Lex. "  
  
His thumb pressed firmly against her before rubbing in time to their movements, faster, then slower, gentle and hard, until Hudson was gripping his shoulders a little too firmly, nails grazing over skin a little too deeply, and the sounds - fuck, he could live off the noises that she made. Whimpers and gasps, sighs and soft little moans that slowly increased in volume the closer she got to orgasm. She was vocal, and Lex loved that because she was making those sounds due to him. Normally repressed and shy, Hudson became a sexual animal when he touched her. And it made him feel as if he could conquer the world.  
  
Her movements were becoming faster now and Lex leaned back against the couch to watch her. Hudson's flesh flushed under his gaze, the modesty never quite leaving her completely, and god it was the sexiest thing on earth when she dropped her eyes just slightly, slow smile curving her mouth as if she knew his thoughts. And did she know that he sometimes considered making a mold of her breasts just so he could touch them whenever he pleased? And that he jacked off at work to thoughts of her kneeling under his desk, mouth on his cock, sucking him off during an important business call? Poor Hudson. She would turn four shades of crimson if she knew how his mind worked, how often he imagined knocking just a little more of that innocence from her.  
  
"Lex. " She gasped and he felt her body begin to shudder.  
  
"Feel good?" He asked, leaning forward to whisper in her ear as his hands grabbed hold of her hips once more. Taking control, he sped up their movements, each thrust harder than the last. "Are you ready to come, Angel?"  
  
"Yes! Oh, Lex. yes! God, fuck!"  
  
His spine tingling at its base, Lex surged upwards once more as he felt Hudson shudder almost violently around him. She cried out with the onset of her climax, and he felt his entire body tighten and explode as he stiffened beneath her, gasping her name, his hands clenching against her skin. Hudson seemed to melt over him, body relaxing against his as her head slumped to his shoulder. Lex didn't think he'd be able to keep either of them up for very long. His muscles were like jelly at the moment.  
  
Shifting slightly, Lex leaned back onto the couch, pulling Hudson with him, her long body stretching out over his. Finally finding the strength to lift his arms, he wrapped them loosely around her waist, fingers gently caressing her back. His eyes drifted closed.  
  
Long minutes passed in silence and Hudson's breathing was slowly changing, signaling the oncoming call of sleep. Lex smiled and whispered, "It's way past your curfew, Hudson Kent."  
  
He felt her smile against his chest. "You're an asshole, Lex Luthor."  
  
Grinning, Lex held her a little tighter, and contemplated an excursion to the bedroom.  
  
***  
  
Hudson stared at the clock on the nightstand as it clicked over to four forty-three. She sighed softly, knowing that if she planned on getting home before her parents woke up, she should probably leave. But the bed was soft and Lex was warm and, instead of climbing out of bed, she scooted closer to him, tucking her head against his shoulder.  
  
He smelled like her. She loved it. Loved knowing that she left her mark on him, in any way possible, and there was something magical about smelling her perfume or shampoo lingering on his skin. But then, she'd spent most of the night curled against him, cheek rubbing against his chest and shoulder, so it made sense that her scent lingered there. Likewise, Hudson was always tempted to sneak off in one of Lex's shirts, just so she could walk around smelling him all day. There was something about his scent that drove her absolutely insane with desire.  
  
The word 'desire' caused her to recall the evening before and her face immediately flamed red with the memory of her behavior. A few days ago, Lex made a comment regarding opening Pandora's box the moment they'd had sex, and maybe he was just a teensy bit right about that. Two years ago, out of curiosity, she'd asked her mom what sex was like. They'd had a great discussion about it, but what stood out in Hudson's mind the most was when her mom told her that the first time was kind of like taking your first bite of chocolate - you've never tasted anything like it before and suddenly, it's all you crave! Eventually, you'll grow used to the taste, and occasionally become a little sick of it, but in the beginning, you can't get enough.  
  
That's how Hudson felt. Only, she doubted she would ever stop craving Lex.  
  
These nightly visits were becoming a habit. Even with Lionel now living under the same roof as Lex, there was little that could convince Hudson to stay away. Thank god Lex's father tended to retire early at night.  
  
Lionel. Hudson was still finding difficulty in getting used to his presence. It made the time she spent with Lex just a little less relaxing, to the point that she sometimes waited until very late before coming over. It wasn't fair to Lex, and she knew she had to get over it but sometimes. well, she knew Lionel was blind and all but she could swear that he watched her. Last week, she came over to have dinner with Lex while his father was in Metropolis, and then they went back to the study where Lex worked and Hudson went over her notes for her history exam the next day. An hour later, Lionel returned, entering the study to have a drink with his son and catch up on the day's events. Hudson excused herself to leave but Lex asked her to stay and how could she ever say no to his requests? So, she'd sat back down on the couch, tried to ignore the conversation between the two Luthor men, and went back to reading.  
  
Not long after, when the conversation dwindled and Lex returned to his work, Hudson glanced up to find Lionel staring at her. Right at her. It really hadn't been a figment of her imagination - he'd been watching, and slightly smiling, twirling the half-filled glass of scotch in his hand. She'd only convinced herself to relax when, after making certain Lex wasn't paying any attention, she'd stuck her tongue out at his father. Lionel's expression hadn't changed, reassuring her that, yes, the man was still blind, and no, he hadn't been watching her. Still, it had been creepy and twice since then, the same situation occurred.  
  
The worst of it was, Lionel was now a fixture in the lives of the Kent family, almost as much as he was for Lex. It'd been two weeks since Hudson's mom accepted a position with LuthorCorp as Lionel's assistant, and peace had yet to return to her family. Her dad spent almost every waking hour working on the farm, as if attempting to forget his wife's absence and returning to the house in time for dinner too tired to talk. At first, Hudson looked at her mom's new job enthusiastically; she hoped that it would be the turning point that would cause her parents to accept the Luthors, and the change in her relationship with Lex. She quickly discovered though, that it just wasn't meant to be. While Martha Kent was more accepting, Jonathan Kent seemed even more opposed.  
  
Sighing, Hudson forced the thoughts of Lionel and her parents from her mind and kissed the shoulder beneath her cheek. Lex's near-flawless skin was dotted with freckles over his shoulders, a reminder of his red hair that fascinated her to no end. She enjoyed kissing each one and playing connect the dots. Only she quickly learned that Lex didn't enjoy that game when she used a real pen to do it. After that, he'd introduced her to body paints and Hudson couldn't imagine that there was anything more fun on earth than drawing smiley faces and bunny rabbits all over Lex Luthor's body. Well, other than having Lex draw dollar signs and cars all over hers. He'd even painted a perfect heart on her left hip. She was sad when he'd quickly licked it away. Well, at least for a short time, anyway.  
  
"Shouldn't you be gone?" Lex mumbled, half-asleep, before rolling over and pinning her to the bed with one carelessly draped leg.  
  
Hudson laughed softly. "Yes. Although, you've just made my getaway a little more difficult."  
  
"Mmmm." Lex buried his nose into her hair, breathing against her ear for a moment. His voice was muffled when he asked, "What time is it?"  
  
"Almost five."  
  
"You really should go, Angel."  
  
"I know."  
  
Neither of them moved.  
  
Seconds ticked by and Hudson frowned as she considered how much easier this would be if she were older and could stay with Lex all of the time. Of course, she had the feeling that even if she were thirty, her dad would find some kind of objection to voice. She just wished she could get them to accept the fact that she loved Lex, for good or bad.  
  
Even when he was snoring in her ear.  
  
She swallowed back the laughter that threatened and decided it was definitely time to get out of bed and head home. As gently as she could, she extricated herself from underneath him and slipped out from between the sheets. Gathering her clothes, she quietly dressed, casting occasional glances at Lex as he continued to sleep peacefully beneath the covers. He was still snoring, and it threatened to put her back to sleep - soft, even sounds that drew her into a slight lull. It was even better when she felt his warm breath blowing over her ear or cheek. It certainly beat getting out of bed to muck stalls and milk cows.  
  
Pulling on her jacket, Hudson walked back to the bed, leaning over to kiss Lex's cheek softly. He shifted a bit at her touch, causing her to smile before whispering, "See you later. I love you."  
  
Tucking the sheets up around his shoulders, Hudson turned and quietly exited the room, shutting the door behind her. She glanced at her watch; if she hurried, she would get home and start her chores just in time to make it look as if she got up early. No one would be the wiser. Smiling, she jogged down the steps and into the hall toward the main door.  
  
"H.C.?"  
  
Spinning around at the voice, Hudson's eyes widened in surprise as she came face to face with her mother, smartly dressed in a grey pantsuit, briefcase in her hand. "M-mom," Hudson stammered. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," her mom replied, eyes narrowing as she moved up to her daughter. "Lionel has an early meeting in Metropolis that I am accompanying him to. I doubt very much that you have the same excuse. Care to explain yourself, Hudson Clark Kent?"  
  
"I. er. " Hudson glanced around, hoping the roof would cave in or something but no such disaster was forthcoming. "Ummm. Lex called because he was having trouble sleeping and he wanted to talk. "  
  
Her mom's gaze narrowed further in obvious acknowledgement of the lie. Grabbing hold of Hudson's wrist, Martha turned and started up the staircase, dragging her daughter along behind her. "Lex! Lex Luthor! Get out here this minute!"  
  
Hudson flew into a panic. "Mom! Mom, don't! Please, I'll explain everything!"  
  
"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Her mom replied, stopping on the third floor just as Lex came bolting out of his bedroom, slipping on a lavender dress shirt hurriedly.  
  
"Mrs. Kent, is something. wrong. " He trailed off, staring at Hudson for a moment before his gaze moved back to Martha, his expression blank.  
  
Martha remained silent, glaring at Lex for a full minute before rounding on her daughter. "Hudson Kent, we trusted you! All your father and I have ever asked of you was to be honest with us. And this is what we get in return? Lies? Sneaking behind our backs?"  
  
"Mom, I. " Hudson couldn't think of anything to say in reply. She found it was kind of hard to breathe, with how fast her heart was beating. She glanced at Lex for help but his expression was no friendlier than that of her mother. In fact, he looked downright pissed off.  
  
"Care to explain yourself, Lex?" Martha demanded, ignoring Hudson. "Or have you forgotten that my daughter is only sixteen and still lives under the rules of her parents?"  
  
Lex swallowed and focused his gaze over Martha's shoulder. "No, Mrs. Kent. I haven't forgotten. Hudson," he cast her a quick look, "promised me that she would inform you as to the change in our relationship."  
  
"She did, did she?" Hudson shrank back from the gaze her mother focused on her. "Apparently, she forgot." Martha looked back at Lex. "But that still doesn't excuse you from allowing her to sneak over here, Lex! You are just as guilty as she is!"  
  
"Mom." Hudson broke in, situating herself between Lex and her mother. "It's not Lex's fault. I told him I'd be honest with you and. and I wasn't. Don't blame him."  
  
"Lex is the adult," Martha pointed out. "And as such, he's going to take his share of the responsibility."  
  
"But mom - "  
  
"Hudson!" Lex snapped, eyes flashing at her angrily as she turned to look at him. "Do not argue with your mother. Accept that you got caught and stop acting like a baby."  
  
And they were suddenly ganging up on her why?? Hudson glared back at Lex a moment before turning to her mother. "I'm sixteen now. You can't always tell me what to do."  
  
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. She watched as her mom straightened even further, somehow suddenly seeming much taller than Hudson could ever hope to be. She found herself wishing that the floor would just open up and swallow her whole. Never had she seen her mom appear so angry.  
  
"As long as you live under our roof we most certainly have every right to dictate the rules, young lady," Martha informed her daughter in a clipped tone. "And you'd better rethink that statement before we discuss this situation with your father. I doubt he'll be any more receptive of this sudden independence of yours!"  
  
Hudson was about to reply when the sound of approaching footsteps drew their attention down the hall. Lionel turned the corner, gaze trained forward, head slightly cocked as if listening. Beside her, Lex took a step forward, either in preparation to do battle or to protect her, Hudson wasn't certain.  
  
"Martha, is there a problem?" Lionel made his way carefully toward them, cane stretched out in front of him. "I heard loud voices."  
  
"Unfortunately there is, Lionel," Martha replied, hooking her purse over her shoulder as she flashed another quelling look at Lex and Hudson. "Apparently, your son has taken it upon himself to allow my sixteen-year old daughter to sneak out of the house and spend the night here. And who knows how long this has been going on!"  
  
Lionel pursed his lips and lifted his head slightly. "Is this true, Lex?"  
  
Hudson glanced at Lex as she felt him bristle beside her. It was just like her mom to get Lionel involved in this.  
  
"I don't see how this is any of your business, dad."  
  
"It is when it affects one of my employees," Lionel replied.  
  
Lex remained silent and expressionless.  
  
"We'll talk about this tonight when I get home, H.C.," Martha told her before turning to help Lionel down the stairs.  
  
Worrying her lower lip, Hudson watched her mother go before glancing up at Lex. He shot her a quick look before moving toward his room.  
  
"Lex, wait." She hurried in after him, sighing at the straight set of his shoulders. "Aren't you going to at least let me explain?"  
  
"Explain what, Hudson?" Lex demanded as he practically tore his shirt off in his anger, tossing it to the chair. "Are you going to explain this outrageous habit of lying that you've developed? Or why you think it's right to keep something as important as this from your parents?"  
  
"I was scared," she admitted, wringing her hands together nervously.  
  
Lex turned to look at her, frowning. "Yeah? Well, I was scared, too. Scared of attempting a relationship like this with a child. Apparently, my fears were justified."  
  
"I'm not a child!"  
  
"Really?" He walked over to her, eyes narrowing as he leaned in close. "Then why don't you stop fucking acting like one, Hudson, and grow up."  
  
Hudson looked away from Lex, fighting back the tears that stung her eyes. How was she supposed to explain to him that telling her dad that she was having sex with the son of Lionel Luthor was like signing her own death warrant? Or that lies were really all she had, all she'd ever had. Lying was becoming so easy for her that Hudson was beginning to fear if one day she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between reality and fabrication. Lex and her parents deserved better from her. But how was she supposed to balance the lies she was expected to tell, with the truths that everyone wanted to hear from her? What made it right to lie to Lex, and not to her mom and dad? She just didn't understand anymore.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered miserably.  
  
Lex grunted and moved away toward the bathroom, undoing his slacks. "I suppose you expect that to make everything better? An apology from Hudson Kent puts the world at rights again."  
  
"That's not fair." Hudson brought her gaze back to him, allowing the first stirrings of anger to sweep over the pain. "What else am I supposed to say?"  
  
Throwing the light switch on a little too hard, Lex turned back to her. "Has it even occurred to you that you're only seven months off from landing my ass in jail? Have you even once considered what I might be sacrificing for this relationship?"  
  
"But I am sixteen," Hudson argued. "And there's nothing my parents can do - "  
  
"Do you have any idea how hard I've fought for their respect and acceptance, Hudson?" Lex yelled, stalking toward her. "And now, with your lies, you've effectively sealed your parents' opinion of me completely. Thanks a lot," he told her flippantly. "I really fucking appreciate it."  
  
Hudson dropped her gaze as the wave of guilt engulfed her. It was true - she'd never really considered their relationship from Lex's point of view or what it might mean to him, both good and bad. Maybe she'd been too blinded by the whole idea of how in love with him she was, and that she didn't care what the consequences were, as long as she got to spend time with him. Obviously, Lex didn't see it in the same light. Was that what he meant by facing their relationship as an adult? Was there supposed to be something else beyond the simple joy she felt at being in his presence, having him touch and kiss and make love to her? Why anyone would possibly want there to be anything else was something Hudson didn't understand, and likely never would. If you loved someone the way she loved Lex, then nothing and no one else should matter. Love was sacrifice. Right?  
  
Lex was staring at her, expression unreadable though the anger he was feeling still flickered in his eyes. She kept wanting to reach out to him but knew that in doing so, she might possibly lose a limb. "I never meant to upset you," she commented quietly. "I just. I wanted to be with you."  
  
He looked read to yell at her again and Hudson fought back to the urge to cringe. A moment passed in silence, and she watched as Lex took a deep breath, shoulders relaxing a little. "You need to start considering the consequences of your actions, Hudson," he finally replied, voice calmer. "Not everything you say and do should be based on emotions."  
  
"But then I'd be like - " She stopped herself abruptly from saying 'you'. Her mouth fell open a little at the pained expression that flashed through his eyes.  
  
Lex set his jaw, shoulders tensing once more. He turned from her and started back toward the bathroom. "Go home, Hudson."  
  
Realizing it was futile to argue, especially when she'd likely only dig herself a deeper hole, Hudson waited as he slammed the door behind him before she left the room and made her way home.  
  
She didn't really want to go there. She wanted to run away. There was something completely impossible about facing both of her parents and Lex, having them all angry at her, especially when she had no idea what to do to make it better. Lex wouldn't accept her apologies and she doubted that her parents would either. She'd never seen her mother so angry. And she was afraid to imagine what her dad's anger would be like.  
  
Slowing as she neared the farm, Hudson stopped to watch as her dad moved from the barn toward the south pasture. She glanced back out toward the road, once more considering just not going home, but Lex's comment regarding her need to grow up echoed through her mind. If she was going to prove to him that she was grown up and could make mature decisions, then she needed to start doing so. Taking a deep breath, Hudson sped onto the farm, stopping when she reached the gate where her dad was headed with a bag of feed over his shoulder.  
  
Jonathan glanced up at her and smiled in greeting. "Good morning, sunshine. Did you wake up when your mom did?"  
  
Hudson swallowed and shook her head. "No, I. " She trailed off as her dad came to a stop in front of her, frowning a little.  
  
"Where have you been?"  
  
"At Lex's," she admitted quickly. As her dad's frown deepened, she added, "All night."  
  
Jonathan's shoulders slumped with her words and Hudson had trouble not bursting into tears at the look he flashed her. Disappointment. Not anger, not sorrow, not resignation. Just disappointment. And she couldn't remember the last time he'd looked at her like that.  
  
"I see." He moved past her, toward the barn.  
  
"Dad." She hurried after him. "Dad, please talk to me."  
  
"There's nothing to talk about, H.C.," he snapped, walking past the barn toward the chicken coop. "Besides, I've got work to do."  
  
"But - "  
  
"Go get ready for school."  
  
"I have chores." She stopped, feeling miserable, staring after her dad as he continued on his way.  
  
"I'll do them," he replied before disappearing behind the coop.  
  
Hudson silently remained where she stood. The full extent of how angry the people she cared most about were with her finally seemed to hit. Her dad didn't want to talk to her, Lex didn't want to talk to her, her mom seemed more than willing to talk - or yell - but she had to go to work. Now there was nothing left to do but wait. And waiting meant dwelling on what was to come, which would only make the inevitable 'Talk' that much more frightening to contemplate.  
  
She really did want to run away.  
  
***  
  
"Hey, what's up with the long face?"  
  
Hudson glanced to her right as Lana walked up beside her in the hall. "Oh. nothing. Just thinking about things."  
  
"Oh? Must be some pretty dire thoughts. What's wrong?" Lana continued to stare intently at her as they stopped beside her locker.  
  
"Everything."  
  
Though frowning a little at her reply, Lana flashed her an amused smile. "That's dramatic. How could 'everything' be wrong? What happened?"  
  
Worrying her lower lip, Hudson glanced over her shoulder to make certain no one was listening before leaning closer to Lana. "This morning, mom caught me coming out of Lex's bedroom. She and dad know that. well, that Lex and I have been. that we're -"  
  
"You're having sex and you didn't tell me!" Lana exclaimed, slapping Hudson's shoulder. She winced the instant she did so, shaking her hand painfully as she glared at her friend.  
  
"Shhhh!! Tell the world, why don't you?" She admonished, casting another look around the corridor. Only a few students were milling about, and they seemed deeply engrossed in their own conversations.  
  
"I can't believe you didn't tell me." Her friend pouted.  
  
Hudson shook her head. "Why is it suddenly necessary for me to tell every living, breathing person business that only matters to Lex and me?"  
  
"You don't need to tell everyone, H.C. Just those of us who care about you." She leaned back against the lockers, silent as she seemed lost in her thoughts for a moment. Finally, she commented, "I'm sure your parents are just worried about you. They'll calm down once they realize Lex won't hurt you."  
  
"That's just the thing. I don't understand what they're so uptight about. Lex can't hurt me," Hudson remarked, dropping her voice to a whisper. "No one can. It's one of the reasons they've never really forced a curfew on me - because they know that unless I've run into a pile of meteor rock, I'm fine. But suddenly with Lex there are all of these stupid rules and guidelines I have to follow."  
  
"It's probably just because you're their little girl and you're growing up." Lana shrugged. "I doubt it has anything to do with Lex. They'd be acting this way no matter who you were with. Although, the fact that Lex is so much older than you probably adds a little more caution to their approach."  
  
"But why?"  
  
Another shrug. "No idea, hon. Adults have this whole hang up with age. Maybe they're just longing for their own youth or something."  
  
Hudson sighed but remained silent.  
  
"I'd better go. Jeni's sick so I have to cover her shift for her today at the Talon." Lana started off then stopped to reach out and touch her friend's arm. "Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"Yeah." Hudson flashed her a quick smile.  
  
"Call me if you need anything. Or stop by if you just want to hide out," Lana told her as she disappeared into the mass exodus of students.  
  
"I might do that," Hudson called out with a brief smile before turning back to her locker.  
  
Once she had the books she needed, she slammed the locker door shut, jumping slightly when she discovered a red-headed woman standing on the other side of the door.  
  
"Hello, Hudson."  
  
Smiling slightly in greeting, Hudson stared at the woman in confusion for a moment before asking, "Do we know each other?"  
  
The woman glanced away at the question, a hint of sorrow reflected in her eyes. "No." Then she looked back up and a smile suddenly bloomed across her face. "Well. yes."  
  
Hudson was having trouble deciding which of them was the most confused. She raised her eyebrows a little at the strange reply, waiting for an explanation.  
  
"Hudson, I'm your mother."  
  
Well, that hadn't been the answer she was expecting. Blinking, she peered over her shoulder down the now empty hall, wondering if this wasn't some sick trick one of her friends was playing on her. She looked through the corners of the walls and into a few of the classrooms, but no one was hiding out with a camera. Finally, she turned back to the woman in front of her.  
  
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but there must be some mistake. I - "  
  
"It's okay, Hudson." She reached out and touched her arm, eyes drifting to Hudson's sleeve, which she petted gently in silence. Raising her eyes, she added, "I've shocked you. It's just going to take you some time to get used to the idea."  
  
Hudson opened her mouth to reply but couldn't think of a word to say.  
  
"My name is Rachel. Rachel Dunleavy." She touched Hudson's hair, eyes misting slightly as she stared at it.  
  
Stepping back, Hudson flashed another tentative smile. "I'm sorry, Miss Dunleavy, but I'm sure you have me confused with somebody else. I. I have to get home now."  
  
"No. No, I'm not confused." Rachel hurried after her as Hudson moved down the hall. She followed alongside, still looking up at her with a brilliant smile. "I wasn't allowed to keep you, you see." She shook her head sadly. "I didn't even get to look at you or hold you when you were born. That bastard - "  
  
Hudson looked over at Rachel, eyes widening at the vehemence she heard in the woman's voice. "Ma'am. "  
  
Another smile. "I'm sorry, Hudson. It was a difficult time period in my life. You're father wouldn't let me keep you, no matter how much I wanted to. He didn't want to run his marriage. Please don't think of me as a bad person." She took Hudson's hand in hers and squeezed it. "I thought he loved me. But I should have realized that Lionel Luthor loves no one but himself."  
  
Lionel Luthor?!  
  
"Miss Dunleavy. I really am sorry for whatever you've been through, but I'm not - "  
  
"Oh, but you are!" Rachel moved in front of the school doors before Hudson could exit through them. She reached up to touch Hudson's face, running her fingers over her cheek, eyes filled with wonder. "I never even knew if you were a girl or a boy. He never even gave me that much. You've grown up to be so beautiful. So much like your father."  
  
She was like Lionel Luthor?? Hudson tried very hard not to be too offended by that remark. Shaking her head with impatience, Hudson asked, "Excuse me for asking, ma'am, but if you don't know the sex of your child, then how can you be so certain I'm your daughter?"  
  
"Because I found out that Lionel set up the adoption through Metropolis United Charities, and yours is the only adoption that went through that organization." She stared up at Hudson for a moment, smiling softly. "If you were a boy, I wanted to name you Lucas. And a girl. Lucinda."  
  
Lucinda? Good god!!  
  
"I really have to get home, ma'am." Hudson moved around her and pushed through the doors.  
  
"Hudson. Wait." Rachel caught up to her at the bottom of the stairs. She pressed a piece of paper into her hand. "Here's my number. I've just purchased a house here in Smallville so we can get together whenever you would like."  
  
"A house?" Hudson stared down at the woman in shock. This was serious. She needed to get home and warn her parents. "Miss Dunleavy - "  
  
A honk interrupted her and Hudson looked up to see one of Lex's Porsches parked in front of the school. Well, that was unexpected.  
  
"There's my. friend. I have to go." She hurried past the woman toward his car.  
  
"Call me!" Rachel called out to her in a voice tinged with excitement.  
  
Sighing in relief, Hudson pulled open the car door and slid inside. Avoiding any chance of looking out the window, she glanced over at Lex. "I'm surprised to see you here, considering. "  
  
Ignoring her comment, Lex nodded out the window. "Who was that woman?"  
  
"Huh? Oh. No one. She had me mistaken for someone else."  
  
Hudson leaned back in her seat, peering out of the corner of her eye to see Rachel headed into the parking lot toward her car. This really wasn't the time to get into the whole adoption thing with Lex. Besides, Lionel Luthor?? She just really didn't know what to think of that one. And she really didn't want to be the one to blurt out 'Hey, Lex! Did you know your dad was having an affair?'  
  
"Ummm. so. "  
  
"I'm very angry with you, Hudson Kent."  
  
There was the Lex she was expecting. She couldn't contain her smile. "But?" She prodded, knowing he never offered the full truth so quickly.  
  
He looked over at her, and the hint of a smile flashed in his gaze. "But, we're both at fault. I should have insisted you tell your parents the truth. I should have gone to them with you. Instead, I was hiding just as much as you were."  
  
Relief at the fact that something seemed to be going right today flooded through her. She leaned over to hug him but Lex pulled back and shook his head, causing her to pause.  
  
"I said we're both at fault, but that doesn't mean I'm any less angry at you, Hudson."  
  
"Lex - "  
  
"We're going to go and talk to your parents together. And whatever decision they make regarding our relationship, we're going to uphold. Do you understand?"  
  
"But that's - "  
  
"Not fair?" Lex finished for her, putting the car into gear and pulling out of the parking lot. "You really need to find something new to whine about."  
  
"They have no right to dictate our relationship." She pouted, folding her arms over her chest.  
  
"As your parents they have every right." He glanced over at her once before focusing his eyes on the road ahead. "Look, Angel, I want to be with you, too. But you've got to understand that there are rules to life, and one of those is that while you are young, and under your parents' care, you have to do as they say. Give them the respect they deserve for raising you."  
  
"You never talk about your dad this way."  
  
"That's because he didn't raise me," Lex snapped. "Hudson, your parents care about you. And they have every right to be worried about what's going on in your life."  
  
As much as she hated to admit it, Lex was right. And she really hated to admit it. Sighing, she turned her attention out the window, ignoring for the moment that she wished Lex were the type to say to hell with responsibility and just drive. Somewhere. Anywhere. She would love nothing more than to just go away with him and leave all of the issues of growing up behind. And that included being an alien with no past who suddenly had a woman showing up in town claiming to be her mother. With Lex going home with her, there would be no telling her parents about the encounter until later that evening. So first with the unpleasantness, and then on to the next unpleasantness.  
  
When they pulled into her parents' farm, her dad was outside, loading the grain sacks into the truck for the evening feeding. He stopped as the Porsche approached, frowning at the car as he turned toward it, removing his gloves. A fleeting image of her dad punching Lex the way he did her grandfather flashed through Hudson's mind but she quickly pushed the thought away as she climbed out of the car.  
  
"Mr. Kent," Lex was already calling out in greeting while she grabbed her backpack and shut the door.  
  
"Lex." Jonathan nodded at him, brow furrowing a little deeper.  
  
Hudson moved up beside Lex. She wanted to take his hand, but noted that he had both firmly shoved into the pockets of his coat. "Hi, dad," she greeted, smiling until he fixed his gaze on her.  
  
The disappointment was still there. Tinged with a flash of anger.  
  
Swallowing, she shifted uncomfortably. "Is mom home?"  
  
He nodded. "She's waiting for you inside." Jonathan looked over at Lex. "Lex, I think we would prefer that you stay out of this."  
  
"I can't, Mr. Kent," Lex replied, inclining his head toward Hudson. "We're both responsible for the situation and I - "  
  
"Situation?" Jonathan stepped closer to Lex. "You call sleeping with my daughter - a young, impressionable teenager that I trusted you enough to date - a 'situation'?"  
  
"Dad - " Hudson began.  
  
"Stay out of this, H.C.," her dad cut her off, flashing her an angry look. "In fact, go inside. I'll be there in a moment."  
  
She glanced in concern at Lex. He wasn't looking at her, attention focused fully on the furious man in front of him. Lex can take care of himself, she thought silently, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate her intervention. It would likely only fuel his irritation with her. Instead, she simply reached out and touched his arm before turning and hurrying inside.  
  
Closing the backdoor behind her, Hudson immediately turned around and peered out through the window, watching as her dad yelled and gestured wildly with his hands. He never made any threatening moves toward Lex and that, at least, was a small comfort. Lex remained silent throughout the tirade, expression registering very little reaction. When it seemed her dad was finally done, or at least taking a moment to gather his breath, Lex finally spoke. Hudson found herself wishing she had super-hearing or something so she knew what he was saying. He was stoic as ever as he spoke, never removing his hands from his coat. In front of him, Jonathan frowned, rolled his eyes a few times, shook his head once or twice then finally grew still, brow continually furrowed.  
  
What the hell was going on out there?  
  
"Should we add eavesdropping to your list of infractions, young lady?"  
  
Hudson jumped at her mom's voice, turning quickly to flash a guilty smile. "It's. not like I can hear them or anything. I just. well, I wanted to. "  
  
"Make certain your father doesn't hit Lex?" Martha asked as she waved Hudson away from the door. "Don't worry, H.C. Your father and I are both well aware of who is to carry the full weight of the blame."  
  
Grimacing, Hudson glanced back toward the door. "Then what is he doing out there?"  
  
"Hopefully explaining our position." Martha crossed the kitchen, opening and closing cabinet doors a little harder than usual. She looked over her shoulder at Hudson. "I can't believe you'd have so little regard for your own parents, Hudson Kent."  
  
"I. " Hudson slipped onto one of the bar stools, not knowing what to say. Deciding that changing the subject would be prudent at the moment, she asked, "I thought you were in Metropolis?"  
  
Her mom flashed her a look that told her she knew exactly what she was trying to do. "After the meeting, Lionel felt that I had family problems to attend to that were more prudent than filling out paperwork. So not only has your behavior disrupted this family, it's interfering with my ability to do my job as well!"  
  
"I'm sorry, mom," she responded quietly, dropping her gaze to the countertop.  
  
"Are you, Hudson?" Martha set down the platter she was holding and turned to regard her daughter. "Are you truly sorry? Or are you just sorry for being caught?"  
  
Worrying her lower lip, Hudson looked away, eyes darting to the kitchen door as it swung open. Her father entered, glancing at Martha for a moment before his gaze settled on Hudson. She peered over his shoulder, looking for Lex, only to hear the roar of an engine cut through the silence, and the unmistakable sounds of tires moving down the gravel driveway.  
  
"Did you send Lex home?" Hudson jumped to her feet, prepared to go after him.  
  
"Sit down, H.C.," her father barked, slapping his gloves on to the kitchen counter. "You will see Lex when this situation is cleared up, and not a moment before."  
  
Opening her mouth to argue, Hudson quickly thought better of it and slid back into her seat. At least there was no mention of never seeing Lex again.  
  
Yet.  
  
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?" Jonathan moved over to the table and stood there, staring down at her, giving her one of those 'I've never been this disappointed in you' looks.  
  
"I. I don't know." Hudson kicked gently at the table leg. "What do you want me to say?"  
  
"I'd like an explanation as to why you felt it necessary to lie to us? Why you feel you have the right to sneak behind our backs when you know perfectly well you had a curfew regarding the time you spend at Lex's place for a specific reason?"  
  
"Because I knew you were going to react like this if I told you the truth."  
  
"React like what, Hudson Kent?" Jonathan demanded. "Have your mother or I said anything regarding your relationship with Lex?"  
  
No, they hadn't. Hudson glanced toward her mom before returning her gaze to her dad. She shifted slightly in her seat and looked away. "No."  
  
"No. Because what upsets us more than anything is that you chose to lie to us. How are we supposed to protect you when we don't even know what's going on in your life?"  
  
"I don't need your protection," she replied. "Especially not from Lex."  
  
Jonathan threw up his hands in frustration and turned away from the table. Shaking her head, Martha moved over to take his place.  
  
"Hudson, this isn't about Lex. This is about our family being honest with one another. About not keeping secrets. About - "  
  
"I don't understand!" Jumping to her feet, Hudson glared angrily at her parents. "I'm expected to lie to everyone else, to keep secrets from everyone else, including the man I love, and yet I'm supposed to tell you everything that happens in my life?! Where does the hypocrisy end? Fuck!"  
  
"Hudson Kent, you will not use that language in this house!" Jonathan snapped.  
  
"Sorry." She dropped back into her seat, folding her arms over her chest defensively.  
  
With a heavy sigh, her mom sat down beside her and touched her arm. "H.C., I know it's difficult. Everything in your life is just a little more complicated because of what you are. And that makes everything for your father and I just a little more complicated as well. We know Lex isn't going to hurt you. But we also know that there are people in Lex's life who would. And the closer you get to Lex, the more you are around him, the bigger the chance for you to slip up, to let the truth out."  
  
"We're not saying we're pleased that you have to continue to lie to Lex, honey," Jonathan adds, slipping his hand on to her shoulder. "But some things are necessary at the moment. You're young. Lex is still young. He is still very much under the watchful guise of Lionel, whether the man can see or not. The fact that Lionel is living with Lex only makes it that much more dangerous for you."  
  
Hudson blinked up at her parents. "You. you mean, you're not upset that we're having sex?"  
  
Martha and Jonathan glanced at one another before her dad replied, "We're not happy about it, H.C., but we've come to terms with the fact that we couldn't keep it from happening."  
  
"Your father has come to terms with it." Martha smiled. "I've been expecting it. But, Hudson, we would have preferred you told us. There are so many questions that this change in your relationship has caused. What about pregnancy?"  
  
"We always use condoms," Hudson replied with a nod.  
  
Her dad groaned behind her. "I don't think I want to hear any of this."  
  
"Jonathan, we wanted her to be honest about this. So we need to hear all of it." Turning her gaze back to her daughter, Martha asked, "Has a question of you going on The Pill come up?"  
  
"No," Hudson replied slowly. "But, I thought, if it does, I can use some excuse like you and dad are against it, for whatever reason."  
  
"More lies, Hudson?"  
  
She shifted in her seat again and dropped her gaze to the table. "I. I'd like to be able to tell him the truth." She darted a gaze toward her parents. "All of it."  
  
Heaving a heavy sigh, Jonathan walked across the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a beer. Martha remained silent in her seat, smoothing wrinkles from the kitchen towel in her hands. Silence settled over the room, with only the monotonous ticking of the grandfather clock from the hallway to break it. Hudson waited silently for someone to say something. A 'yes' or a 'no' or a 'maybe we'll talk about it later'. Anything. Instead, the silence continued and neither of her parents seemed willing to look at her.  
  
"Well?" She prodded after the silence lasted too long.  
  
Her parents glanced at one another again. Finally, her mom replied, "Hudson, if you make the decision to tell Lex the truth, there is nothing your father and I can say or do to stop you."  
  
"But we do want you to be certain about this," her dad added, playing with the cap from his beer. "Once you tell him, there's no going back. Remember what happened to Lana? I just want you to be certain that you're telling him for the right reasons. That it isn't simply because you're tired of the responsibility. That you're tired of being careful. That you're tired of the lies." He held her gaze. "By telling Lex, you free yourself from the lies, but you force him to take on that responsibility for you. Are you prepared to do that to him?"  
  
Well, when he put it like that. Hudson remained silent.  
  
"Honey." Martha touched her hand. "You both have a lot of life ahead of you. If this relationship is truly meant to be, then someday, when you're truly ready to share, the truth will come out. And Lex will understand. And you will work together to keep your secret safe. Your father and I just want you to trust your instincts on this matter."  
  
Nodding, Hudson fingered the placemat in front of her for a few moments before casually asking, "So does this mean everything's okay?"  
  
"You still lied to us, H.C., and you're going to have to face punishment for that," her dad told her, pointing a finger. "For the next two weeks I want you home immediately after school every day. You will do your chores, you will have dinner, you will do your homework and you will go to bed. You will not see Lex or your friends. On the weekends you will help me make repairs around the farm --"  
  
"But - " Hudson was about to argue but a quick look from both her parents quelled that quickly.  
  
"And," her dad continued. "For the next two months, the only time you will be allowed to go to Lex's is for deliveries or with our express permission and timeframe. If your mother or I catch you sneaking out again, we're going to have to rethink this relationship we've allowed you to continue with. Is that understood?"  
  
Hudson stared in shock from one to the other for a long moment. She'd never been so confined in her life. This wasn't fair! But she knew if she argued, it would only get worse. For now, she would have to keep her cool and do as they said and maybe they would be lenient for 'time served' or something.  
  
"And please, please try to be more honest and up front with us in the future," her mom added.  
  
Honest. Hell. She almost forgot. Sitting up a little straighter in her chair, Hudson told them, "A woman approached me after school today. She. she said she was my mother."  
  
"What?" Martha glanced sharply at her husband who moved away from the counter by the sink to join them at the table. "But that's impossible."  
  
"I know." Hudson sighed and shook her head. "I told her she was mistaken but she insisted. What's more is. well. " She let out a deep breath and tried again. "Apparently, Lionel Luthor is. supposed to be my dad." Her gaze flickered to her parents.  
  
Jonathan let out a low breath but didn't say anything as he scowled at his beer.  
  
"She's not your mother, Hudson," her mom reiterated. "And Lionel most certainly isn't - "  
  
"I know. That's what I told her. She said I probably just need time to get used to the idea." Reaching into her pocket, Hudson pulled out the slip of paper and slid it onto the table. "She gave me her cell number. told me to call her if I wanted to talk again."  
  
Her dad grabbed the paper up, frowning at the numbers. "H.C., I don't want you to have anything to do with this woman."  
  
"She's going to be hard to avoid," Hudson replied, studying her nails. "She said she just bought a house in Smallville."  
  
Her mom's eyes widened as she shot a look across the table at Jonathan.  
  
Hudson glanced at her parents. "She also said that the agency that handled the adoption was Metropolis United Charities. That's the same place Chloe told me about."  
  
More silence from her parents.  
  
Growing a little angry, Hudson pressed, "I thought the only adoption they handled was mine."  
  
Another look between her parents.  
  
"So did I," her dad answered hesitantly.  
  
"Dad." Hudson reached across the table to get his attention. "Tell me what happened back then."  
  
"That's not important right now," Martha broke in, rising to her feet.  
  
"Your mother's right. What we need to do is get this woman to back off." He stood as well, shoving the piece of paper into his pocket and heading toward the kitchen door. "We don't want her making people curious about where you came from."  
  
Hudson watched as her mom hurried back into the kitchen to begin dinner and her dad slipped out the door to go back to his chores. Frustration quickly mounted within her at their continual silence.  
  
She was supposed to be honest with them and yet they couldn't be honest with her?  
  
***  
  
The next morning between classes, Hudson ducked into the Torch office, determined to see if she could find any information on this Rachel Dunleavy. Chloe was always telling her that the best place to begin searching for information was on the internet and that was where she would begin.  
  
Chloe's computer was blessedly already signed in. Hudson opened up the browser then, out of habit, clicked open AIM as well. She typed 'Rachel Dunleavy' into Google and began glancing through the options. There wasn't much listed that pertained to the woman claiming to be her mother. Unwilling to give up on the first try though, she continued to look until a message window opened.  
  
Spyder_21: You there?  
  
Smiling with pleasure at Lex's unexpected appearance, Hudson replied:  
  
Farmgirl86: Yeah. Just researching something. Are you at work?  
  
Spyder_21: Yeah. How'd things go last night?  
  
Farmgirl86: Meh. I'm grounded for two weeks.  
  
Spyder_21: Only two? That's surprising.  
  
Farmgirl86: That's what I thought. What did my dad say to you?  
  
Spyder_21: Just guy stuff. Don't worry about it.  
  
Farmgirl86: Are you still pissed at me?  
  
Spyder_21: What do you think??  
  
Farmgirl86: You're talking to me. That has to be a good sign.  
  
Spyder_21: Hmm.  
  
Farmgirl86: Do you think you'll stop being mad at me in two weeks??  
  
Spyder_21: Maybe.  
  
Farmgirl86: *sigh*  
  
Spyder_21: I have to run.  
  
Hudson sighed out loud at the message. She hoped he really had a reason to go and not just because he didn't want to talk to her anymore. Then again, he was the one who sent the first message. She typed:  
  
Farmgirl86: I love you.  
  
Spyder_21: ( See you later, Angel.  
  
Spyder_21 signed off at 10:21AM.  
  
"Goodbye," Hudson said softly to the screen before closing AIM.  
  
Realizing she wasn't going to find much of consequence, she closed the browser and was about to shut down the computer when she glanced at Chloe's email window. Frowning slightly, she maximized the screen, eyes widening as she counted half a dozen emails sent from 'Rachel Dunleavy'. Lips parting slightly, she clicked open the first and began to read through conversations between Rachel and Chloe regarding her adoption.  
  
Damn Chloe! Hudson couldn't believe her friend could do this to her - that she could pry so deeply into her life when she'd already been warned once about doing so. Why couldn't people just leave well enough alone? What made Chloe so determined to know every little facet of her life?  
  
"Sure H.C., you can use my computer." Chloe's voice suddenly rang out across the room as she walked through the Torch door. She teased, "Knock yourself out."  
  
Reining in her temper, Hudson glanced down at her hands for a moment, staring at the chipped nail on her index finger. Chloe moved past her, setting her books down on the edge of the desk before flashing a smile at her friend.  
  
Looking up, Hudson instantly accused, "You've been getting emails from Rachel Dunleavy."  
  
Chloe blinked, staring at her in shock. "You've been reading my emails?"  
  
Ignoring the question, Hudson countered with, "You promised me you'd stop digging into my adoption."  
  
"Wh..." Chloe began, her tone and expression displaying her confusion. "All I did was post a few notices on adoption websites, to see if I could get some hits." She waved toward the computer, admitting, "This Dunleavy woman responded."  
  
Dammit. It was bad enough that Lex used to always dig into her life, trying to learn things that she wasn't ready yet to admit to him. He backs off and Chloe starts in again. Would her entire life be spent trying to bury what others dig up?  
  
Jumping to her feet, Hudson shoved the chair back angrily into the desk before rounding on Chloe, who flinched in response. "Oh, so you said 'Why don't you check out my buddy H.C.? She may be your daughter!'"  
  
Chloe shook her head, eyes wide with fear. "You have to believe me...I didn't tell her anything about you, Hudson."  
  
"So it's just a coincidence she shows up in Smallville claiming to be my mom?" Hudson snapped in sarcasm.  
  
Pausing, Chloe stared up at her, obviously amazed by the news. "She's here?"  
  
The happiness in her voice was unmistakable. Hudson frowned at the realization.  
  
"Hudson, what makes you so sure that she's not the real thing?" She asked, practically bouncing at the thought.  
  
How could she possibly be so happy about this? Hudson wondered, staring at her friend in disbelief. Maybe it was just really exciting to get involved in someone else's life where you know you aren't wanted.  
  
Frowning as her anger grew, Hudson snapped, "I am not giving you an exclusive on my life!"  
  
Chloe seemed to ignore her, following as Hudson started around the desk. "You're not even curious that she might be your biological mom?"  
  
Whirling around angrily, Hudson growled, "Why are you so obsessed about my mother? Do I ask you questions about yours?"  
  
Pain flashed across Chloe's face at the mention of her own mother. Quickly, her body tensed and she glanced down to the floor. "No, I guess not."  
  
"Yeah, that's because she hasn't shown her face in your life in years!" Hudson yelled back at her as she leaned forward, closer to Chloe's face. "If you want to find somebody's mother, find your own!"  
  
Glaring at her friend a moment longer, Hudson spun around, heading for the door.  
  
Tears appeared in Chloe's eyes as she watched her friend start to leave. "I know where she is, Hudson! The difference is, she's not interested in me."  
  
Hudson stopped at her words, guilt suffusing her that maybe she went a step too far. But she wasn't going to back down on this - Chloe had no right to interfere. And now there was this strange woman trying to push her way into Hudson's life, even though she didn't belong there. The complications this situation would cause were too numerous to count. Chloe would never understand that, though. And with her continuing need to pry, Hudson knew that she would likely never allow her to understand.  
  
Shaking her head slightly, Hudson continued to the door when Chloe called out to her. The pain and tears in her friend's voice was almost too much but she remained with her back to Chloe, prepared to charge out of the office.  
  
"Since you'll probably never speak to me again, there's something you might want to know," Chloe cried behind her. "Metropolis United Charities was founded by Lionel Luthor."  
  
Eyes widening slightly, Hudson pondered the information for a brief moment before she continued out the door. Stopping, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Why was it so difficult for her and Chloe to just be friends lately? God, she shouldn't have said what she did but anger had caused her to speak without thinking. Deep inside, Hudson knew how much the disappearance of Chloe's mother hurt her, and still she never said anything, never carried on about it or expected others to give her comfort. And here Hudson just threw it in her face like it meant nothing. She contemplated going in to apologize but quickly changed her mind. Chloe had overstepped her bounds and she should be the one asking for forgiveness.  
  
Opening her eyes, Hudson pushed away from the wall and headed down the corridor. She had just enough time to get home and ask for an explanation from her parents about what role Lionel Luthor really played in her life.  
  
***  
  
When it rains it pours.  
  
Jonathan just began accepting the fact that his innocent little girl wasn't so innocent anymore when he suddenly was forced to deal with this woman claiming to be her biological mother. He couldn't really decide which was worse - the knowledge that his daughter was sleeping with Lex Luthor, or the idea of someone as amazing as Hudson being the biological child of Lionel Luthor. Neither thought was very appealing, but one was fact, and one was fiction, and it was easier to deal with fiction when fact just made him want to wrap his hands around Lex Luthor's scrawny neck and --  
  
"H.C.?"  
  
Jonathan turned at Martha's surprised tone to see their daughter standing behind them, backpack clutched in her hand, brow furrowed. Pulling another feed bag off the back of the pickup, he nodded toward the load, figuring if Hudson was there, she might as well help out.  
  
"Grab a sack, H.C."  
  
Ignoring him, she told them both angrily, "I just found out that Lionel Luthor was the one who founded Metropolis United Charities." Her gaze flashed between her parents. "Why was he involved in my adoption?"  
  
Jonathan froze, bag slung over his shoulder, as he glanced over at his wife. Damn that Dunleavy woman. This entire mess was bringing up questions and situations he would rather not explain. Especially to Hudson. There were some things in life he preferred his daughter never knew.  
  
"Would somebody tell me what is going on?" Hudson demanded in frustration after the silence continued.  
  
"Jonathan," Martha said softly. "She needs to know."  
  
Sighing, Jonathan tossed the bag of feed to the ground and turned to his daughter. "Alright," he began in resignation. "It was the day of the meteor shower, when I realized that nothing was going to be normal around here again."  
  
They were headed back toward the farm, after running a few errands in town, when the first of the meteors struck. The one coming toward them streaked through the air, slamming into the 'Welcome to Smallville' sign, causing both Jonathan and Martha to turn and look over their shoulders.  
  
"What's happening, Jonathan?" Martha gasped beside him.  
  
Unable to reply with any kind of educated guess, Jonathan turned back to look at the road just in time to see another missile of sorts flash across the road in front of them and into the field on their right. Smoke and flames rose up before them as Jonathan threw his foot down on the break, attempting to stop before they reached the inexplicable explosion. Too close to stop in time, the truck sailed through the thick black smoke, obscuring all visibility. Seconds later, as he lost control of the truck, Jonathan reached out for Martha, briefly attempting to recall whether or not she put on her seatbelt before they left tow,n as he felt the truck teeter and finally flip over. The back of his head crashed into the window behind him, and darkness clouded his thoughts.  
  
A few minutes later, the darkness slowly became opaque and finally clear. Jonathan blinked against the sharp pain echoing through his head as he carefully turned his head to glance at his wife. Relief swept through him as he realized she was wearing her seatbelt, suspended upside down as he was, her tulips scattered over the roof of the truck beneath them. She moaned softly, touching her head, signaling that she likely had the same headache he did. Wondering what the hell had happened, Jonathan glanced through the window, staring at the scorched ground around them. The scent of burnt earth and corn wafted through the open windows of the cab.  
  
Hearing a soft scraping sound, Jonathan craned his head further to the right, blinking in shock to see a small pair of bare feet moving toward them. Wondering if he might have hit his head harder than he thought, he called out to his wife for confirmation of what he was seeing.  
  
"Martha?"  
  
Unable to tear his eyes away from the sight, Jonathan simply listened to the astonished gasp from his wife that alerted him to the fact that he wasn't seeing things. Outside, a naked little dark-haired girl, maybe three or four-years old, crouched down beside the window and peered inside the cab of the truck. She immediately offered them an enormous, friendly grin. It was when she dropped to her knees and began the attempt to crawl in through the window that Jonathan finally moved into action, unbuckling his seatbelt and falling onto the roof. The little girl giggled at the action, sitting back as he pushed the door open, stared at her another moment, then reached back inside to help Martha.  
  
"Who is she?" Martha asked, crawling out of the cab and holding her hand out to the child.  
  
Without the slightest hint of fear, the little girl walked right to her and wrapped her arms around Martha's neck.  
  
"Oh, Jonathan! Isn't she the sweetest thing?"  
  
Frowning for a moment at his wife, Jonathan reached back into the cab to pull out a blanket from behind the seat. He handed it to her, watching as Martha carefully wrapped the child inside of it. Sighing, he glanced back toward the dark swath cut into the ground, eyes lingering over the gaping hole from which smoke still spewed.  
  
"I wonder where her parents are?" He mused, starting down the still smoking path.  
  
"Who says she has any?" Martha stood, lifting the girl into her arms, and followed him. "What kind of people would leave a child naked and alone in the middle of a field?"  
  
Jonathan huffed a little. He could already see where this was leading, and it would only end in more heartache for his wife if he didn't stop it now. "Kids don't just fall out of the sky, Martha."  
  
"Then where did she come from?"  
  
"I don't know. But she must have parents."  
  
He came to an abrupt halt, disbelief sweeping over him as he stared down into the hole in front of him, barely noticing as Martha came up beside him.  
  
In her own unique brand of humor, his wife commented, "Well, if she does, they're definitely not from Kansas."  
  
While part of him flatly refused to believe that the object in front of them was indeed a spaceship, every other part of him acknowledged quite readily that there was no other explanation. The fire and smoke, the damaged ground, the naked child who was even now smiling and pointing at the ship below them like a treasured toy.  
  
This was impossible. All of it.  
  
Turning his gaze to his wife, he watched as she kissed the little girl's cheek and hugged her tightly. He sighed. "Sweetheart, we can't keep her. What are we going to tell people - we found her out in a field?"  
  
They might as well say they found her in a cabbage patch.  
  
Martha shook her head and gazed at the child. She pressed her nose into the dark hair and replied, "We didn't find her. She found us."  
  
After situating Martha and the child back beside the overturned truck, Jonathan went in search of someone to either help them turn the truck back over, or provide them with another form of transportation. He still wasn't certain what he was going to do with the. ship. He certainly couldn't leave it there, could he? Someone would find it and take and it belonged to the little girl sitting with Martha and maybe her parents would want it back -  
  
"Okay, Jonathan Kent, get a hold of yourself or you're going to start envisioning alien invasions," he muttered as he jogged along the shoulder of the road, searching for traffic.  
  
Nothing. He could hear distant explosions, sirens. It seemed like the entire world was coming to an end. Maybe it was an alien invasion.  
  
Yeah, and they sent an army of toddlers to 'cute' us all to death.  
  
Realizing he was thinking about it too hard, Jonathan focused once more on the here and now. He had to find them a way to get home. Glancing across the road, he recognized the pickup truck sitting on the other side. Waiting for a fire truck to zoom past him, he hurried across to the blue flatbed, stopping beside the door to peer in the window. Frowning, he pulled the door open to find a longtime friend laying against the steering wheel, unmoving.  
  
"Teddy!" He called out, gently grabbing the man's shoulders and leaning him back against the seat. He felt for a pulse, finding nothing.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the tiny hole in the window, directly in line with Teddy's forehead. Closing his eyes a moment as he collected himself and fought back the tears of frustration over the death of his friend, Jonathan stepped back and took a deep breath. In control once more, he leaned back in and carefully pulled Teddy out of his seat, hefting him over his shoulder and carrying him to the side of the road. Moving into the weeds, he laid the man down on the ground and forced himself to turn around and walk away before he considered what he was doing for too long. As soon as he got Martha back to the farm, he would come back for Teddy and take his body to the hospital.  
  
Martha was pacing near the side of the road with the little girl still in her arms when he drove up. She turned and watched, gaze curious as he pulled up beside her and turned off the truck.  
  
"Isn't that Teddy's truck?" She asked.  
  
Jonathan didn't answer. He started out into the field, toward the ship.  
  
"Where are you going?" She called after him.  
  
"To get. that." Jonathan wasn't certain what to call it. "If we're taking her with us, we can't leave it here."  
  
Jonathan couldn't even come up with a good reason as to why they were taking the child with them. What they should do is take her to the police station and let them handle the matter. But he knew, at the moment, that argument wouldn't hold up well with his wife. Better to give it some time, let the excitement of the day dwindle, and talk about it in the morning.  
  
As small as it was, as delicate as it looked, the ship. or whatever it was. was incredibly heavy. Jonathan couldn't find any place to grab it and pull from, unless he placed his hands in the opening and tugged to the side. As he put his hands in position, he glanced inside, wondering how a child could possibly be carried from God knows where in a contraption that seemed so inadequate. His gaze moved over a strange object tucked in the corner, and before he knew it, Jonathan was reaching inside to grab it and pull it out. It was rectangular in shape, heavy like steel, with strange markings along the edge. Running his finger over it, he was so intent in his curiosity that he didn't realize the ship was closing until it was too late. What once was an opening into the interior was now completely solid, an egg-shaped dome covering the top of the ship.  
  
"Hell," Jonathan muttered, realizing it was going to be that much more difficult to move the thing. He searched for a button or something to open it but quickly realized he was going to have no such luck. There was nothing left but to push it.  
  
Forty minutes later, he'd used enough muscle and ingenuity to get the thing up into the flatbed of the truck. Martha paced around the front, cooing and talking softly to the girl in her arms. The child laughed a lot, pointed at everything around her and seemed fascinated by Martha's hair. Occasionally she would watch what Jonathan was doing, almost as if protecting her ship, and it kind of creeped him out. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his wife happier, though, so he mentioned nothing about it.  
  
Tugging a tarp over the ship to hide it, Jonathan swiped the back of his arm over his forehead and looked down to see Martha smiling up at him. She hugged the girl in her arms a little tighter and he sighed. He was going to need a crowbar to pry them apart.  
  
Once they were all situated comfortably in the truck, the child sitting on Martha's lap, Jonathan started the trip to the farm. He tried not to think about the fact that the little girl in his wife's arms wasn't really a little girl at all but an alien and that her ship - the ship that closed all on its own - was in the back of the truck, hiding beneath a tarp. He tried not to think of the implications, or of the fact that this blew away everything he ever thought he knew about life and the universe. Nothing he'd ever seen in his time ever caused him to believe that there was life beyond earth. And now. He looked over at the child who was playing with Martha's hair, at his wife who was smiling at him with such contentment. Everything had changed.  
  
"Jonathan, watch out!"  
  
Looking up at her warning, Jonathan slammed his foot down on the brakes to keep from hitting a man who was standing in the center of the road, waving his arms frantically.  
  
"Stop! Please! Help!" The man shouted.  
  
Once the truck skidded to a stop, Jonathan threw open the door and climbed out. "Are you alright?"  
  
The man ignored his question. "My son... "  
  
"What about him? Is he hurt?"  
  
"He--he--I--I can't... " The man seemed out of his mind.  
  
Reaching out, Jonathan tried to get him to respond to his questions. "Mister, Mister calm down!" He demanded urgently. "Where is your son?"  
  
Blinking at him, the man turned toward the field behind him, and pointed. "He--he's in there."  
  
Wondering what had caused the man to simply leave his son behind, Jonathan broke into a sprint into the cornfield, following the direction pointed out to him. At least, it had been a cornfield earlier that day. Now it was little more than a carpet of flattened cornstalks, like something out of a science fiction film. Was there a section of Smallville that wasn't devastated by whatever had occurred that day?  
  
Spying a dark figure huddled on the ground, Jonathan sped up until he found himself standing over the still form of a young boy dressed in a private school uniform. Kneeling down slowly beside the boy, he glanced briefly at the bare head that had only a small tuft of red hair attached to it before reaching out to feel for a pulse. Relief swept through him when he finally discovered it, irregular but present.  
  
Hearing footsteps behind him and figuring it was the boy's father, Jonathan called out to him, "Give me a hand."  
  
Nothing. Jonathan looked over his shoulder to see the man just standing there, staring at his son in silence. He tried not to feel a little anger, telling himself that the man was simply in shock, and wouldn't he be in the same state if a child of his was lying there?  
  
"Wh-what happened to him?" The man finally asked. "His...hair is... "  
  
The boy's hair was the least of his worries. Frowning, Jonathan peeled off his coat and gently draped it over the child before gathering him up into his arms. Turning, he found the man still staring, an almost horrified expression to his gaze as he looked at his son. Flashing him a quick glare of disbelief, Jonathan pushed past him and hurried with the boy back to the pickup, figuring the man would follow, or be left behind.  
  
Martha pushed open the passenger door as he approached the truck, eyes widening as she saw what he carried. "Oh, Jonathan! What happened to him? Is he all right?"  
  
"I don't know." Jonathan began to lay the boy inside when his father finally appeared beside them.  
  
"I - I - "  
  
"Get in the truck," Jonathan told him, stepping aside to let the man climb in. "We'll take you and your son to the medical center."  
  
"I - thank you." He climbed inside next to Martha, an expression of surprise flitting across his face as Jonathan laid his son in his arms.  
  
Closing the door, Jonathan ran back around to the driver's side and they were under way once more.  
  
Silence filled the cab. There was shock all around - shock over the events of the day, over the things they'd seen, over the two children that were with them. Jonathan gripped the steering wheel nervously, knowing that having someone else in the truck made the ship in the back more vulnerable. There was no telling what someone might do for the information that they currently had possession of. If science fiction films were to be believed, the little girl in Martha's arms would be no more than a bug under a microscope. And Jonathan couldn't allow that to happen. Not to anyone.  
  
"Can't we go any faster?" Their passenger asked.  
  
Jonathan kept his expression neutral. "We're doing the best that we can."  
  
He watched out of the corner of his eye as the man glanced through the back window. "What are you carrying back there? It's slowing us down."  
  
Jonathan and Martha both ignored the question. Sighing inwardly, he glanced at his wife once more, watching as the girl in her arms turned her attention to the boy. As if he knew she was regarding him, for the first time since Jonathan found him, the boy's eyes fluttered open to regard his watcher. Then, out of nowhere, the little girl reached over and touched his head, running her finger down his cheek before pulling back. Beside Jonathan, Martha made a little noise of surprise as the boy smirked weakly at the child before falling unconscious once more. As if having accomplished what she set out to do, the girl sat back in Martha's arms, smiling as she returned her gaze out the window.  
  
It was the darndest thing that Jonathan had ever seen.  
  
When they reached the hospital, Jonathan left Martha and the child in the truck while he lifted the unconscious boy into his arms once more, and led the boy's father inside. Though the facility was overflowing with injured, they were able to find a nurse who took over, and Jonathan watched quietly as the boy was wheeled away. Running a hand over his face, he turned and glanced through the emergency room, taking in the familiar faces. Unable to leave without finding out who might be able to use their help, Jonathan began wandering around the facility, meeting up with friends, talking to neighbors, making plans for the reconstruction to follow in the days ahead. He knew that Martha would understand.  
  
Forty minutes later, on his way back to the truck, Jonathan looked up to see the stranger he drove to the hospital pass by. He reached out to grab his arm.  
  
"Hey...how's your--how's your son?" He asked, hoping the boy was okay.  
  
"He's in shock," the man replied. "But he'll survive. You saved him, acting so quickly."  
  
Shrugging, Jonathan told him, "I'm glad I could help out."  
  
"I'm sorry. I don't even know your name."  
  
"Jonathan Kent."  
  
The man extended his hand, and Jonathan took it in his, shaking it.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kent. If there is ever anything I can do for you..."  
  
Jonathan shook his head, silently letting him know that it wasn't necessary.  
  
"Please. Call me."  
  
Glancing down, Jonathan noted the business card being thrust in his direction. Reaching out, he took it into his hand, studying it quietly. Lionel Luthor. CEO. LuthorCorp. He'd heard of him and his company.  
  
"I mean that, Mr. Kent."  
  
Jonathan continued to look down at the card, doubting there was anything he would need from the man or his company.  
  
"Dad, you were a hero," Hudson broke in, pulling her dad from his reverie. "I don't know why you thought you had to keep that a secret from me."  
  
Jonathan sighed. There was so much more to tell her. So much more that she didn't understand. But Martha was right - it was time that she knew the whole story.  
  
Opening his mouth to continue, the sound of a car pulling up on the driveway interrupted him, and Jonathan glanced over the truck to see the sheriff's patrol car roll to a stop. Glancing at his wife and daughter, he started toward Ethan as the man climbed out to join them.  
  
"Ethan, is there, uh, something we can do for ya?" He asked.  
  
"Well," the sheriff began, looking over the family for a moment. "I'm sure you know there's a woman in town claiming to be Hudson's mother."  
  
Jonathan nodded as his wife and daughter moved up alongside of him.  
  
Ethan made a face, shifting uncomfortably. "She's.. uh. she's petitioned Judge Ross to order a DNA test."  
  
Jonathan could feel his wife glance up at him in fear.  
  
"But, that's crazy!" Hudson exclaimed beside him. "She's not my mother!"  
  
"If that's true, then this test will prove it," Ethan replied, tucking his thumbs into his belt. "I can have somebody come out and take the sample, get it to Metropolis Genetics Lab, and. uh. they can run the test in the morning. We can get this thing over with quick." He nodded. "I'm sure you folks have nothing to be afraid of."  
  
Jonathan set his jaw and reached out to lay a hand on Hudson's shoulder.  
  
Nothing to be afraid of. Except what the lab would find when they looked at that sample. Then the real truth of Hudson's biological parents would be known.  
  
***  
  
"Tell me why I'm friends with you, again?" Lana whispered as she followed Hudson down the dark hallway of the Metropolis Genetics Lab. The sound of a door closing somewhere else on the floor caused them both to flatten themselves against the wall.  
  
Hudson glanced over her shoulder at her friend with a warning look. Now really wasn't the time to get all mouthy. Lana rolled her eyes, huffed a little and waited for Hudson to continue moving down the corridor before following.  
  
Moments later, they turned down a second hallway to find a row of windows that opened into a dark room. The sign on the door read Genetic Testing Lab. Hudson placed her hand over the knob, holding her breath as she turned it, and relaxing only when she discovered it was open. Breaking in would lead to investigations as to what was stolen or changed. And she really didn't need that occurring.  
  
After the technician came by the farm to swab a sample of her spit the night before, Hudson's dad let her know that something had to be done to protect her secret. They came up with half a dozen options before Hudson suggested taking Lana with her and simply switching the sample. It would make entering the building a little more difficult without being able to just speed in and speed out, but at least there wouldn't be any questions as to what happened to the sample. They would test her DNA against Rachel Dunleavy, and the results would be exactly what they wanted. Negative. Unless Lana had some skeletons in her closet she hadn't told Hudson about.  
  
"This is it," Hudson informed Lana quietly over her shoulder as she pushed the door open and stepped inside.  
  
Lana followed, carefully closing the door behind them as Hudson narrowed her gaze and quickly x-rayed the room. She peered through drawers, cabinets and doors until she found what she was looking for: a metal cabinet filled with DNA test tubes.  
  
"There." She pointed ahead and walked over to the storage container, reaching up to bend back the locked metal door.  
  
"This 'Mission Impossible' stuff is insane, H.C. Do you hear me? Insane."  
  
"Would you rather it turned into 'Alien Autopsy'?" Hudson remarked as she reached in to search through the tubes.  
  
"That's totally not funny." Lana rubbed at her arms as if staving off a chill.  
  
"You're telling me." She straightened, holding a tube in her hand marked 'Kent, H'. Pursing her lips, she turned and showed it to Lana. "Hopefully, we can keep that from happening."  
  
Lana peered at the tube for a moment, then shook her head. "Okay, so other than enjoying the pleasure of my company - and needing my English notes - I still don't understand why you brought me along."  
  
Hudson smiled and extended the tube to Lana. "I need your spit."  
  
"Wh - eewww!" Lana made a face. "You've got to be kidding!"  
  
"Nope." Glancing around, Hudson spied a sink toward the back and moved over to it, opening the tube and quickly washing it under the hot water. Once satisfied with the cleansing, she walked back to Lana and shoved the tube at her once more. "Go on. The lab needs to be testing your spit against Rachel Dunleavy in the morning. Not mine."  
  
Sighing, Lana snatched the glass cylinder from her. "The things I do for you."  
  
Hudson watched in amusement as Lana moved her mouth around a little, gathering the saliva on her tongue, before she brought the tube to her lips and delicately spit into it.  
  
Smirking, she couldn't help but comment, "You know, Lana, there's no one here watching to correct your manners."  
  
"Oh, shut up." She handed the tube back to her friend. "That has to be the nastiest thing you've had me do yet."  
  
"I'm sure I can think of something worse if you'd like," Hudson quipped, shoving the glass back into its original slot and stepping back to bend the metal door properly into place.  
  
"No, thanks." Lana glanced around her shoulder toward the windows into the hall. "Can we get out of here now? This place is creepy."  
  
Nodding, Hudson led her back out of the room and down the hall in the direction they had entered the building. Sneaking down a back stairwell, they safely made their way to the alley door they broke in through. The Kents' pickup was sitting in the dark alley, thankfully undiscovered. Quietly, they climbed into the cab, remaining silent until they were a few blocks from the lab, and headed back in the direction of I-70 toward Smallville.  
  
"Well, at least tonight has answered one lingering question."  
  
Lana looked over at Hudson, squinting against the dashboard lights in confusion. "What?"  
  
"You spit."  
  
Mouth falling open, Lana stared at Hudson, who was having difficulty fighting a smirk. Finally, the girl quirked an eyebrow and replied, "Not if it's the right person."  
  
They glanced at one another briefly before bursting into relieved laughter.  
  
Once the merriment died down, Lana leaned forward to flip through radio stations before sitting back and glancing over at Hudson. "So, do you think this Rachel woman will leave you alone now?"  
  
Hudson shrugged. "I hope so."  
  
Lana grew silent, staring out the window as the cityscape slipped away into darkness, swallowed up by rolling cattle fields. She tapped her fingers against the door handle in time to the music before looking back over at her friend. "I heard you and Chloe had a fight."  
  
"You could say that. She's the reason Rachel believes I'm her daughter."  
  
"What? How?"  
  
"As usual, Chloe was looking into things that are none of her business when she came across Rachel and decided to tell her about me, and that I might be her long-lost child."  
  
"I'm sure she was doing what she thought was best," Lana defended quietly.  
  
Hudson shifted in her seat and cast a quick look at Lana. "Metropolis United Charities, the adoption agency my parents used to make my adoption legal?"  
  
Lana nodded.  
  
"It was founded by Lionel Luthor."  
  
"Oh. Wow. That's. but your dad hates Lionel Luthor. How - "  
  
"I don't know." Hudson shook her head and stared at the empty road ahead. "I think. I think Lex's dad founded the agency just for my adoption. The day of the meteor shower? When my parents found me? As we were headed back to the farm, Lionel appeared in the road, asking for help." She paused, worrying her lower lip. "My dad was the one who saved Lex. He went out into the cornfield where the first meteor struck, the one that stripped Lex of his hair, and he gathered Lex up and brought him back to the truck where mom and I were."  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Hudson," Lana told her softly. "Just because some meteor rocks decided to follow your ship down doesn't mean - "  
  
"It doesn't matter much now, does it?" Hudson interrupted, glancing over at her friend. "It's done. And one day I'm going to have to tell Lex why. One day I'm going to have to admit to him that we've met before, that we might never have met if he hadn't been so close to that meteor. And then I have to ask him, does the good outweigh the bad? Is what we have strong enough to survive what I've done to his life?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, Lana slid across the seat and laid her hand on Hudson's arm. "We survived it."  
  
Blinking back tears at her words, Hudson forced a smile, exhaling slowly as Lana laid her head against her shoulder. "It's weird. But out of this whole experience, I can't help but think one thought over and over again."  
  
"What's that?" Lana asked, her hand moving in soothing motions against her arm.  
  
"Lex and I. How we met. How we met again. It's like we're. "  
  
"Destined?" She could feel Lana smile against her. "I don't think that's weird, H.C. In fact, I think it makes a lot of sense. And that's why he'll forgive you when the time comes."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
Lifting her head, Lana nodded and smiled before leaning up to kiss her cheek. "I promise."  
  
***  
  
Martha filled a third cup of coffee for her husband, glancing at his strained expression quietly. She reached out and touched his hand, offering a supportive smile when their gazes met. Everything about the circumstances surrounding Hudson's adoption was eating away at him, and they had been so certain the question would never come up. She still couldn't understand why this woman believed her child was Hudson, unless Lionel had given her some reason to do so. She didn't know what their previous relationship had been like, but she knew the tension mounted in their family due to the simple fact that the idea of Lionel thinking Hudson was his child was frightening. None of them spoke of it, but Martha was certain her husband and daughter had to be thinking the same thing she was.  
  
At the opening of the kitchen door, Martha swung around, staring at her daughter in question as Hudson breezed through the doorway.  
  
"You can relax," she announced with a smile. "We switched the sample. No one saw us."  
  
Beside her, Jonathan sighed in relief. "H.C., I-I'm sorry to put you through all this."  
  
Hudson shrugged, brushing a dark strand of hair from her face as she haphazardly tossed her jacket to one of the kitchen chairs. "It's not your fault, Dad." She smiled again. "I guess it just comes with the territory."  
  
Jonathan shifted in his seat uncomfortably, glancing once at Martha before rising to his feet. "Yeah...uh, I'm gonna go work on the combine."  
  
Frowning slightly at his abrupt exit, Hudson slid onto the seat across from her mom. Her cheeks were slightly rosy from the chill outside, eyes brighter than they had been the past few days. She furrowed her brow as she glanced at the door, and then back to her mom.  
  
"Everything's okay," she stated, as if the world were perfect. "Why does Dad still seem upset?"  
  
Martha smiled a little at her daughter and shook her head. "This has been tough on him." She sighed. "He always said making a deal with the devil was going to come back to haunt us."  
  
"Then why did he do it?" She asked curiously.  
  
Standing, Martha walked over to Hudson, reaching out to brush a windblown hair back into place. As always, she smelled like apples and fresh air, and it made Hudson seem younger than she was, as if she should still be in pigtails and white patent leather shoes. Jonathan was railing against the inevitable growing up of their child, and secretly, Martha was, too. She couldn't stand the thought that one day she would lose her daughter to Lex. Or some other man like him.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
Martha shook her head a little, unwilling to tell her daughter everything. There were details that were probably best left to Jonathan when he felt ready to share them.  
  
Hudson sighed and Martha knew she wasn't going to hear the end of it. "Come on, Mom," she pressed, green eyes searching her own gaze intently. "Why'd you need Lionel Luthor's help in the first place?"  
  
They couldn't keep the secrets from her forever.  
  
"You have no idea the kind of pressure we were under... " Martha began, turning away to gaze into the living room. In her mind, she could see her daughter playing there, all dark hair and already too-long legs. "We suddenly had this new little person in our home, and we didn't know what to do with you! We were completely overwhelmed. "  
  
Their young guest seemed quite pleased with the toys they'd dug out of the attic. She was particularly fascinated with the two plastic horses, and Weeble Wobbles that she continually attempted to knock over. Martha watched her closely, eyes roaming over her own blue t-shirt that was far too big for the child, and the little red socks they found in the boxes of old clothes. She was the most perfect little girl Martha had ever seen. Rosy cheeks and cupid's bow mouth, long dark hair that she couldn't stop reaching out to touch, just as the little girl touched her red hair. In fact, they appeared equally admiring of one another, for the child continued to watch both Martha and Jonathan, smiling warmly at them, her entire countenance seemingly screaming that everything would be all right. It was as if she knew everything she needed to know about them, and trusted them fully.  
  
Her smile made Martha want to cry. Was this what loving a child was like?  
  
"Thank goodness your mother was a pack rat," Martha commented to her husband as the child picked up one of the Weeble Wobbles and attempted to stick it into her mouth.  
  
"Sweetheart, she's not ours to keep."  
  
"I just keep feeling there's a reason she's here," she replied, reaching out to pull the toy back and shake her head with a smile. "She's exactly what I wished for in the flower shop."  
  
Jonathan rose to his feet behind her and came to sit on the floor beside them both. He was smiling. "Hey. Since when did Martha Kent believe in magic wands?"  
  
Reaching out, Martha cupped the soft skin of the child's cheek and felt warmth suffuse her at the touch. "Since the moment I laid eyes on this little girl."  
  
A knock on the door caused them both to start. Martha glanced over at her husband, trying not to panic. It was silly to think that there might be someone there to take her little girl away from her, but the fear was there all the same.  
  
"Get her upstairs," Jonathan instructed, climbing to his feet. "Hurry, go on."  
  
Nodding, Martha leaned over and scooped the child into her arms before hurriedly carrying her from the room as she listened to Jonathan head for the door.  
  
"Uh, just a--just a second," she heard her husband's voice call out.  
  
Mounting the stairs quickly, Martha cuddled the girl close as she moved into the hallway. Curious as to who their visitor was, she walked to the end of the hall and peered out the window, eyes moving over the patrol car. From below, she could hear Jonathan's voice, joined by another that sounded like Deputy Ethan. Worrying her lower lip, she glanced down at the bundle in her arms, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face due to the big grin that was flashed up at her. God, she was so precious! Martha kissed her forehead and gave her an Eskimo kiss across her nose and the little girl giggled.  
  
Then she pointed a tiny finger toward the stairs and cocked her head to the side.  
  
Martha smiled and whispered, "We can't go downstairs right now. We have to stay here and be quiet." She held her finger to her lips.  
  
A small frown. The finger pointed again, more insistently this time.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
Then her charge shook her head, mimicking the action perfectly and looking entirely too grown up for her age.  
  
Martha couldn't contain the soft laughter at the motion.  
  
Seeing that she must have done something right, the child shook her head again and grinned up at Martha. Then, just as quick as can be, she began to wriggle out of Martha's arms. She tried to hold on but the little girl was surprisingly strong and quickly dropped to the floor to scamper towards the stairs. Hurrying after her, Martha tried to call out softly, laughing as she watched the tiny feet move faster than she believed possible down the steps and into the living room, where she headed directly for the toys.  
  
Laughing at the predictability of every child - even those not from Earth - Martha caught up to her and pulled her close, glancing up to find Jonathan frowning slightly and Ethan smiling down at them.  
  
"Who's the little cutie?" Ethan asked.  
  
"She got away from me," Martha told her husband. "She's a strong little thing."  
  
Ethan stepped through the door, walking toward Martha and the child in curiosity, still smiling, as behind him, Jonathan appeared to struggle for an explanation.  
  
"That's um... "  
  
"Hudson," Martha said quickly, wondering if Ethan was as in awe of the child as she knew she and her husband were. "I thought my mother's family name would make a good first name. Deputy, I would like you to be the first one in Smallville to meet our daughter."  
  
Straightening, Martha moved to stand beside her husband where they all gazed down at Hudson, who simply returned their smiles with one of her own. Noticing Ethan's sudden expression of confusion, Martha quickly clarified:  
  
"Adopted, of course. Uh. we just brought her back from Metropolis this morning."  
  
The deputy grinned. "Well, I didn't know you folks were planning to adopt."  
  
"Oh, Ethan, you know us," Jonathan replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "We like to keep to ourselves, but it's been in the works for quite a while."  
  
Ethan clapped Jonathan's shoulder warmly. "Well, congratulations. It's nice to see something good happen in the middle of all this tragedy."  
  
That was it. That was all it took. The wish she'd made in the floral shop that morning was now coming true - Martha had a little girl. And she knew Jonathan couldn't tell her no now, he wouldn't.  
  
Smiling down at Hudson, she extended her arms out toward her. Almost instantly, with a smile that seemed to light up the room, Hudson threw herself into her new mother's arms, hugging her legs tightly.  
  
"He was right," Martha finished, turning to move back to where Hudson was sitting at the kitchen island. "You were the one good thing that happened that day."  
  
Hudson's brow was furrowed in thought. "So you just made it up, spur of the moment."  
  
"I couldn't say we found you in a cornfield." Martha smiled. "Once the words came out, I-I knew we'd have to back them up eventually." She worried her lower lip and shrugged. "So we called Lionel Luthor, cashed in that favor. He arranged everything."  
  
"If everything worked out," Hudson began. "Why'd you keep it a secret?"  
  
Martha started to reply when Lex's voice came from the front hall.  
  
"Hey."  
  
Glancing over her shoulder, Martha watched as Lex moved in through the front door and headed toward them with a hesitant smile. Beside her, Hudson was already sliding off the stool, her obvious excitement at his presence almost palpable.  
  
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important." He glanced between mother and daughter in question.  
  
Giving a small, nervous smile, Martha shook her head. "Uh, not at all, Lex." She had no idea if he knew anything about the adoption - if Lionel had shared any of it with his son. And she didn't feel like answering even more questions. "Can I get you something to drink? Or some breakfast?"  
  
Lex shook his head and looked over at Hudson quickly. He appeared agitated, on edge. "No. Thank you. I. I just came over to talk to Hudson. If that's all right?"  
  
And then it hit Martha. If he'd heard about Rachel Dunleavy, then that meant.. She tried not to smile. The poor boy. It was bad enough that he probably feared either her or her husband were likely to take their anger out on him for sleeping with their daughter at any moment. But if he was worried that the girl he'd been sleeping with was actually his sister.  
  
She covered her mouth with her hand and attempted to gain her composure. It really wasn't that funny. But it was kind of enjoyable to see Lex squirm. "Of course, it's all right."  
  
After all, with everything going on at the moment in their lives, Hudson's punishment was kind of a moot point. She glanced at her daughter, who apparently hadn't put two and two together yet.  
  
"Go on, honey. I'll start breakfast."  
  
"Okay." Hudson nodded toward the door. "Come on. We'll go up to the loft."  
  
The moment the kitchen door shut behind Hudson and Lex, Martha allowed her mirth to bubble over, wiping at tears as she pictured Lex's face when he heard the news.  
  
***  
  
Hudson held open the door to the barn, allowing Lex in first, frowning a little when he just walked in without saying anything. Normally he got on her case because the man was supposed to hold the door open, and he really didn't like it when she took on the masculine role. It never made any sense to her - whoever got to the door first was supposed to open it, right? Besides, she was just as capable as he was at opening doors.  
  
But that wasn't the point at the moment. The point was that Lex was obviously very upset about something not to notice and rag on her about it. Hoping he wasn't coming down with something - which was silly, really, because she'd never seen Lex get sick or even hint at being sick - Hudson followed him inside and up the stairs to the loft.  
  
What if he was here to say he never wanted to see her again? Hell.  
  
Scuffing her boot against the landing before the next set of steps, Hudson watched Lex closely as he stood in the middle of her loft and then slowly turned around. She worried her lower lip and cocked her head to the side. "Lex, what - "  
  
"Rachel Dunleavy came to see me."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Oh! Hudson's eyes widened. Poor Lex.  
  
"She says you and I have a few chromosomes in common," he continued, paying little attention to her as his gaze dropped to the floor. "My father's chromosomes to be exact."  
  
"Lex - "  
  
"Personally, I think I got all the looks in the family."  
  
Hudson couldn't help but smile at this attempt at levity. She could see his hands were shaking. "Look, I don't know what all she told you, Lex, or what happened between her and your father, but she's not my mother."  
  
His shoulders seemed to sag instantly with relief. Still, there was hesitance in his stance. "Trust me, I'm as skeptical about her as you are. For all I know, this is some elaborate scheme to win a paternity suit against my father."  
  
"Did you ask him about it?  
  
Lex shook his head. "I didn't want to make any accusations until I had more facts." Shrugging, he sat down on a nearby crate and steepled his fingers. "It's not hard to imagine. In the annals of extramarital exploits, my father probably has his own chapter."  
  
Hudson made a face at his words and climbed the last few steps to join him. "It doesn't bother you? I mean, I know how close you were to your mother."  
  
"To the extent that it caused my mother pain? Sure, it bothers me." Lex nodded and glanced up at her. "But, unfortunately, not every marriage is quite as Rockwellian as Jonathan and Martha Kent's."  
  
It was difficult to imagine marrying someone you didn't love with every fiber of your being. Hudson couldn't understand anyone not having a marriage like her parents had. After all, it was what she wanted. Total love, total honesty, total companionship. But she couldn't help but wonder if Lex, brought up in the household that he was, would see things differently. Sure, it hurt him to see his mother go through that, but would he have the same consideration with his own wife?  
  
"Anyway, I told Ms. Dunleavy that in the 21st century, people shouldn't be making claims like hers without the DNA evidence to back them up."  
  
Hudson tried not to snort at the information. So that was where Rachel got the idea for the test. Thanks, Lex. She made a face at him when he wasn't looking.  
  
"I. I have to admit that I would rather you took the test, and it came out negative." Lex raised his gaze to hers.  
  
"Well, then you can relax." Hudson sat down beside him. "I took the test last night. And, though the results aren't back yet, I can guarantee that they'll be negative." She touched his arm. "I'm not your sister, Lex. Relax."  
  
His eyes dropped to the ground and he fidgeted with his hands for a moment. "I was beginning to worry that I might be acting out one of my father's many history lessons," he admitted.  
  
Wrinkling her nose, Hudson remarked, "That would be wrong on so many levels." The more she thought about it, the more she began to understand why Lex was freaking out. "Talk about making the headlines in the papers."  
  
Lex turned to look at her. "I'm glad you're able to find so much humor in this."  
  
She grinned and pushed against him with her shoulder. "Oh, come on. You know you have some secret incest kink."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm aware of. But I do have a secret kink regarding tying up a certain farm girl and tickling her until she cries."  
  
Hudson barely got out a squeak as Lex launched himself at her, and they rolled to the loft floor where she allowed him to pin her. His fingers flew over her sides and she squirmed only slightly, giggling as the gentle tickling sensations swept over her. It was difficult to balance her strength against the desire to really get away from the torture he was causing. In the end, she always allowed him to win because there was really no other choice. And sadly, she thought it was one of those lies he might never forgive.  
  
"Stop! Please! Lex!" She half-giggled, half-sobbed beneath his onslaught.  
  
"Give me one good reason why." He straddled her hips slightly and continued his attack.  
  
"You love me?" She burst out, before squealing and squirming once more.  
  
Lex grunted. "Not good enough."  
  
"You're getting your pants dirty on the dusty floor!" Another squeak, and then Lex was climbing off of her to his feet, brushing at the dirt on his knees.  
  
"Dammit," he muttered. "And I have a meeting this morning."  
  
Rising up on her elbows, Hudson smirked up at him. "You're such a priss. I bet if I put a pea under your mattress, you'd feel it."  
  
Lex flashed her a glare. "Would not."  
  
"Too."  
  
"Not."  
  
"Too."  
  
He shook his head. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you." He held his hand out to help her up.  
  
"I can't either." Standing, she took a step closer and looped her arms around his waist. "I thought you were never going to forgive me or some such."  
  
"I never said any such thing," Lex protested, pulling her closer. "You always twist my words. It's annoying. Stop it."  
  
Hudson grinned. "You love me."  
  
Lex rolled his eyes and exhaled a long-suffering sigh. "There you go again."  
  
No matter his protestations, Hudson knew the truth. Lex might never tell her, but she could see it in his eyes, feel it in his touch, hear it whenever he said her name. She knew it because he acted differently when he was with her, he smiled more, laughed more, held her and teased her and seemed to shed the Luthor mantle that always haunted him. He never did that for anyone else. So she figured that meant he loved her. That, and the whole destiny thing that, the more she thought about, the more it made sense. Lex had no choice in the matter, in her opinion. Her parents thought she somehow found them when she landed here. And Hudson thought she'd found Lex, too.  
  
"I've missed you," she told him, pressing her cheek against his shoulder and closing her eyes.  
  
"You brought this on yourself, Angel," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "You're lucky it's only two weeks. And after that, we're following all of your parents' rules, is that understood?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Good."  
  
Lex's fingers moved through her hair slowly, threading through the strands as they continued to stand there in silence. Sighing a little, Hudson turned her head, kissed his neck where the faint pulse of his heartbeat could just be seen beating against the skin. He tasted like soap and cologne. As if hearing a silent cue, Hudson lifted her head to meet Lex's kiss, a sigh of happiness escaping her as his arms tightened around her and the kiss deepened. She lifted a hand, curling her fingers around the back of his neck, brushing over the soft skin there. Her entire body seemed to thrum with excitement, with his nearness, with the warmth of his tongue against hers. It was when she whimpered with need that Lex pulled away.  
  
"You have a way of making me forget myself," Lex whispered, and though he smiled as he touched her cheek, it didn't reach his eyes.  
  
Hudson didn't understand the comment. "That should be a good thing."  
  
"I guess that all depends on who you are." Lex stepped back and slipped a hand into his pocket, removing his keys. "I should get to work. Do you need a ride?"  
  
She shook her head. "No." She was used to Lex going cold like this, so suddenly, but usually it happened when they'd been around one another for awhile. Not when they'd been separated. "Lex - "  
  
"I'll talk to you later, Angel."  
  
Leaning in for another quick kiss, Lex gave her a half-smile, then turned and made his way down the stairs.  
  
***  
  
The day went by blessedly quick for Hudson. She had trouble staying awake throughout her classes after the night spent breaking and entering, and glared at Lana when she commented that she felt just fine. Of course, she did. She slept through the entire drive back to Smallville.  
  
When she got home, Hudson grabbed the mail on the way up the drive, waved to her dad out in the pasture where he was working on the tractor, and then headed into the house for a snack. Luckily, there was left over chili from the night before, which she piled high with cheese before slapping it into the microwave. She just pulled a Pepsi out of the refrigerator when the phone rang.  
  
Snatching up a cookie on her way past the cookie jar, Hudson took a quick bite as she placed the receiver against her ear. "Kent Farm. Hudson speaking."  
  
"H.C., Lex has been kidnapped."  
  
"What?" Hudson tossed the cookie to the counter as she focused her full attention on her mom. "When? By whom?"  
  
"Rachel Dunleavy," Martha responded. "She just called Lionel. Told him he had to put a press conference together to claim you as his legitimate daughter. or he would never see Lex again."  
  
Of all the stupid --- "Does he know where she is? Or anything?"  
  
"No." Martha paused briefly and her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "H.C., I knew you would want to hear about this but don't do anything stupid, all right? Lionel is. he's angry. He keeps talking about not letting her push him around. There's no telling what he's going to do."  
  
"Has the press conference been called?"  
  
"Yes. It's in thirty minutes."  
  
Hudson glanced at her watch. That should be enough time. "Thanks, mom. Bye - "  
  
"H.C. - "  
  
Tossing the phone to the counter, Hudson raced out the door toward town. She tried not to let her anger override her better judgment. First, she had to find Lex, make certain he was all right. Then she planned on giving Rachel Dunleavy a sound piece of her mind. After all, it seriously seemed as if she could use a sound mind from somewhere. Who the hell did something like that? Kidnapped someone else to prove the identity of their child?  
  
It wasn't until she neared Main Street that Hudson realized she had no idea where to begin looking. Hell, she'd grown up here and still came across hideouts she never would have considered. It would likely take longer than thirty minutes to search the entire town, every nook and cranny. And if Lionel held his press conference and said things that Rachel didn't like, there was no telling what she might do in retaliation.  
  
Then she remembered the house in Smallville that Rachel told her she purchased. And she knew the one person who would be able to find the address for her.  
  
Slowing to a normal run as she neared Smallville High, Hudson hurried up the steps through the front doors and made her way down the halls. She finally spied Chloe beside her locker, setting her books away from her last class. Sighing with relief, Hudson jogged over to her.  
  
"Chloe, I'm so glad I found you."  
  
Chloe looked over at her and blinked. "Okay, there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear again."  
  
Hudson shook her head, immediately contrite for the way she left things between them. "We both did and said things that we regret." She paused and watched her friend for a moment. "I know I did."  
  
Closing her locker door, Chloe turned to Hudson, her gaze intent. "Look, you have to believe that I would burn my press pass if I thought it would come between us."  
  
Smiling, Hudson replied, "No, you wouldn't. It's too much of who you are. " She touched her arm. "And right now, I need it."  
  
"What is it?" Chloe searched her friend's gaze, apparently recognizing the desperation. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Rachel Dunleavy has kidnapped Lex."  
  
"What?!" She placed her hand over her chest and suddenly appeared ill. "H.C., I'm sorry. "  
  
"No time for that." Hudson grabbed Chloe's arm and started steering her toward the Torch.  
  
"But if I hadn't emailed her - "  
  
Ignoring the guilt, Hudson told her, "Rachel told me she bought a house here in Smallville but I don't know where. I need you to track down the address for me. She's threatening Lex's life and I'm not going to sit back and wait for his father to do whatever. You remember the Plant incident?" She frowned, recalling how Lex had to put his own life in danger to insure that everyone walked out of there alive. "I need to find Lex myself."  
  
"And do what?" Chloe demanded, eyes wide as she flipped on the lights in the office as they moved through the door. "Make a citizen's arrest??"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
Shaking her head, Chloe quickly took her seat in front of the computer, opened a couple of browsers and began typing. Hudson paced behind her, glancing at the screen occasionally, trying to hold her impatience to a minimum. She looked at the clock. According to what her mom told her, Lionel would be holding his press conference in twenty-five minutes. She wondered what he would do. Claim her as his daughter to save Lex? It's what she was hoping for. She could handle pretending to be a Luthor for a day if it meant making certain Lex was all right. They could clear everything else up later, once they sat Rachel down and explained to her that there was absolutely no truth to her allegations.  
  
Hudson just couldn't understand why Rachel refused to accept the proof of the DNA results.  
  
"If Rachel Dunleavy did buy a house in Smallville, she'll be listed with the county clerk," Chloe commented, hitting the enter button and leaning back in her chair. "It's just going to take a minute to get a hit."  
  
Hudson looked back down at her friend, noting the slight tensing of her shoulders. She watched as Chloe fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, the conflict between them still unresolved. Sighing, she grabbed a nearby chair and moved it over to Chloe, sitting down beside her.  
  
Softly, Hudson began, "Chloe, what I said about your mother... I was way out of line."  
  
She watched as her friend shrugged, as if it were nothing, pretending that it was nothing. "It's cool." She glanced at Hudson with a forced smile. "We all have family secrets I guess." Pausing, she focused her gaze back to the monitor, though her eyes seemed unseeing. "She left when I was five, so... I came downstairs and... There was my dad, trying to make waffles. He never even really explained why she left. It was weird."  
  
Hudson remained silent a moment as Chloe laughed nervously beside her, obviously trying to hide the fact that there were tears in her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," she told her quietly.  
  
Chloe just shrugged once more in response. "It's just hard thinking you weren't good enough for someone to love."  
  
Instantly, Hudson reached out and laid her hand over her friend's. "Don't ever think that." Her tone was firm but she gave Chloe a smile that was slowly returned.  
  
Unfortunately, Hudson knew the feeling. Every night she sat and stared up at the stars and wondered if her real parents simply hadn't loved her enough.  
  
A quick beep from the computer started them both from their reveries. Chloe focused her attention on the monitor and frowned.  
  
"Oh. Uh, there is no record of Rachel Dunleavy."  
  
Damn.  
  
Frustrated, Hudson got to her feet and resumed her pacing. Why would Rachel say she purchased a house in Smallville if she hadn't? Certainly she meant for Hudson to come and visit her. It didn't make any sense. Just like the entire situation.  
  
Wait a minute.  
  
Turning back to Chloe, Hudson told her, "Um... try the name Lucinda Luthor."  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Okay. You're going to have to explain that one to me later."  
  
As soon as she typed in the name given to her, the computer beeped. Hudson quickly leaned over her shoulder to read the screen: Lucinda Luthor 1436 Blueberry Park Lane, Smallville, Kansas, 67254. Making certain that Chloe's attention was still firmly fixed on the monitor, she sped out of the office, through the high school corridors and outside toward Blueberry Park Lane, located on the south side of town.  
  
Seconds later, Hudson skidded to a stop in front of the house marked 1436. Focusing her gaze, she peered in through the outside wall to Lex lying slumped on the floor, apparently unconscious, and Rachel standing over him, axe raised above her head.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
Speeding up the walk, Hudson burst through the front door, splinters flying around her as she threw herself forward, directly into the path of the swinging axe. She barely felt it as the blade slammed into her stomach, completely missing Lex as it bounced off of her and flew out of Rachel's hands at the impact. With the loss of momentum, Hudson crashed into the opposite wall, glancing up as she slipped to the floor to see Rachel staring at her empty hands in shock. Her gaze flickered quickly to Lex, who was still unmoving on the floor, before she quickly climbed to her feet.  
  
"Who are you?" Rachel whispered, her tone slightly fearful as she took a step back from Hudson's approach.  
  
Feeling momentary sympathy for the woman, Hudson replied quietly, "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I'm not your child."  
  
"No!" Rachel cried, breaking into tears. "Oh no..."  
  
Hudson hurried over to her as she collapsed to the floor, sobbing hysterically. Gently she pulled the woman into her arms, attempting to calm her as she once more glanced toward Lex. She couldn't decide who needed her most - the obviously disturbed woman in her arms or her unconscious boyfriend slumped at the foot of the stairs. She frowned as she noticed what had to be an entire roll of tape wrapped around his body, holding him to the chair.  
  
"What did you do to him?" She asked.  
  
Rachel only continued to cry.  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson brushed the woman's hair a moment, whispering to her that everything would be all right before carefully pulling away. Rachel curled up into a fetal position against the floor, sobbing. Watching her carefully a moment longer, Hudson finally turned away and hurried over to kneel beside Lex. She tore the tape off, frowning when she accidentally tore the sleeve of his shirt in the process. Once he was free, she cradled him into her arms and checked for any signs of injury, x- raying him for any broken bones.  
  
"Lex?" She called out, brushing her knuckles against his cheek. "Lex, can you hear me?"  
  
It was a few moments before he finally stirred, eyes fluttering open to stare up at her. The barest hint of a smile flickered over his face.  
  
She returned it, curious as to the reaction. "What is it?"  
  
He started to shake his head, wincing at the movement as he reached up to touch his scalp. "I was thinking, before I blacked out, that I was either going to die, or wake up to see you."  
  
Hudson smiled at his faith in her. "How do you feel?"  
  
"Like I smashed my head against the floor."  
  
"Smartass." Hudson rolled her eyes and helped him to sit up. "Will you be okay while I call the police?"  
  
Lex nodded, staring ahead at the woman on the floor with a thoughtful expression as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Ever wonder exactly how many people's lives my father has ruined?"  
  
Pausing, she followed his gaze, knowing she had nothing to say in reply.  
  
***  
  
Jonathan peered over Hudson's shoulder as she worked over a math problem, tongue pressed firmly between her lips as she concentrated. He didn't have the slightest idea what the solution was when she asked him. In fact, he'd simply responded "Call Lex", only realizing after he'd spoken that he, like his wife, so easily slipped into the role of enabler when it came to his daughter's relationship with Lex Luthor.  
  
And maybe that was something he was going to have to grudgingly accept. He knew in his heart that Lex cared about Hudson, that beyond his initial investigation into the accident, he'd never made any intentional move toward hurting her or their family. Admittedly, there was something about the guy that rubbed Jonathan the wrong way, but he couldn't decide if it was simply because of who his father was, or that Lex was dating his daughter, or something else entirely. What it all boiled down to in the end was that Lex made Hudson happy. She enjoyed being with him, talked about him incessantly and really, Jonathan would rather have his daughter around, gushing over her boyfriend, as opposed to driving a wedge between them like the one that had existed between himself and his father. Or Martha and hers. It might not be the right thing to do, but truthfully, Jonathan wasn't certain what was right when it came to Hudson anymore. Her life was so different than any other girl. Why begrudge her a moment's happiness, when he could just as easily keep a sharp eye on Lex and let things run their course?  
  
"Rachel's been admitted to a private psychiatric clinic." Martha's voice broke through the silence as she climbed up the steps of the loft to join her family. Her gaze rested on Hudson as she added, "Even if she tries to explain what you did, nobody will believe her."  
  
Jonathan watched his daughter frown, gaze dropping to the floor sadly. "I really feel sorry for her."  
  
Martha nodded as she moved to stand beside her husband.  
  
"I can't even imagine what it must've been like having to give up that baby," Jonathan commented, eyes flickering over his daughter. No, he couldn't imagine that at all.  
  
"I'm just glad our own family is still in one piece."  
  
Jonathan looked down at his wife and smiled. "Not even Lionel Luthor could tear us apart."  
  
Silence fell over the loft, and Jonathan could feel Hudson's gaze focused on him intently. Smile falling away, he dropped his arm from around Martha, and started toward the stairs quickly.  
  
"But Lionel helped us," Hudson called out before he could get away. "Dad, why do you hate him so much?"  
  
Jonathan shook his head. He didn't want to share that part of the story. He knew his daughter, knew that she carried enough guilt around with her on a daily basis - guilt that shouldn't be hers to worry about. And she would take this and run with it, blame herself for even more circumstances that she really had nothing to do with. He couldn't do that to his child. But Martha was looking at him, expression encouraging, and Jonathan knew he didn't have a choice. Hudson would continue to ask, and Martha believed she had the right to know.  
  
Biting his lip thoughtfully, Jonathan began, "The morning he came by with the adoption papers, I.. thought I'd never lay eyes on him again..."  
  
Jonathan finished fixing the plank in the loft, satisfied that it wouldn't break through the next time someone stepped on it, when he turned to see Lionel Luthor walking in through the entrance of the barn. Sunlight streamed in behind him, casting a halo around the long, dark coat that masked his lean figure.  
  
"Mr. Kent," he called out, shifting his briefcase from one hand to the other, as he started up the steps of the loft.  
  
Jonathan picked up a hay bale to move out of his way, then started down the stairs to meet him. "Mr. Luthor."  
  
Lionel chuckled. "Call me Lionel. Please."  
  
They met on the lower landing where Lionel extended his hand and Jonathan firmly grasped it in a shake. "Lionel."  
  
Nodding with a smile, Lionel turned and placed his briefcase on the top of the railing, flipping it open. "I think you'll find everything in order," he said as he pulled out a slim stack of documents, which he handed over to Jonathan.  
  
Jonathan stared at the papers in his hands, elation spreading through him. It was final. Hudson was theirs. No one would ever contest it now. They really and truly had a daughter all their own!  
  
"Oh, thank you." He lifted his gaze to meet Lionel's unable to truly express his appreciation for the favor that the man had just done for them. "And thank you for bringing it out here yourself. You really didn't have to do that."  
  
Lionel smiled in reply. "We're taking Lex back to Metropolis today."  
  
"Hey, that's fantastic!"  
  
Jonathan, Martha and Hudson had been by once to visit the boy while he recovered at the Smallville Medical Center. He'd been resting at the time but Hudson had left him a stuffed rabbit for when he woke up.  
  
"I'm glad your son is going to be all right."  
  
"Thank you," Lionel nodded. "Thank you."  
  
Smiling once more, Jonathan unfolded the documents and studied them quietly, making little sense of the legal jargon but not really caring. After all, the only thing that mattered were the lines that read 'Hudson Clark Kent' and 'Parents: Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent'.  
  
"There is one thing I'd like you to do for me."  
  
Jonathan glanced up to find Lionel looking over his shoulder. He'd almost forgotten that the man was there. "Yeah"  
  
"I'm sure you've heard that the, uh, Ross brothers are having second thoughts about selling me their factory. They don't want to sell to an outsider. They're friends of yours, aren't they?"  
  
Frowning a little, Jonathan shifted his feet uneasily, looking down at the papers in his hand once more before back up to Lionel. "Yeah. Yeah, they are."  
  
Lionel shrugged. "Talk to them. Convince them that I only have Smallville's best interests at heart. I think it would make a difference."  
  
"I-I really don't think that's... really any of my business, Mr. Luthor," Jonathan hedged. He didn't like the idea of outsiders moving big business into town. And Lionel Luthor was big business. If the Rosses were having second thoughts, then there had to be a reason.  
  
"I understand." Lionel smiled for a moment before turning around to close his briefcase.  
  
Figuring their business together was concluded, Jonathan started back up the steps to the loft. He couldn't wait for Martha to get back from her trip in to town with Hudson. Then they could celebrate as a real family!  
  
Suddenly, Lionel's voice broke out across the stillness. "I'd be careful with that certificate if I were you. I wouldn't want the Department of Family Welfare to find out young Hudson's adoption is a sham. "  
  
Jonathan stopped mid-step, heart slamming wildly against his chest in shock. He spun around to watch as Lionel descended the steps to the barn floor, heading for the door.  
  
"W-wait. Are you threatening me?"  
  
Chuckling, Lionel continued on his way out of the barn. "Of course not. I'm just asking for a small favor."  
  
Jonathan swallowed, glancing once more at the adoption papers in his hands. Pausing on the upper landing, he looked toward Lionel, watching as the man walked back out into the sunlight, his long shadow slowly disappearing around the corner of the barn.  
  
"So you did it. You convinced the Rosses to sell."  
  
Jonathan looked up at his daughter's voice and nodded solemnly. "I helped the Luthors get a foothold in this community." He waved a hand. "The smokestacks, the toxic dumping, all the people who were cheated. including Pete's family. None of that would've happened if it weren't for me."  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson told him emphatically, "Dad, you couldn't have known."  
  
"Nah, I should have known, H.C.," he argued. "I knew exactly what kind of man Lionel Luthor was."  
  
Hudson sighed and glanced down at her hands, studying her fingers for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.  
  
Jonathan frowned, noting the familiar expression on her face, the sudden slump of her shoulders. "Because I knew that you would do exactly what you're doing right now, which is blame yourself."  
  
She looked up, eyes flashing. "You were trying to protect me. It is my fault."  
  
"No," he told her firmly, mentally chiding himself for giving in to his wife's whims. Hudson didn't need this. She deserved a regular life. "You never believe that. This was my decision. This is my fault." He glanced at Martha, then back to Hudson, hoping they both understood. "Mine alone."  
  
Before either could reply, Jonathan turned and hurried down the steps of the loft, out into the darkness.  
  
***  
  
Sometimes, the light coming from Hudson's loft window was like a beacon calling Lex home. At least, that was how it felt that night as he parked the Ferrari alongside the shed and stared up at the softly glowing light above him. This barn, this farm, this family had become his refuge, his peace of mind. And no matter what manner of secrecy might lie between them, he hoped that would never change. That the light above him would always be on, beckoning him inside to safety and warmth.  
  
Pocketing his keys, Lex stepped quickly to the barn door, the chill more distinct than it had been previously through the season. Breathing out a puff of air, he stepped into the barn, pausing for a moment as he breathed in the sharp scent of hay, old wood and engine oil. Music floated down from overhead, and Lex smiled momentarily as he listened to Hudson singing along with the lyrics.  
  
"Somebody saaaaaavvve me! Let your warm hands break right through. Somebody saaaaaaaaaavvvveee me! I don't care how you do it."  
  
He shook his head. Her singing was awful. Her parents should have invested in some voice lessons for her, or at least encouraged her to join the choir at school so she could learn the difference between holding a tune, and trashing one.  
  
"Just staaaaaayyyyy, staaaaaayyyyyy.. c'mon!"  
  
Lex chuckled softly. God, he loved her.  
  
Climbing lightly up the steps, Lex paused on the lower landing as he watched her, flopped on her belly on the couch where she was glancing through a textbook. She was tugging at her bottom lip between her singing, legs swinging back and forth in the air along to the music. Well, at least she could keep a beat, even if she had no idea what a tune was.  
  
"You should keep your day job," he announced as he moved up the final few steps.  
  
"You're like, the biggest jerk, I've ever had the misfortune of knowing," Hudson quipped, flipping him off as she continued to study without glancing up.  
  
"Honesty is important in a relationship." Lex walked over to the couch and promptly sat down on her ass. "I'm just being honest."  
  
She grunted. "You're heavy. Get off of me."  
  
"I am not."  
  
She wriggled beneath him, trying to throw him off. Slipping a little to her thighs, Lex grabbed hold of her right butt cheek and held on.  
  
"Hey!" She looked over her shoulder at him with a glare. "I don't remember telling you that you could grab my ass."  
  
Lex grinned. "But it's such a cute ass."  
  
"You're intolerable."  
  
"You learned that word from me."  
  
Hudson snorted. "I do know what a dictionary is, Lex Luthor. And, when I was flipping through it, I saw your picture beside the word. Intolerable."  
  
"Frankly, I think you tolerate me just fine." Lex grabbed hold of the back of the couch as Hudson flipped over beneath him and he slipped between her thighs.  
  
"Did you hear about Rachel?"  
  
Lex glanced over at her, silent for a moment before nodding. "Mmm. I heard my father speaking with the hospital. Apparently, she was only recently released."  
  
"I feel so sorry for her."  
  
"Yeah. I always feel sorry for people that attempt to hack me into pieces." Lex frowned.  
  
"That's not what I meant."  
  
Silence. Lex brushed at a piece of lint on his slacks, ignoring the weighty stare he could feel coming from Hudson. Just because he felt better in her presence didn't really make the outside world disappear. Or his life.  
  
"Lex, what's wrong?"  
  
And she read him far too well. He needed to work on that. It wasn't that he believed she would ever use their familiarity against him, but. well, there was a danger in anyone being able to understand you better than you understood yourself. It was how his father conquered the people around him. And no one seemed to understand Lex the way that Hudson did. And no one seemed to not understand him the way Hudson did. It always frustrated him how sometimes she got things, and other times she just didn't.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
He lifted his gaze, staring at the loft railing. "I confronted my father tonight about Rachel. and the baby."  
  
"And?"  
  
"His name was Lucas. He died before his first birthday."  
  
"I'm so sorry," Hudson whispered, her fingers brushing over the sleeve of his coat. Then Lex felt a slight tug. "C'mere."  
  
Glancing down at her, Lex stared at her open arms quietly before finally giving in to the urge and stretching out across her body. He tucked his head against the crook of her neck, cheek pressed against her breast, and closed his eyes as her arms went around him. Safety and warmth engulfed him. Her fingers stroked the back of his neck, and her lips grazed his scalp. Lex found himself wishing he could just die then, because his life would never get better than this.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
Did he? He wanted to say no. He wanted to say nothing. He wanted to just lie there and listen to the sound of her heart beating beneath him, smell the apple scent of her, let the silence between them make everything that was ugly and wrong in his life go away. But with Hudson, things were never the way that Lex wanted them to be. He opened his mouth and couldn't stop it.  
  
"When Rachel came to see me. when she told me that you were my sister. Fuck, I was so stunned. Between thoughts of your parents killing me and the fact that I would never be able to touch you again, I." Lex shook his head and sighed. "The worst of it was, there was this part of me that wanted it to be true. When I came to see you, a small voice inside kept begging you to say it was true."  
  
Her fingers stilled against his skin. "W-why?"  
  
Lex opened his eyes and stared into the darkness of the barn. "Because, if you were my sister, you could never leave me. We'd be bonded by blood. We'd. I'd always have you."  
  
More silence and Lex closed his eyes again, anger filling him at his admission. He always said too much when it came to Hudson, always shared things that were better kept inside. But he would never tell the main reason he wished she was his sister - that he always seemed to forget who he was when she was around. If she was a Luthor, she would be just like him. And he wouldn't have to feel himself splitting apart any longer.  
  
"I'm never going to leave you, Lex."  
  
The question is, will I leave you? "You can't be so certain, Hudson. You're young. You're - "  
  
"I'm in love with you." She shifted beneath him. "Lex, look at me."  
  
He hesitated, wished he hadn't come here, wished he'd just driven somewhere, anywhere but here where the light beckoned and blinded him.  
  
"Please?"  
  
A plaintive plea he could never ignore. Lex lifted his head to meet her gaze, instinctively moving against her touch when she touched his cheek. "I won't leave you. I don't need your blood to give you my loyalty."  
  
Lex met her kiss, savoring the taste and feel of her mouth against his, her hand moving around to cup the back of his head, pulling him closer. He wanted to believe her, wanted so much to pretend that he'd finally found someone who was truly on his side. Someone he could always believe in. It was tempting - but there was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that what he wanted, and what he ever actually deserved, were two different things.  
  
Hudson loved him, yes. But did she love him enough to forget who he was?  
  
Lex didn't hold that much faith. 


	21. My First Taste: Carousel

EPISODE FIFTEEN  
  
Carousel  
  
If shame had a face I think it would kind of look like mine  
  
If it had a home would it be my eyes  
  
Would you believe if I said I'm tired of this  
  
Well here we go one more time  
  
Sick Cycle Carousel - Lifehouse  
  
It's far too bright for a funeral.  
  
I remember the day of my mother's funeral being the same way. There hadn't been a cloud in the sky and the sun had been so bright, I spent most of the service squinting at the light reflecting off of her white casket. I remember hearing one of my mother's friends saying how God must have been happy to have an angel like her back in Heaven with Him. But I was old enough by then to understand that things like God and Santa Claus and big, happy families didn't actually exist. So the idea of my mother sitting on some fluffy white cloud, next to a God who shouldn't have taken her away from her family in the first place, was ludicrous.  
  
Unfortunately, Hudson doesn't seem very receptive to comforting words or thoughts, either. For the most part, throughout the service for Rianne this morning, she has remained away from family and friends, staring blankly at the simple casket covered in bright and cheerful flowers. I'd offered only once to pay for the funeral – the responding glares I received from all three Kents caused me to refrain from making the offer twice. She hadn't been with them long, but I know that Rianne will always be considered a part of the family, the sibling that Hudson has never had, the youngest daughter. I find myself both jealous and pleased that Rianne had the chance, at least for a short time, to know what it was like to be a member of the Kent family.  
  
As the minister finishes his short prayer, the crowd around us slowly begins to disperse. Chloe and Pete stop beside Hudson, both giving her a hug before they head toward the parking lot. I continue to hang back, watching her closely as a few more friends from school offer their condolences and move on. The tense set of my Angel's shoulders tell me that, just a few hours into the day, Hudson is already weary, and she needs to be cared for. I wish she didn't have to go through this. She isn't all that innocent any more, in no small part thanks to me, but that doesn't mean I wish to see her suffer. Ever. I've told her in the past that she needs to grow up, but now I find myself regretting those words.  
  
She's not the girl I fell in love with over a year ago on the riverbank.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Kent," I call out as the couple begins to move past me, just to my right. "May I speak with you a moment?"  
  
"What is it, Lex?" Martha asks, turning her soft gaze to me, offering a half-smile as she walks up the incline toward me.  
  
Slipping my hands into my coat pockets, I move to meet them, pondering the correct way to broach my question. While their anger at me and Hudson regarding the silence over the change in our relationship has calmed somewhat, I know my presence in their lives still isn't wholly accepted. And it's not like I can blame them. If Hudson were my daughter, I never would have let someone like me near her, as a friend or otherwise. But the Kents are good people, they want Hudson to be happy, and they give people chances. They've certainly given me more than I deserve. Unfortunately, they've never allowed me to make it up to them. I still have hope that someday that chance will be offered.  
  
"I think you would both agree that Hudson needs something to get her mind off of what has happened," I begin, measuring the shifting frown in Jonathan's eyes before turning my gaze back to Martha.  
  
Her eyes widen slightly in curiosity. "What did you have in mind, Lex?" She asks, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.  
  
The action is very Hudson-like, so much that I find myself wondering if the adoption wasn't just some joke. Hudson takes after many traits from both the Kents, and sometimes I can't believe they aren't truly blood-related.  
  
"I'd like to take her to Metropolis with me for the weekend," I tell them. "Just to get her to relax, have a good time – "  
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
Only years of training help me to repress the sigh I feel rise to the surface at Jonathan's immediate refusal. Ignoring the negation I know is coming, I press forward with my proposal. "Mr. Kent, I know that you have your... misgivings regarding our relationship, and I understand where they come from. But please, try to think of Hudson right now – "  
  
Jonathan's frown quickly turns into a glare. "I'm always thinking of my daughter first, Lex, and how dare you imply that I wouldn't. Furthermore – "  
  
"Mr. Kent, I didn't mean to imply anything." My gaze quickly shifts to Martha, who I know has always been more understanding where my relationship with Hudson is concerned. Sometimes, I think she knows more about my feelings for her daughter than I do.  
  
"I'm simply saying that what we normally might consider good for Hudson might not be such in this case. You know that she has a tendency to mope, to shutter herself off from the rest of the world and wallow in her own pain. I'm sure you're as used to her doing that as I am."  
  
Martha nods. "She blames herself for not being able to help Rianne sooner. Nothing we say seems to help."  
  
"And the longer she dwells on it, the worse it'll get," I point out. "Look, I just want to get her mind off of it, take her Christmas shopping, let her see the lights and the city and spend – "  
  
"Spend money on her," Jonathan comments. "Did you ever think money isn't the solution to everything, Lex? Especially where Hudson is concerned."  
  
This time I'm unable to hold back the quick flash of anger that surfaces at Jonathan's accusation. The comparison to my father, to his unique form of 'love', cuts too quick to the core. "I was going to say 'spend time with her', Mr. Kent. As much as I do enjoy spoiling Hudson, and as much as I think she deserves every penny I get the chance to spend on her, I also know that those things mean nothing to her. I would have hoped that, by now, you would have seen that."  
  
Martha sighs, glancing between both of us before finally telling her husband, "Jonathan, why don't you go start the car?"  
  
"Dammit, Martha. I'm not – "  
  
"Jonathan." Her tone is quiet but steely. I've been up against that tone before.  
  
It's moments like this that cause my respect for the woman to grow in leaps and bounds. Someday, when Hudson is older and more confident, she will display this same strength, and I can't help but find myself looking forward to it. My god, she'll be magnificent.  
  
"Don't make a scene," she continues her voice suddenly gentle. Another trick Hudson has obviously gleaned from the woman who raised her. "This has been a rough week for all of us. Go on. I'll be there in a moment with H.C."  
  
Jonathan looks ready to argue before he seems to finally resign himself to letting his wife have her way. His gaze drifts over to me for a moment, as if he wishes to say something further, before he turns and makes his way toward the parking lot. The thought again occurs to me, as it has so many times before – it doesn't matter what I do, Jonathan Kent will never accept me for anything other than my last name. The sins of the father are indeed visited upon the children, and apparently I'm meant to suffer that the rest of my life. I try not to be bitter.  
  
With a shake of her head, Martha brings her attention back to me. "After what happened with Rianne... " She trails off and drops her gaze to the ground as if considering her words carefully. "It makes a parent cling even more tightly to their child out of fear. Sometimes, the world is so cruel." Martha looks over at the casket, where Hudson continues to hover, Lana standing beside her. "We just want to shelter her from it all. And at moments like this, we realize that we can't."  
  
"Mrs. Kent, believe me, I understand," I tell her as I wait for her gaze to return to mine. "If I could, I would hide Hudson away in the mansion and never let anyone hurt her ever again."  
  
Martha smiles a little at that, shaking her head.  
  
I rush to reassure her, "But I know she's better than that. I know she deserves more. Mrs. Kent, please. Let me help. Just this once."  
  
"I'll talk to Jonathan," she replies with a nod. "You'll be by to get her soon?"  
  
"Yes. In an hour."  
  
Martha gives me a slight smile before reaching out to touch my arm, squeezing it once. "Thank you, Lex." She turns to head toward the truck, glancing over her shoulder to call out, "H.C., honey? Your father and I are waiting in the truck."  
  
I watch Martha Kent walk away before moving down the small slope where Hudson still stands beside the casket. Lana passes by me, flashing a small smile that I return before focusing my gaze on my Angel. Dressed all in black, a long wool coat wrapped tightly around her, the teenage girl who has saved my life time and time again – be it with breath or a smile – suddenly appears entirely too old for her age. Her delicate brow is knit together in a deep frown, the expression on her face one that I personally know all too well. It asks a simple question: Why? A simple question that really has no answer. Part of me wants to tell her that, just to get it through her head there is no use in asking a question that can never be answered. But, in my heart, I know it's better to allow her to realize that on her own. It's part of growing up. Knowing that the world around you is a horrible place to be, and understanding there is nothing you can do but live your life.  
  
I stop beside her, saying nothing, slipping my arm around her waist and pulling her close. For the past few days, Hudson has been less than receptive to gestures of comfort, but this time she doesn't resist, simply tucks her head against my neck and sighs, her breath warming my skin. I kiss the top of her head, press my nose into her hair for a moment, smelling the mixture of apples and the crisp air of the morning. The top of her head is warm from the sun, drawing in its rays like a solar panel, and I imagine wrapping myself in the strands, snuggling down in its warmth like a blanket.  
  
"I suppose this is where I'm supposed to say something like 'At least she isn't in pain anymore' or something stupid like that?" Hudson asks, voice muffled against my coat.  
  
I pull her closer. "You don't have to say anything, Angel." Resting my chin on top of her head, I look out over the graveyard, toward the herd of cattle in the pasture beyond the trees. "No one expects that."  
  
"It's unfair," she whispers, voice almost too soft. "Why couldn't they save her? What – why do things like this happen?"  
  
Because life is unfair and cruel and it takes away mothers and babies and children and leaves people like my father in their place, I want to reply.  
  
Instead, I say nothing.  
  
Touching her chin, I tip her head back and kiss away the tear that falls down her cheek. Hudson closes her eyes against the sun behind me, and the light touches the tears that glistened on her lashes, bathing her skin in gold. For a long moment, I can only stare, my fingers reverently brushing against her face. So beautiful. And mine. What was stopping me from whisking her away to the mansion, locking her behind doors, calling in mercenaries to keep the world at bay? It could only be the two of us, forever.  
  
"I'd better go. Mom and dad are waiting."  
  
I snap from my reverie to find her bright green eyes watching me. Brushing a finger gently over her eyes, first one, then the other, I wipe the lingering tears away. "Go home. I'll be there in an hour to pick you up."  
  
Hudson searches my face quietly before asking, "Pick me up? Where are we going?"  
  
"Metropolis. For the weekend."  
  
She makes a face, pursing her lips, a stubborn glint, reminiscent of her father, appearing in her eyes. "I don't feel like going anywhere. I just want... I want to be alone."  
  
I hold tightly to her arm as she attempts to pull away. "Sorry, Greta," I mock. "But I'm not going to let you spend the weekend hiding out in your room, blaming yourself for things you have no control over."  
  
Hudson tugs at my hold, flashing a quick glare. "What do you know?"  
  
"I know you, Hudson Kent." I take hold of her other arm and pull her back to me, wrapping a secure hold once more around her waist as I meet her angry eyes. "What can you do here that you can't do in the city, Hudson?"  
  
"I don't feel like being social, Lex." She lifts her chin defiantly, compressing her lips in a tight line.  
  
I want to kiss her. My reactions to her never seem to make any sense.  
  
"Fine. You don't have to be. If all you want to do is lie in the bed in the penthouse and huddle under the sheets crying, you can do that. And I'll be there to hold you. But, if you want to get out and take your mind off of things, we can do that, too. I'm not asking you to ignore your grief, Angel. I simply don't want you to wallow in it."  
  
"You won't make me go out if I don't want to?" Hudson asks, sniffling once.  
  
"No." I shake my head, caressing the side of her neck with my thumb. "We'll just stay in and order out for Chinese if you want."  
  
"And... my parents are okay with this?"  
  
I glance over my shoulder toward the parking lot where the familiar red truck is waiting beside the curb. "Well, I don't know about 'okay'." I turn back to her. "But they are allowing you to go."  
  
Hudson wrinkles her nose in thought. "I guess it would be kind of stupid of me to say no, then. Huh?"  
  
"Kind of." I smile.  
  
Hudson nods a little and takes a deep breath. "Okay. An hour, then." She lifts her gaze to mine. "What should I pack?"  
  
I grin. I can't help it. "Nothing except your toothbrush." And maybe I'll pick her up some naughty lingerie. Edible undies. The possibilities are endless.  
  
Rolling her eyes, Hudson snorts. It's unattractive, unappealing and adorable. How does she do that? "Gotcha. Footy pajamas and overalls."  
  
"Brat."  
  
"Dork."  
  
"Prude."  
  
"Fiend."  
  
My grin continues at our play. "Yeah. I am."  
  
Smiling, Hudson leans her forehead against my chest. "Thank you for being here, Lex."  
  
"There's no where else I'd rather be." I kiss the top of her head, then set her away from me. "Now go on. Your parents are waiting. I'll see you soon."  
  
Nodding, Hudson turns and her gaze sweeps over the casket again. Reaching out, she touches it, lifting one of the white gerbera daisies into her hand. "I hope she isn't afraid of the dark. I hope... She doesn't belong in the ground, Lex."  
  
"She won't be." I step forward and lay my hand over Hudson's heart. "She's here... And I, for one, can't think of a better place to be."  
  
When I get back to the mansion, Dodd gives me a message that my father will be in Chicago until Wednesday. I'm tempted to call off the trip to Metropolis and just spend the next few days in Smallville, basking in the solitude of the mansion. But I've already promised Hudson, and I know it will do her a bit of good to spend some time away from the well-meaning concern of her parents.  
  
After informing Dodd of my plans, I make my way to the study to gather some paperwork and my laptop together to take with me. There's plenty to do at the Plant, and being away for a few days isn't going to help matters. Sometimes I find myself wondering if my father isn't right, and I'm not ready for this. It's hard not to bitter toward those other twenty-two year olds who are responsible for nothing beyond what bar they're attending that night and the name of the chick they fucked the night before. I'm better than them, I'm meant for greater things than they are, but sometimes I can't help but wonder what my life would be like if it were simpler. If I weren't Lex Luthor.  
  
Stopping at my desk, I scoop a few files into my briefcase and come across one of my Warrior Angel comics. When Hudson unexpectedly showed up with Rianne on my doorstep, I made a point of gathering my collection together to show her. The first time she'd come to Smallville, we hadn't really hit it off. I think I was a little jealous of Hudson's attention to her, and Rianne was very protective of Hudson, almost as if their roles were somehow reversed. It was something I came to understand very quickly – it's difficult to not want to protect her. I haven't met a friend of Hudson's yet that didn't attempt, in some way, to look out for her. Being a child of ten hadn't changed that for Rianne.  
  
This time, though, Rianne and I seemed to reach a silent truce...  
  
"How is the little one?"  
  
I glanced over my shoulder toward Dodd at his question. "She seems fairly shaken up." I ran a hand over my face a moment, eyes still stinging from the past few hours I'd spent going over records from City Hall. "I can't make any sense of why Hudson would bring her here."  
  
My cook shrugs as he pours the steaming hot cocoa into a mug. "Miss Kent trusts you. She knows that if anyone has the answers for what to do, it would be you. You would have been angry if she hadn't come to you."  
  
"Maybe." I turned my gaze toward the hall.  
  
I wasn't worried so much for myself as I was for Hudson. She had a track record for jumping into situations without thinking them through first. Usually I derived some satisfaction from being able to point that out to her, to say 'I told you so' and explain to her what she should have done in each circumstance. But this time there was something about the entire matter that left me uneasy, not the least of which was how she got Rianne out of the hospital in the first place. Normally, just picking a minor up from their bed and walking down the hall and out the doors with them wasn't exactly tolerated. So how had she pulled it off? There no money involved for bribes, no contacts to sign the right paperwork, no –  
  
"Marshmallows or whipped cream?"  
  
I turned my head to frown at Dodd. "What?"  
  
"Would the little one prefer marshmallows or whipped cream?"  
  
"How the hell should I know?" I snapped.  
  
Grunting, Dodd turned back to the counter and grabbed the can of whipped cream. "I will give her whipped cream. It is Miss Kent's favorite."  
  
"Fine. Whatever." I moved over to the counter and grabbed the mug, slowing only when I realized the hot beverage threatened to spill over the sides. "I don't know why I didn't just have you bring this to us," I muttered, heading toward the hall.  
  
"Because then you wouldn't have had an outlet to rant and rave to," Dodd called after me.  
  
Ignoring him, I moved down the hallway and back into the study where Rianne and Hudson sat huddled on the couch beside the fire, talking softly to one another. The girl was wrapped in one of my blankets, beneath which she still wore a hospital gown and slippers. Her dark blonde hair was falling out of the haphazard braids, strands matted and tangled around her neck. She glanced up at my entry, blue eyes round and large with mixture of curiosity and intensity. I tried not to falter in my step at her gaze, even as my memories turned to that moment in the limousine when she'd plucked the name of Julian from my mind. Afterwards, I'd reasoned that Hudson must have told Rianne about Julian, but even now I can't help but wonder if there was something more going on there.  
  
"Here you go, Rianne," I said with a slight smile as I handed her the mug of hot cocoa and took a seat on the chair across from her and Hudson. "How you doing?"  
  
"Okay," she replied, returning my smile. "Thanks to Hudson."  
  
Obviously uncomfortable with the praise, Hudson shifted in her seat toward Rianne, asking, "Rianne, do you have any idea how we can get a hold of your aunt?"  
  
The girl took a sip of the cocoa, licking at the whipped cream on her upper lip. I think she moved to... Arizona."  
  
"How could she just leave you?" Hudson demanded, a frown flashing over her perfect features. It took every ounce of my willpower not to lean over and kiss the furrow away from her forehead.  
  
"A couple months ago, I started getting nosebleeds and headaches," Rianne explained simply. "She took me to all kinds of doctors, but no one seemed to know what the problem was. The bills were becoming too much for her to handle..." She shrugged. "Then Dr. Garner showed up and offered to pay for my care."  
  
I considered her words for a long moment, wondering what kind of doctor showed up with such a display of altruism to take care of a sick child. And why would her aunt just run off and leave her in his care?  
  
"Rianne, what were they treating you for?"  
  
She glanced up at my question, pausing for only the briefest of moments as she seemed to consider her reply. "They... they were treating me— "  
  
"They were holding her for observation," Hudson finished for her quickly.  
  
My gaze shot up at Hudson's words, a sharp stab of disappointment shooting through me. Why was it that every time I believed we were beyond the lies and deception, Hudson insisted on throwing something else into the mix? The lie was so obvious as to be laughable. Even Rianne was staring up at Hudson in surprise before hurriedly returning her attention to the cup of cocoa in her hands. A brief flash of guilt seem to move across the girl's face before she spent the next few moments quietly licking at the whipped cream.  
  
Why are you lying to me? I felt like throwing something as I sat there, staring at Hudson until she dropped her gaze. I continued to watch her as she leaned down to tug at a shoelace, dried mud from the edge of her tennis shoes flaking on to the rug beneath them. She was avoiding my gaze, causing my frustration to mount.  
  
I gave a small smile to Rianne before asking, "Hudson, can I talk to you for a moment?"  
  
Not waiting for a reply, I climbed to my feet and started toward the far side of the room and the hallway beyond. Behind me, I heard Rianne's voice.  
  
"Hudson?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
A significant pause. "Never mind." Her voice sounded sad.  
  
"Get some rest, okay?" Hudson suggested before I heard her footsteps following me across the room.  
  
Sighing inwardly, I waited in the hall for her to join me, pacing near the wall as she walked out, her gaze drifting back inside for just a moment before she flashed me a grateful smile. Sometimes, she's completely clueless.  
  
"I appreciate you taking Rianne in," she told me, reaching out for my hand. "If I took her home, my parents would've freaked."  
  
"Yeah, kidnapping has that effect on people," I replied in frustration. Turning to her, I asked, "Hudson, why did you break her out if they were only keeping her for observation?"  
  
She seemed to pale a little at the accusation and the question. Worrying her lower lip, she dropped her gaze. "Look, I didn't have a choice. They were treating her like a lab rat. It was terrible."  
  
If I grabbed her and shook her, would it actually knock any sense in to her? I clenched my jaw and looked into the study where Rianne was quietly drinking her cocoa and watching us. Our gazes met, and again I couldn't help but think that there was something going on there that I hadn't quite grasped yet.  
  
Looking away, I replied, "Hudson, you abducted a minor. They'll trace her to you, and then to me. We're both in a serious amount of trouble here."  
  
While I had no fear of the law, I wanted to be certain that Hudson knew what the consequences of her actions could be. There was a reason her parents would have 'freaked' if she'd shown up on their doorstep with Rianne, but I didn't know if she actually took the time to consider that. With Hudson it was always act first on emotion, then react against the consequences. I'm certain if she ever actually plotted out her response before taking it.  
  
"I shouldn't have involved you," came the reply, including both the pout and the immature tone. "I'll find some place else to hide her."  
  
It would have served her right if I had just let her go. Instead, I reached out to grab her arm as she started to move away, pulling her back to me.  
  
"Rianne's staying here," I told her. "At least for tonight. Tomorrow I'll talk to my lawyers in Metropolis and see what our options are."  
  
Even though they were used to hearing outlandish requests from both me and my father, I couldn't wait to see their expressions when I told them I was involved in the kidnapping of a minor. And I wanted them to make it all right. It could be done, it was just going to take a lot of loopholes, contacts and money to get it all done. I don't mind using any of my resources when it comes to making certain my Angel is happy, but for once I wished that she would be honest with me as to why I was being asked to do so.  
  
"I'm sorry." She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder, fingers curling against my chest. "I didn't think this through. I saw her hooked up to those wires... I had to do something."  
  
"So you staged a one-woman prison break?" I asked incredulously, ignoring the desire to press her again as to the real reason Rianne had been there, hooked up to wires. Instead, I wrapped his arms around her and laid my head against hers. "How did you manage to get her out without anybody stopping you?"  
  
If I couldn't get the answer to one question...  
  
"Just lucky, I guess."  
  
I closed my eyes and silently counted to ten. One day, she would run out of excuses. "You're the luckiest person I've ever met," I commented wryly. "Let's hope it doesn't run out before tomorrow."  
  
Sighing, Hudson hugged me a little tighter before pulling back. "I'd better get home. I'll be by tomorrow to check on Rianne." She leaned up and brushed her lips over mine in a soft kiss. "Thank you, again."  
  
Nodding, I stared at her silently for a long moment, willing her to trust me with the truth before I turned and headed back to the study to see to my guest...  
  
"... packed."  
  
Snapping from my thoughts, I turn to see Dodd standing in the doorway, watching me with a barely tolerant expression. Sometimes I wonder why I just don't fire him. "What?"  
  
"You're packed. I took the liberty of including dinner clothes, so that you could take Miss Kent out – "  
  
"She may not wish to go 'out', Dodd. Ever think of that?" I remark, turning back to filling my briefcase.  
  
"As well as work clothes in case duty calls," he continues, ignoring me. "I still think that I should be allowed to drive you."  
  
"What? Afraid I don't know how to use the turn signals without your instruction?" He's really getting on my nerves.  
  
Dodd flashes me a look. He's perturbed. Good. "No. But things happen in the city. I should be there. It's why you hired me – aside from making certain your eggs are cooked properly."  
  
It's on the tip of my tongue to say that Hudson's there, she'll protect me. I depend on her entirely too much. It's pathetic. Weak. Especially when I don't know the exact reason as to why I depend on her, trust her. Maybe because she's always been there. She hasn't let me down yet.  
  
"Nothing's going to happen." I snap my briefcase shut and turn to glare at him. "Anything else... dad?"  
  
Dodd returns my expression. "I've killed for less, you know." He pauses. "Your bag is in the hall."  
  
There are times I understand why Hudson sticks her tongue out at him. I wish I were free enough to do the same.  
  
On the drive to the Kent farm, I call the office and tell them that I'll be at the penthouse for the weekend, and to call me if anything happens with the weekend shift. There's a big order to be filled by Monday, and if anything goes wrong, it could spell certain doom for Lexcorp. Gabe assures me that everything is on schedule and there shouldn't be any reason to contact me. Still, I know I'll be calling in the morning just to ease my mind.  
  
Pulling up the gravel drive, I toss my phone into the glove compartment, slip off my driving gloves and climb out of the car, pausing to stare up at the yellow farmhouse as the door slides shut quietly behind me. I start across the yard toward the back door, tucking my hands into the pockets of my coat. It's a warm December day and I find myself wondering if maybe I shouldn't have grabbed a lighter coat for comfort's sake.  
  
It's strange how a place as foreign to me as the Kent farm has quickly become much more of a home to me than any other. I love to hear the sounds of Jonathan Kent working in the barn or the old tractor sputtering in the pasture. The air is filled with scents – manure, hay, farm animals, flowers, vegetables and fruits. As you near the house, those smells are mixed with that of Martha's cooking, varieties of baked goods and home- cooked meals that would make Wolfgang Puck green with envy. I love it here. I think I'll always love it here. And sometimes I wish that I could express that love so the Kents understood how much both they, and their home, means to me.  
  
"Are you sure about this, Martha?"  
  
Jonathan's voice carries out the screen door as I begin up the steps. Martha's reply brings me to a pause just as I lift my hand to knock.  
  
"There's not much we can hold them back from doing, if they want to do it, Jonathan."  
  
Jonathan snorts in reply, like it's the last thing he wants to hear. It probably is.  
  
I shouldn't be listening. There's this societal taboo about eavesdropping that every person is raised with. Everyone that isn't a part of the Luthor family, that is. I've even schooled Hudson on the finer points of the fact that there is no such thing as too much information. Out of respect for the Kents, I should walk away, go back to the car, slam the door extra hard or honk or something to alert them to my presence. Unfortunately, childhood teachings have a way of sticking with you. Instead of doing the right thing, I move to the side of the door, out of sight, and continue to listen.  
  
"I didn't mean... that. Unfortunately, the horse is already out of the barn, so to speak."  
  
Silence is followed by the sound of running water, and Martha rolling down out onto the counter. Cautiously, I peer through the corner of the screen door to catch Martha smirking.  
  
Apparently Jonathan must see it as well because he remarks suddenly, "I don't think it's funny."  
  
"No. It isn't funny, Jonathan. But what are we going to do? Push her away by refusing to allow her to see him? Ruin any chance that we still have to guide her? She loves him. And you have to admit that Lex has been nothing but good to her."  
  
"I don't have to admit anything," he grunts, and I see him crossing the kitchen to the refrigerator. Quickly I duck back against the wall as he continues, "What I'm saying is, two days constantly in his company – well, that's a long time to go and hope that she doesn't let something slip. That he doesn't see more than he should."  
  
Something slip? I furrow my brow at the words, the suspicions I've always harbored regarding Hudson surfacing once again. Not even counting the accident at the bridge, there have been too many close-calls, too many unexplained situations, too many lies. How can I not wonder, not be curious? I've asked questions that Hudson has blatantly avoided.  
  
And now it seems that my suspicions have been confirmed. She is hiding something. Her parents are hiding something.  
  
Martha sighs. "And what do you think would happen if he did, Jonathan? Would the ground open up and all the demons of Hell ascend into the world? Would Lex suddenly grow horns and flame Hudson over a pit of meteor rocks?"  
  
I raise an eyebrow at her mention of the meteor rocks. Once I began to understand their strange effects on many of those who come into contact with them, I suspected that they had something to do with Hudson's secrets. I doubt that Martha's use of them in her remark is simply coincidental.  
  
"I can't believe you can joke about this!" Jonathan snaps.  
  
"I'm not. I worry about Hudson's safety the same as you do. I have nightmares about it. My god, Jonathan! She's my daughter, too. But that doesn't mean I can't have a little faith in her and her judgment...  
  
"Yes, I know who Lex's father is. Yes, I know about the kind of people he associates with. Yes, I know he's done some questionable things in the past regarding this family. But I also know how much good he's done, how much he cares about our daughter and how happy he makes her. I'm not going to begrudge Hudson the minor normalcy she can have in her life from a relationship with him just because I want to keep her safe."  
  
I find a smile at Martha's defense of me. It quickly disappears, though, with Jonathan's following remark:  
  
"I can't imagine referring to any relationship with a Luthor as 'normal'."  
  
"One of these days, Jonathan, you're going to regret having lumped Lex in the same category as his father."  
  
"Well, I hope you're right, Martha. I'd like to be shown that they're not the same person --"  
  
"Mom!" Hudson's voice rings out and I hear her scrambling down the stairs. "I can't find my bathing suit!"  
  
"Bathing suit?" Jonathan asks. "It's early December. Why the heck would you need a bathing suit?"  
  
"Oh, Lex has a hot tub in his penthouse."  
  
Great. Why don't you tell them my sheets are black and I have a secret room with shackles on the wall as well, Hudson? I love her, but sometimes she doesn't think. She just says whatever she wants to, and more than once I've seen that behavior come back to bite her in the ass. And me. It's the folly of youth to speak before thinking, but Hudson seems to have a particular knack for it. I blame it on her unwavering ability to always look at the world through rose-colored glasses. She could never truly imagine someone using the things she says or does against her. And god, I hope that no one ever does.  
  
"I think it's in the laundry room, honey," Martha tells her. "I hung it up after washing it in September and left it for the summer."  
  
"Thanks, mom!"  
  
There's a momentary banging of pots and pans, and then the distinct sound of Hudson's quick steps up the stairs.  
  
"H.C.?" Jonathan calls out. "I want to speak with you a moment."  
  
Here it comes. The inevitable moment when Jonathan changes his mind, tells Hudson she can't come with me to Metropolis. She'll likely argue with him – Hudson's grown prone to arguing in the past few months with anyone who impedes on her plans – but then she'll give in because she always does. And these are her parents, whose opinions and requests hold a lot more sway with her than I think she'll ever admit to me.  
  
There's a slight pause and then, "Uh... Lex will be here any minute."  
  
"You have time," her father replies.  
  
Sighing loudly, I can hear her stomping down the steps with all of the enthusiasm of any teenager waiting to be told what they don't want to hear. I smile a little, thinking of my own rebellious years against my father, forced to live under the same roof as him, forever determined to rage against any dictate he handed me. Things haven't really changed. I'm even stuck living under the same roof as him again. Funny how some things tend to go full circle.  
  
"I want you to be careful, H.C.," Jonathan begins.  
  
I lean around the corner again to see him hold up a hand for silence when Hudson starts to reply.  
  
"Now, listen. I know you trust Lex. I know how much you care about him. But that doesn't change the fact that you're going to the city, a relatively unknown place for you, and a million things can happen. You're going to be there for forty-eight hours, and you very well know how much can go wrong in that amount of time."  
  
"Dad – "  
  
"H.C., this isn't about Lex and the fact that he's a Luthor. It's about being careful, knowing when the time is right. You might be ready to tell Lex everything, but your mother and I aren't."  
  
Hudson rolls her eyes and releases a long-suffering sigh. "Dad, I'm not going to tell Lex anything this weekend, okay? That's like, the last thing I want to deal with right now. Lex wants to get my mind off of things and I want someone I can talk to about Rianne. Is that so wrong?"  
  
I lean back against the wall, out of sight once more. What is it that she isn't going to tell me? And why not? Don't I have a goddamn right to know? Fuck. I close my eyes, and tell myself it's all worth it, and that one day she will tell me, and right now she's just used to abiding by her parents' wishes. She's still a child. She still lives under their roof. I love her and I want to be with her, and once she asked me to give her time.  
  
It's all a bunch of fucking bullshit.  
  
"No." Jonathan shakes his head and gives his daughter a smile. "I just worry about you, honey. You've been through a lot lately."  
  
"I'm fine, Dad. After all, I've got you and mom looking out for me."  
  
Except that she should trust me to look out for her, too.  
  
There's another moment of silence, and the sound of Hudson's feet on the stairs.  
  
I feel cold. I try not to think about it. This weekend getaway was for Hudson, to help ease the pain of Rianne's death, to give us some time together. Maybe it will make everything better. Maybe it will give me the chance to convince Hudson to open up. I've told her so much. So much more than I've ever told anyone. It's only fair that she reciprocate.  
  
Shaking the disappointment and anger from my mind, I quietly move down the steps, then turn and jog back up them, certain to make enough noise to announce my arrival. I rap against doorframe with my fist, forcing a polite smile as Jonathan appears before me, pulling the door open.  
  
Behind him, Martha calls out, "Hudson! Lex is here!"  
  
"Mr. Kent."  
  
"Lex." Jonathan returns his nod of greeting, but doesn't exactly move out of the way to allow me to step into the house. He nods his head toward the Ferrari parked in the driveway. "I hope you plan on driving that thing responsibly with my daughter in there."  
  
I slip off my sunglasses and tuck them into my coat pocket, taking the moment to carefully tamp down the quick flash of anger that surfaces at Jonathan's assumption I would purposely do anything to harm Hudson. "I would never do anything to put Hudson in danger, Mr. Kent."  
  
"I'm entrusting my little girl to your care, Lex. For two days. But don't think for a moment that means I'm happy about this. My wife believes that H.C. needs to get her mind off of things, and I agree. But I'd give my right arm to have another option."  
  
As usual, I have to give Jonathan credit for at least being honest with me. I flash a quick smile that I don't feel. "I understand that, Mr. Kent. All I can do is assure you that Hudson's best interests are all I care about, and that she'll be safe with me. You're free to call whenever you wish."  
  
"Trust me. We will – "  
  
"Lex!"  
  
Hudson appears at the door, still wearing the clothes she wore to the funeral but her face is slightly flushed, eyes more animated. She's smiling and I can't help but wonder if she remembers the conversation she just had with her parents regarding her secret, or if she has easily pushed it from her mind?  
  
"Ready to go, Angel?" I ask, returning her smile because there's a part of me that can't deny her anything.  
  
She smells good, the Giorgio perfume I gifted her with a month ago wafting over me as she leans out the door for a quick kiss. Jonathan's lips are pursing together in displeasure but the look disappears quickly as Hudson pulls back to grab her bag behind her.  
  
"Give me a hug," Martha instructs her daughter, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek. "Enjoy yourself. Relax. Try to forget about everything for awhile, okay?"  
  
"I'll put this in the car," I tell her, taking the bag from her hand and nodding at her parents once before I turn and head down the porch steps toward the car. I can feel Jonathan watching me, likely still wondering if he should call this trip off. And maybe he should because now I know. Or, at least, I know enough that no lie that falls from Hudson's lips will ever convince me otherwise.  
  
After slipping her bag into the trunk of the car beside mine, I glance up to see Hudson still saying goodbye to her parents. She hugs both, and steps back to leave, only to have her mother reach out and fix the collar on her coat before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Another quick kiss and a promise to be good, and then Hudson is moving quickly down the stairs and across the yard, leather boots crunching against the gravel with her quick steps. I meet her at the passenger side door, holding it open so that she can slip inside. She brushes against me, creating an overwhelming urge within me to throw her against the hood of the car and fuck her until she tells me everything. But then she's waving to her parents again and telling them she loves them, and the desire just as quickly fades away.  
  
I close the door behind her and walk around to the driver's side, glancing up to see the Kents still standing on the back porch, Jonathan still disapproving, Martha nervous. At one time, I would have been proud of causing such distress in the parents of someone I dated.  
  
Now, I just feel ashamed.  
  
The drive is silent as we head out of Smallville and onto I-70 toward Metropolis. Hudson stares out the window beside her at the passing scenery, the browns and grays of the approaching winter a stark contrast against the bright blue of the sky. Occasionally she chews on her lower lip or fidgets in her seat, but her usual animation and talkativeness is missing.  
  
And it is missed.  
  
I have no desire to force her into conversation, nor do I wish for her to abandon her grief over the loss of her friend. But seeing her like this is painful. She has never been the type to withdraw or dwell on sorrow. That's more my behavior, and I hate to think that I am influencing her in adopting that conduct.  
  
"Hey."  
  
She glances over at me in question.  
  
I wave a hand toward the CD player. "You're free to put anything on that you'd like to hear. The case is behind your seat."  
  
Hudson shrugs. "No. This is okay."  
  
If I hadn't known before that this behavior was out of character, I did now. Hudson and I do not agree on music. She never bypasses the opportunity to replace anything in my player with either Shania Twain or a Disney soundtrack. Her taste in music is so eclectic as to be frightening. And here she sits, telling me that "Chopin is quite all right, thank you very much. Have you been to the gallery lately?" instead of "Jiminy Cricket, Lex! Must you be both arrogant and boring? This stuff will put you to sleep!" We don't have similar taste, but I'd give anything for her to reach over and slip 'The Lion King' into the CD player right now. At least then I would know it mattered to her.  
  
Watching as she turns her gaze back out the window, I suppress a sigh and focus on driving for the moment. As usual, the turnpike is virtually empty, the road smooth and open before me. Unfortunately, it is also completely flat and straight, free of the sharp curves that make driving a Ferrari a blessed experience. With no challenge ahead of me, I'm left with either my own thoughts – and I'm really tired of focusing on business, and the corrupt politicians in Smallville – or convincing Hudson to talk to me. Denied of one challenge, I decide to focus on another.  
  
"Have you decided what to get your parents for Christmas?"  
  
There's a moment's pause before I notice her dark head shake briefly out of the corner of my eye. "No. Well, sort of. I mean, I know what they want but I haven't narrowed it down yet."  
  
"Do you know what you're getting me for Christmas?" I press, giving her a quick, hopeful look. Not that I care, or want anything, really. Well, maybe Hudson wrapped in a big red bow. And nothing else.  
  
A soft smile appears. That's better. "Nice try. I thought you didn't like Christmas?" She shifts in her seat, facing me.  
  
"A lot can change in a year," I reply, shrugging lightly. "Maybe I just didn't believe in Christmas before."  
  
"Now you're starting to sound like a children's book." Hudson sighs and immediately her eyes become downcast again, fingers picking lightly at the hem of her dark plaid skirt.  
  
Lifting my hand from the gear shift, I lay it over hers, feeling the warmth of her skin through my driving glove. "We can do some shopping for your parents if you'd like while we're in the city?" I offer quietly, squeezing her hand.  
  
She doesn't answer. Silence fills the car, broken only by the low drone of the Sonata in G minor coming through the speakers at the softest setting. Hudson's fingers loop through mine, the pad of her thumb playing over the nail of my index finger. I can't help but smile inwardly at the tender, intimate touch. Sometimes I'm so comfortable with Hudson that it feels as if I'm were merely an extension of her. I've found myself wondering if I could ever feel this way with anyone else, just before I stop myself, realizing I don't want to think about that. I've never felt this before and I want to hold onto it, especially when all of the people and past events in my life have seemed so transitory.  
  
Even with the lies between us, I'm closer to Hudson than I've ever been with anyone.  
  
"What do you think happens when we die?"  
  
Taken aback by the question, I glance over at Hudson quickly, noting the desperate light in her eyes as she waits for an answer. I feel as if this might be the most important question I've ever been asked. My mouth compresses into a tight line, gaze returning to the road ahead of me, as I consider my reply.  
  
"Lex... "  
  
"Do you want the accepted answer? Or the truth?"  
  
"I want to know what you believe."  
  
I let go of her hand, gripping the steering wheel with both of mine. "Nothing," I answer. "You die. End of story. Your loved ones mourn you and the grass grows up around you and maybe it feeds a few cows. Life moves on and most of us are forgotten."  
  
Silence. Kind of like the end of eternity. Or the beginning.  
  
I steal a quick look at Hudson to find her expression thoughtful. "Does that upset you?"  
  
She lifts her gaze to mine, and shakes her head. "No. It's... kind of comforting, actually. I hate the thought of Rianne being somewhere, wishing that she could be here. Crying because she knows her death caused me pain. Longing to make it better when she knows she can't. I wouldn't want that for her. I guess the idea of an afterlife is cruel, when you think about it."  
  
"For some it represents hope... for something better. It gives them a reason to go on." Noticing a police car on the other side of the road, I quickly downshift, slowing slightly. "It's why I've always tried to live for today. There's not much point in worrying about the future when you aren't going to be a part of it."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Hudson turns to look out the window again, her brow knitting into a deep frown. I wait patiently, sensing that there is more she wants to say.  
  
Finally, "I saw... there was this... dream." She turns back to me, eyes intent. "I was in a graveyard, surrounded by tombstones. All of the people I love were there. It was dark and raining and the graves just stretched on and on, endlessly."  
  
It sounds so typically teenager that I find myself anticipating her to pull out a slip of paper, the dream turned into a clever little poem, dark and tragic. Feeling the tug of a grin on my lips, I turn to make a comment about it to Hudson, only to hold back when I catch the sincerity in her eyes, echoing the seriousness of her words. She looks twenty years older suddenly, and my heart aches for her.  
  
Swallowing, I glance back to the road. "We all have fears of losing the people we love, Hudson. Of being left behind, alone. After my mother died, I had similar dreams, especially when Pamela left. Everyone I loved was gone, and living with my father was the same as being alone." I purse my lips in thought. "Maybe I've grown immune to the idea."  
  
"That's what I fear."  
  
Her whisper is so soft, I almost miss it. For a moment, I think she is talking about me. "What?"  
  
"Not caring. Becoming immune. Having it happen to me so often that eventually it just... doesn't matter anymore."  
  
I frown. "Sweetie, that's not going to happen to you. Ever. For one, you're not going to be left alone. We're all here and we're going to remain here. And second, even if you do lose people that you love, you're going to go on loving and go on caring. It isn't in you not to."  
  
"But it's in you."  
  
It's almost a question. "We're different, Hudson. You and I. We were raised differently, we've had different experiences. We view the world differently."  
  
She nods but I can tell by the set of her shoulders that she doesn't agree with me.  
  
I let it go, and concentrate on the feel of the car beneath me. I try to focus on the sound of the music but keep coming back to Hudson's dream. As usual, it feels like there is something I'm missing, but I can't figure out what. And now I know for a certainty that if I ask, the question will remain unanswered. There is something personal in the dream, something she is only willing to share to a point, and that hurts. With the earlier confirmation that Hudson doesn't tell me everything, that there is a secret part of her life she has never invited me in to, this is like a second blow to my heart. Her secrets seem to always hover there between us, a yawning cavern that threatens to pull me in and swallow me up. They have time and time again. I try to ignore them, but so often Hudson seems to flaunt them in front of me, shouting without speaking that I will never truly be a part of her life.  
  
In the end, it all comes down to the realization that she doesn't trust me. I refuse to believe that it is because of my name – it seems so petty. And that isn't Hudson to me. But, she has been raised by Jonathan Kent, and certainly she considers his words regarding us Luthors. There are only so many times you can be told something, and not begin to believe it.  
  
"You weren't there, you know."  
  
Pulling from my thoughts, I glance over at Hudson quizzically. "What?"  
  
"In my... in the graveyard. You weren't there." She's staring at me hard now, as if she looked at me intently enough, she would discover the answers to the universe.  
  
I flash her a smile, reaching out to touch her, my hand laying over her thigh. "That's because I'll never leave you, Angel. I'll always be a part of your life, a part of your future."  
  
Hudson makes a noise in the back of her throat, brow furrowing. "Is that it?" She continues to watch me. "What if... what if it means that what I feel for you really isn't love? How do I know?"  
  
Heart constricting at the question – no matter how innocent it was meant to be – I grip the wheel a little tighter, shifting back into fifth as the Ferrari flies over the blacktop.  
  
"It's up to you to know your own feelings, Hudson. I can't tell you whether your love for me is real."  
  
My tone remains even, unconcerned. But inside I can feel something breaking apart. Maybe it's just a simple reminder – nothing lasts forever.  
  
Still, I can't stop myself from remarking, somewhat bitterly, "Perhaps if it is this easy to doubt your feelings for me, you never believed them in the first place."  
  
"No." She replies quick enough to lessen the tension in my shoulders. "It's not that. It.. I was just... thinking out loud."  
  
She turns away again and inwardly I admit to my confusion. What I thought was a conversation about Rianne's death is quickly becoming something I don't understand at all. Then again, Hudson is something I don't understand, no matter how hard I try. I could probably tally the hours I've spent pondering the mystery of her, and come up with weeks of my life that I will never get back. All of my theories, all of my hunches, all of the non-answers just pile together into a heaping mound of frustration. Hudson doesn't want to share her secrets with me. Not this weekend. Maybe never.  
  
And now I can't help but wonder if that has anything to do with her doubts regarding me, regarding us.  
  
"Hudson?" A tilt of her head tells me I have her attention. "Why don't you trust me?"  
  
Now I have her full attention. She is looking at me, blinking with those damnable innocent, lying eyes. "I... I do trust you, Lex."  
  
"Then why do you lie to me? Why do you tell me half-truths?"  
  
"I don't – "  
  
"When I asked why Rianne was in Summerholt, she started to tell me. But you interrupted, said they were holding her for observation." I hold up a finger. "That was one, Hudson. One out of so many I've lost count. The only conclusion I can come to is that you don't trust me. I want to know why. I'm not even asking you to share your secrets with me, Hudson. To tell me the truth. I just want to know why I'm not worthy of it?"  
  
Her mouth falls open slightly as she stares at me, guilt written in fluorescent pink colors all over her face. "Lex, I... I do trust you."  
  
I sigh. We will go in circles again. There will be no answers. Perhaps there will never be an answer. "No. You don't."  
  
Chin lifting in a slightly defiant gesture, Hudson counters, "The same can be said of you. You don't tell me everything, Lex. I've asked questions – questions about your past, about your relationship with your father, even about Lexcorp. There are plenty of answers you've never given me."  
  
I grow silent, unable to deny the charge, however different it might seem to me.  
  
Check mate. Or stale mate. However one sees fit to label it. This discussion is over.  
  
There is little conversation between us the rest of the drive to Metropolis. We stop once at a McDonalds along the turnpike when Hudson mentions her hunger. She gets two double-cheeseburgers and fries, saying little more than thank you when I hand over the food. I get an eggnog milkshake for myself, which I've admitted to no one but Hudson are actually very good. In fact, I have a slight obsession with them.  
  
When we pull up to Luthorcorp Towers II, the bellman, Tom, meets us at the car to carry in our bags. I move over to the passenger door, taking Hudson's hand in mine, leading her into the lobby and over to the private elevator that will take us straight to the penthouse. The low-heels of her boots click across the marble floor, echoing through the corridor, the only sound between us. I notice her looking in the mirrors of the far wall and I catch her eyes, flashing her a smile. She seems to force one in return, then squeezes my hand as if in apology. I don't understand what's going on between us, but now isn't really time to talk about it as Tom walks up behind us.  
  
The elevator takes us to the 76th floor, opening directly into the penthouse. The heavy scent of disinfectant is in the air, signaling that the cleaning service has been here earlier today. I wait as Hudson exits the elevator, her gaze sweeping over the main room.  
  
"Mr. Luthor, is there anything else I can do for you?"  
  
"That's all for now. Thanks, Tom."  
  
I slip him a fifty and hold the doors as he steps inside the elevator. Turning away as it returns him to the lobby, I find Hudson looking at me, her bag in her hands.  
  
"So, ummm, where to?"  
  
Picking up my own bag, I nod down the hall. "Follow me," I tell her as I start toward the spiral staircase.  
  
The penthouse was built to be as lavish as everything else my father owns. Three stories with five bedrooms, six baths, kitchen, formal dining room, living room, study, a Jacuzzi on the balcony, which also contains an elaborate garden. It's decorated as sparingly as his office, extremely modern and a far cry from the rustic warmth that I've grown used to in the mansion. I used to love staying here as a teenager, filling the place with hundreds of people I didn't know, delighting in the destruction of its furniture and pristine white carpeting. Now, I don't feel as comfortable here. I feel like I'm on display, that I'm just another Luthor prop to be admired and envied. Untouchable in my ivory tower.  
  
"This definitely isn't anything like the other apartments I've seen in the city," Hudson comments behind me, awe evident in her voice.  
  
I shrug. "Well, it's a penthouse, not an apartment."  
  
"Semantics," she replies with a light laugh. "It's really nice, though."  
  
"Glad you like it."  
  
This polite conversation is setting me on edge. I need a drink.  
  
Leading her into the master bedroom, I set my bag on the chair beside the dresser and wave a hand toward the closet. "You're welcome to hang up anything you need. The dressers are mostly empty as well." I remove my jacket and toss it onto the bed before tugging a few of the buttons open on my shirt.  
  
Hudson looks uncomfortable. She sets her bag down and smoothes her hands over her skirt and looks at me with a slight smile. I want to make this better but I wasn't the one who questioned what was happening between us. I didn't question my feelings for her. It doesn't matter that I haven't actually admitted to my feelings for her – the fact is, she has and it hurt like hell to sit there and listen to her take them back. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything in the first place.  
  
Damn, I can't let this get to me. "I'm going to go down and have a drink. When you get settled in, I'll show you around."  
  
"Okay." Hudson chews on her lower lip a moment, then picks up her bag and heads into the closet.  
  
Running my hand over my scalp, I let out a breath and head back down to the first floor.  
  
After pouring myself a glass of scotch, I step out onto the balcony and stare out across the city. My city. The place I never thought I'd leave. And yet, I've come to love Smallville, its people, its culture. I can't imagine moving back to the hectic life of Metropolis, surrounding myself with all of those people who tried to convince me they were my friends, who used me for my connections, my money, the drugs I could get for them, the parties I could take them to. I've learned that having people use me for who I am only encourages my behavior to act on the Luthor arrogance. When you realize you can have any woman you want (or man), when you understand that there's no such thing as too high a price, when it finally sinks it that there are no limits, your world becomes a much more dangerous place. I'm not afraid of it – I never have been. I've drank and partied and spent to every excess imaginable. I've lived a lifetime of lives that most can't begin to imagine.  
  
And what do I have to show for it?  
  
My father's scorn, bad press, scores of enemies, the loss of those who might have truly been my friends. It's odd how blurred the lines between friendship and animosity become when the question of power comes into play.  
  
Since she refused my first gift to her, I've always believed that Hudson was the one person in my life who was there, not for what I could do for her, but because she wanted to be.  
  
Now... I just don't know anymore.  
  
"Well, all situated."  
  
I take a sip of my scotch and turn to look at Hudson as she joins me on the balcony. She flashes her gaze to me a moment then quickly looks away, taking a few steps toward the railing. She's wearing blue sweatpants and a pullover shirt that's far too big for her. I think it must have once belonged to her father and I frown at the thought that even here I can't get away from Jonathan Kent's presence. Sometimes trying to outrun him is like trying to outrun my own father.  
  
"Wow. We're... uh... really high up." Hudson steps back, wrapping her arms around her waist.  
  
If the tension between us doesn't end, we won't make it through the weekend.  
  
I lean against the column behind me and continue to watch her. "You won't fall, Hudson."  
  
She glances back at me, a smile hovering over her lips. "If I did, would you catch me?"  
  
"And lose an unfinished glass of twelve-year old scotch?" I ask in disbelief. "You're not that cute."  
  
Her smile broadens and she walks over to me, placing her hands on my waist, gaze intent on mine. "I am, too. Else I wouldn't be here."  
  
I don't respond. I don't know if I can. Part of me wants to agree, tell her she's right. The other part just wants to scream at her, beg her to make it better. Unfortunately, it appears that Hudson senses that side of me because the smile fades away from her face, and her eyes cloud over. And now's the moment that will dictate if the weekend will go well, or end here.  
  
"I'm sorry," she says softly, simply. "Those things I said in the car... "  
  
She sighs and shakes her head, dark hair falling like curtains over her face. I imagine it's hiding her shame. I hope she feels shame. I want her to feel something, dammit. I don't want this to be a lie. Not again. Not this time.  
  
"I don't know why I said them." Hudson lifts her head and her hair falls away, like clouds parting allowing the sun to shine through. Her eyes are alight with it. "I've never doubted what I feel for you, Lex. Maybe I was just wondering if I could. Or something like that."  
  
She touches my face, too warm fingers against my flesh. I fight the urge to move into that touch.  
  
"From the moment I first looked at you, wet and shivering on the riverbank, I knew I wanted to be a part of your life. And here I am. And there's nowhere else I'd rather be."  
  
Her tone is earnest, she's smiling like she knows all of the answers. It makes me want to believe that this is only a momentary obstacle between us. That when she's ready, she'll tell me everything and not even the opinions of her parents will stop her from sharing her life with me. I want her to believe in me but more than that, I want to be able to believe in us.  
  
She lays her head against my shoulder and wraps her arms around me. I remain still, holding the scotch in my hand.  
  
"I love you," she whispers against my shirt. "You believe me, don't you?"  
  
I don't know anymore. "Do you believe you?"  
  
"Yes," she answers without hesitation.  
  
It has to be enough. I kiss the top of her head and rest my cheek against it. "Then so do I."  
  
We remain silent for the next few minutes. I shift slightly against her, moving so that I can set my glass on the ledge of the planter. Placing both arms around her, I pull Hudson closer to my body, pleased when she angles her head back to receive my kiss. Sometimes it's better like this; no words needed. No lies left unspoken. In silence, I can let her know how I feel, without committing myself to those emotions. If I'd told her, if she knew the truth, then her words in the car would have made me a fool. And I won't be laughed at, not even by Hudson Kent.  
  
"I thought you were going to give me a tour?" She whispers against my mouth, breath warm, smelling faintly of peppermint.  
  
She must have freshened up when she changed her clothes. Even her hair is softer, recently brushed. My fingers curl into it and I hold her head still a moment as my lips move over her right cheek. Hudson sighs softly, hands dropping over my ass, cupping it, pulling me in. I smile as she rubs against me, causing a rising fire in my groin. I nip at her earlobe.  
  
"Why don't I show you the bedroom?"  
  
She laughs breathlessly as my tongue slips around the contour of her ear. "I've seen the bedroom."  
  
"Then I'll show you one of the other bedrooms."  
  
Before she can speak another word, I claim her mouth again, pushing my tongue past her lips to taste her. She makes a sound in the back of her throat that I realize I've been craving to hear all day. Her tongue touches mine and we fence with one another before I grasp her hips and pull her with me back into the penthouse. She stumbles slightly against me, laughs, never breaks contact with my mouth, hands already tugging my shirt out from the waistband of my pants. I've had my share of experienced women, the ones who've done everything, and if they haven't tried it yet, they're more than willing to do so. They're slightly jaded, almost bored with the activity, looking to you to spice it up, comparing you to every other person they've slept with. While I've never failed to impress my lovers, I've discovered I have a specific kink for enthusiastic farm girls who are just beginning to unlock the secrets of sex and their own sexuality. Let every other man in the world have the experienced women, the ones who'll sleep with anything that has a light pulse. It's Hudson's inexperience, her desire to learn, her slight fears of the unknown, that make my blood boil. Maybe I'm a letch, maybe I just like debauching little girls who have daddys with big guns.  
  
Or maybe Hudson's cast a spell on me.  
  
"You're doing it again."  
  
I blink, pulling away my mouth away from her neck, wondering how I got there. My shirt's hanging open and her fingers are almost tickling my ribs as she splays her hands against my skin.  
  
Hudson rolls her eyes. "Thinking, Lex. I'm tweaking your nipples and you're probably pondering the theory of relativity or something."  
  
I choose not to respond to that. Instead, I tug her sweatshirt over her head and toss it to the floor. "Better?"  
  
Biting her lip, she grabs me by the collar of my shirt and pulls me down for another kiss. I wince slightly when she nips at my upper lip, her playfulness getting the better of her. The pain goes straight to my cock and causes me to almost rip her bra off of her. One of us trips on the first stair and we fall against them, tangled limbs, hands grabbing, pulling at clothes too desperately not to tear something. She rolls us over, pinning me beneath her, stairs digging into my back. I'm missing a shoe, my shirt is hanging off of one arm and Hudson is wearing entirely too many clothes.  
  
She pulls away from my mouth, taking a quick breath as she angles upwards, and I take the opportunity to admire her breasts, palms skimming over them, cupping them, teasing the nipples into tight buds. Hudson squirms against me, whimpers softly, then leans down for another kiss as she straddles my hips.  
  
Too. Many. Clothes.  
  
Hooking my thumbs in the waistband of her sweats, I tug them down over her hips, fingers brushing against her cotton panties. I slip my hand between us, pressing into the soft fabric where she's warmest, the material damp to my touch.  
  
I want to slide inside of her this instant but she hasn't removed my fucking pants yet!  
  
She's playing with me, I can see it. Every time she lifts her head, and glances quickly into my eyes before leaning back down to press her lips to my skin, I see it. A smirk.  
  
Little tease. Time for some payback.  
  
I push the crotch of her panties aside, teasing a finger along the cleft of her wet folds. Hudson groans softly, moves against my finger for more. Taking momentary pity on her, I slip inside, continuing to the swollen button of flesh. When my finger brushes over it, she bucks against me, teeth grazing my collar bone. I flick my fingertip back and forth over it, and she becomes more vocal, whimpers and groans muffled against my chest and neck, as she swivels her hips into my touch.  
  
Smirking slightly, I pull my hand away and lay it over her ass. She stills. I count to three.  
  
"Hey!" She lifts her head up, flashing me a frown. "What's that all about? Tease!"  
  
"Pot. Kettle."  
  
A smile flickers across her face and she groans in frustration. "Just for that – we'll both be deprived!"  
  
Springing off of me, she scrambles up the steps. I roll over and grab her ankle as her foot moves past my head. I tug, and she loses her balance, falling to the landing with a surprised laugh. Crawling up the steps after her, I kick off my last shoe, shrug out of my shirt, straddle her legs to lean in for another kiss as I quickly pull at her panties. Her hands move over the front of my slacks, palm pressing against my erection, fingers curling around me through the material. I breathe into her mouth, thrust against her hand once.  
  
"Do you have anything?" She whispers, barely breathing as her lips slant over mine.  
  
"Back pocket."  
  
Hudson reaches around, slips her hand into the pocket, withdraws the Trojan. I move away from her mouth, tongue trailing against the dewy skin of her breasts, latching onto a nipple where I suckle as I hear her tear into the condom packet with her teeth. She's gotten quite adapt at it.  
  
Moments later, she's tugging at my pants, and I reach down to help her, though I have no intention of withdrawing my attention from her breasts. I make my way to the other orb, tongue tracing the outline of her areola before sucking the taut flesh into my mouth, teeth grazing her skin slightly. Hudson gasps, arches off the landing against me, and then her hand is around my cock, caressing, stroking, pulling me toward her. I'm tempted to just bury myself deep inside of her and to hell with safe sex.  
  
"Lex." Her voice is filled with impatience. "You have to sit up. I can't get it on."  
  
"Well, why the hell not?" I tease, leaning up to my knees.  
  
Shaking her head, Hudson sits up with me, finally gets the condom on and then I attack her mouth again, forcing her back down to the carpet. Her legs fall apart, cradling me between them and then her warmth is drawing me in, encompassing me, pulling me deeper. I sink into her and she moans into my mouth, hands cupping the back of my head, hips arching to meet my thrusts. Every time this gets better, each moment we learn to anticipate the other more, and for the life of me I can't explain why the wrongness of sex with an Angel makes everything so very right.  
  
"You... never... gave me... a tour," Hudson comments, gasping between words as I rock into her.  
  
Now that she's grown more comfortable with sex, with me, I've discovered that Hudson enjoys conversing during the act. In fact, sometimes she doesn't fucking shut up. It's at times annoying, almost always amusing and the last thing I ever expected out of her.  
  
Grasping her hips, I lean up slightly, angling more deeply into her. We're slowly moving across the carpet. Her head is only inches from the wall.  
  
"Well, Hudson," I reply as her whimpers grow in pitch. "This is the landing."  
  
"Unh!" She grabs hold of my ears and pulls me down, latching on to my bottom lip and biting none too gently. "Bastard. You're not cute."  
  
When she releases me, I lean back again, intensifying the force of my thrusts. Her head hits the wall and she laughs, reaching up with her hands to push away, back onto me. Fuck, that's incredible.  
  
Once my senses collect enough to reply, I tell her, "I'm fucking adorable."  
  
Hudson grins up at me, arches her back and presses hard into my next thrust. "How sweet!" She gasps. "Calling me adorable."  
  
Brat.  
  
Intent on making her shut up, at least when it comes to the conversation, I grasp her right calve, lifting it upwards, providing me more room to move inside of her. I hear her nails scratch against the paint on the wall. Reaching between us, I lay my thumb against her clit, rubbing in time to our movements. I can feel her inner muscles closing around me, just barely beyond the point of actual pain. She's close now, words traded for soft cries, groans, the occasional curse or whisper of my name. I close my eyes, speed up, familiar burn pooling in my lower back. And then Hudson's crying out, muscles contracting around my cock, my balls tighten, release, and everything I am seems to flow out of me in short, quick bursts. I collapse on top of her, just barely better than drooling against her breast as her arms wrap loosely over my back, fingers trailing through the perspiration on my skin. I don't see how she has the energy to make even that minor a movement.  
  
"I think I scratched the paint on your wall, Lex," she comments after a few minutes of silence.  
  
I just want to lay here and listen to the beating of her heart. "Mmph." I grunt in reply.  
  
"See? There's some under my nails."  
  
I think she's waving her nails in front of my face but my eyes are closed. I'm comfortable. I could sleep here. "Mmm."  
  
"Lex."  
  
"..."  
  
She sighs deeply, my head rising with the movement of her chest, and it's the last thing I notice before I drift off to sleep.  
  
"Thirty-two."  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"You have thirty-two freckles," Hudson announces. "From here to here." She draws a line from shoulder blade to shoulder blade across my back, as if connecting the dots.  
  
I grunt in reply. The freckles that mar my skin across my back and shoulders are a grim reminder of the very red hair I no longer have. I try to forget their existence. Hudson loves them. Kisses them, traces them with her fingers. Once she even took an ink pen to them while I was sleeping. I didn't speak to her for two days. She thought I over-reacted. I told her she needed a better hobby than playing connect-the-dots on my body.  
  
Sighing, Hudson leans her chin on my shoulder, peering down at the laptop open in front of me. After a quick nap on the stairs, we finally made our way to the bedroom where I pulled out my laptop to send out a few emails. Currently, the screen in front of me is filled with numbers and figures that all lead back to various bank accounts around the world.  
  
She huffs in my ear. "What're you doing?"  
  
"Work. Not all of us get to live off of our parents, you know."  
  
"Oh, like this is your penthouse," she snorts, nuzzling her nose against the back of my ear. "At least I know we don't have to pay your father for the damage to the wall. And the stains on the carpet."  
  
"He's done worse."  
  
"I really don't want to hear about your father's sex life, Lex."  
  
I smirk as I hear her sigh again. Apparently realizing I'm busy, she lays back against the pillows, picking at the sheet that lay partially over her body. I sneak a quick peek at her out of the corner of my eye, noting the way the rays of sun peering through the curtains color her legs in golden tendrils of light. Her toenails are painted bright red. I don't think I've ever seen her with painted toenails before, but it looks nice.  
  
"What's so important anyway?" Hudson's voice indicates a pout. She's tugging at the sheet bit by bit, exposing more of my hip.  
  
"The future," I reply, snatching the sheet back. "Acquisitions that need to be made in order to secure Lexcorp's hold in the business world."  
  
"Oh, is that all?" Pulling her leg up, she pushes her foot against my thigh, poking at me with her toe. "Don't you ever get sick of work and business and stuff?"  
  
I shrug, having never really thought about it much. I've known all my life that one day Luthorcorp would be mine. Business seems as natural to me as breathing lately. Still, I've learned that an occasional break isn't a bad thing.  
  
"Sometimes." I glance at her briefly. "But then, you're always good for a distraction when I need it."  
  
"Is that all I am? A distraction?"  
  
I fight the urge to roll my eyes and instead, ignore her, returning to my work.  
  
Growing silent again, Hudson burrows under the sheet. A few moments pass and I reach out to touch her knee, rubbing my fingers over her skin absently as I glance through the latest Lexcorp stock report.  
  
"Lex?" Her voice interrupts the numbers going through my mind.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Do you... well, do you like to get... blow jobs?"  
  
I glance over my shoulder to find her face flaming with the question. Hesitantly she raises her eyes to mine, and I can't help but smirk.  
  
"Interesting question."  
  
Hudson gives a little shrug, dropping her gaze to the mattress where she begins drawing circles with her finger against the sheet. "And?"  
  
"Depends on who's giving it," I reply, unable to keep from smiling.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"  
  
When Hudson doesn't reply, I set the laptop aside on the nightstand and lean back against the headboard, watching her silently for a long moment. Finally, I begin, "Very well. It all depends on the technique. Some women tend to look at it as a circus trick."  
  
Hudson makes a face in confusion.  
  
Smiling, I explain, "They want to impress me by showing how far they can shove it down their throats. They might as well just use a sword or swallow fire." I pause, staring at Hudson as she opens her mouth and shoves her finger into it. "What're you doing?"  
  
"Trying to see how far I can go – "  
  
I reach out and smack her hand away, catching her fingers in mine and holding them. "Then there are those who are just doing it because they think I want it. They don't really want my dick in their mouth, they secretly find it disgusting, but they do it anyway. There's no fun in that. I might as well be making love to someone who hates sex."  
  
Hudson's eyes cross at my words. "Who would hate sex?"  
  
"Trust me. They're out there." I bring her fingers to my lips and kiss them. "Why are you asking all of this, Angel?"  
  
She looks away, returning her attention to the sheet, smoothing the edge with her fingers. She wiggles her toes and sighs. "Well, I've... I've been curious for awhile because... well, you know, you do that to me and I thought – "  
  
"I do what?" I can't help but ask in amusement.  
  
Hudson shoots me a look. "You know... that."  
  
Raising my eyebrows, I shake my head in mock innocence, though my mind is whirling with questions.  
  
"Crap. You aren't actually going to make me say it, are you?"  
  
"Humor me."  
  
She snorts indelicately. "All I ever do is humor you."  
  
I grin. "Say it... "  
  
Pursing her lips, Hudson seems to mentally recall through every description she's heard, but she can't seem to decide on one that she is actually brave enough to voice in front of me. Her face slowly turns various shades of red as I continue to watch her. She's so beautiful when she blushes. I don't think she knows that I love that about her. I hope she never stops blushing.  
  
Leaning over to her, wanting to play a little bit, I press my nose against her ear and whisper, "Say it... "  
  
"Can I describe it?"  
  
"Only if you do it in detail."  
  
"Well, hell." It seems that option is even worse.  
  
I grin against her ear. "Cunninglus," I whisper.  
  
Her eyes widen and her face turns a deeper shade of crimson.  
  
"Eat out."  
  
"Lex!"  
  
"Wet-velveting, carpet munching, muff diving, mustache ride, lick-out, pearl diving, chawing box, tipping the velvet –"  
  
Squealing in embarrassment, Hudson throws herself face down into one of the pillows, giggling uproariously as I continue the torment, leaning in over her, speaking each syllable with a particular enthusiasm I rarely feel. Moments later I break off to laugh with her, body draped half over her back, breath brushing over her neck with each chuckle. She sighs and turns her head, glancing up at me where my cheek rests against her ear. She's thinking about something, I can see it. Sometimes she gets this dreamy look in her expression, and I know she's thinking about me. It's not conceit on my part. I've seen her get that same gaze in her eyes when she speaks my name.  
  
"You get embarrassed entirely too easily, Angel," I comment softly, stroking my fingertips against her cheek. "You don't have to with me, you know. Especially not here, when it's just the two of us. We know each other far too intimately for that."  
  
"I know."  
  
She rolls over beneath me, reaching up to trail her fingers along my jaw line. I love it when she touches me like this, though I don't allow it often. It's so personal, it has so much... feeling behind it, and I'd probably go mad if I had to open myself up to that kind of emotion every moment of every day. Sometimes it upsets her when I pull away, but I think she's learning.  
  
"I'm getting better, though," she brags. "I can say... penis now with barely a hesitation."  
  
Chuckling at her hesitance, I kiss her lips. "You're adorable."  
  
"Because I can say... penis?"  
  
"Because you're proud of the fact that you can say penis."  
  
"And I have you to thank for that," she tells me with a grin, her fingers tracing the shape of my face. "I think about your... penis quite a bit."  
  
I feel an eyebrow raise in amusement, wondering if she sits around and discusses me cock with Chloe and Lana. Fuck. I'll never be able to face either of them again. "You do, do you?"  
  
"Mmhmm." Her grin broadens and she leans up to kiss my chin. "Which is why I wanted to know if you would like me to... "  
  
"To?"  
  
"Must we start that again?"  
  
"Angel, you said blow job quite easily earlier," I remind her.  
  
Hudson shrugs. "Well, that's because it wasn't in reference to me." She shifts slightly beneath me, a grin appearing as her thigh brushes against my erection that's been there since this conversation began. "Hmmm. I do believe you aren't totally opposed to the idea."  
  
"Not totally," I agree. I bend my neck and kiss the edge of her collar bone. "But, I don't want you to feel as if you have to, Hudson. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."  
  
"Oh, I'm not! I mean, I want to. I love touching you, so I don't see how doing anything more would be any worse." She takes a deep breath, shuddering slightly as my lips move over the top of her right breast. "I just... I want to do it right. Will you – would you talk me through it, Lex?"  
  
I lift my head and laugh lightly. "I don't think you need instruction, Angel. Just go with your instinct."  
  
There was a time, not too long ago, when she accosted me in my study, and proceeded to do exactly what she is afraid of doing now. She hadn't required any instruction then – in fact, I believe she had every intention of teaching me what blow jobs were all about. So I have to admit I'm a bit confused by this change in behavior. She excused her behavior then by saying she was angry. Apparently anger makes Hudson less inhibited. If I actually believed that, I would spend my days making her as angry as hell.  
  
Pushing it from my mind, I sit up, pulling her with me, and kiss her lightly. "Remember, enthusiasm is the most important component."  
  
"Enthusiasm." Hudson nods and smiles. "Just... tell me if I do anything wrong, okay?"  
  
"You won't do anything wrong, Angel."  
  
I chuckle again as she pushes me back against the headboard, scooting her way down the mattress. I lean back, reaching out to touch her cheek as she smiles at me again then turns her attention to the sheet, sliding it down my hips.  
  
Stretching out, Hudson lays her head against my stomach and reaches out with her fingers, running the tips down my cock, smiling when it twitches against her familiar touch. She wraps her hand around the shaft, her petal soft lips kissing my abdomen as she inches closer to her goal. Personally, I think she is taking entirely too long, and I must make a noise to that effect because Hudson glances up at me, a smile hovering over her lips. Finally, she returns her attention to her work, hand slowly beginning to stroke me. I breathe in sharply at the contact.  
  
If there is one thing Hudson has perfected in our time together, it's her skill at giving hand jobs. She's taken the time to learn just where to touch and how to touch and how long to touch to send me over the edge. She alternates between a soft caress and a strong stroke, finger tips trailing along the shaft, palm brushing over the tip, then back to the beginning again. I can only anticipate that she'll be just as expertly skilled with her mouth.  
  
I watch as her nose nuzzles my groin, tongue darting out to trace along the base of my cock. Another sharp breath and I close my eyes, losing myself in the feeling of warm hands, warm tongue, warmer breath along my skin. Both hands are pressed against my thighs now and I feel her move between them, lips placing whisper-soft kisses against my skin, up, up, never quite touching but always near. The strands of her silky hair tickle my skin as she moves over me and I peer an eye open to see it laid out like a dark mantle across my hips.  
  
Hudson glances up at me, expression filled with trepidation. I give her a slight smile and touch her cheek. "Take your time, Angel. No hurry."  
  
She nods, and delicately wraps her fingers around the shaft as her tongue tentatively flicks out across the head. Apparently deciding that nothing about me is going to kill her, she grows a little braver, soft, feather- like kisses, occasional explorations with her tongue here and there. I'm so used to women just shoving it down their throats, and this almost-loving exploration, while different, is extremely sexy in its own right.  
  
She giggles suddenly, the tone a little frustrated, as she shifts slightly to the right, and then back again, head tilting. "You'd think hair wouldn't be an issue here."  
  
I smile and reach out to move her hair back from her face, gathering it into one hand behind her neck and holding it there. "Better?"  
  
The relief on her face is apparent as she beams at me. "Is this okay? Am I doing it right?"  
  
"Everything you're doing is fine, Angel."  
  
"Do you... are you enjoying it?"  
  
I just smile.  
  
Accepting my lack of response for the approval it's meant to be, Hudson dips her head back against me once more, tongue flattening against the head a few times before her lips slowly descend over it. I suck in a low breath as the heat of her mouth engulfs me, tensing slightly as her upper teeth brush against my skin. I'm sure she knows enough not to bite down, and while the light sensation is extremely pleasing, it's not something I want to experience on a deeper level. But to warn her of it now would only halt the progress she's made and, for the moment, I don't want Hudson to feel as if she's doing anything wrong. Her technique is sloppy – if you can label a first blow job with anything like 'technique' - and the lack of skill is obvious, but so is the enthusiasm, her actual desire to taste and touch and explore. I attempt to ignore the fact that my hands are shaking, that I want to tug on the hair I'm holding and thrust my cock deep into her throat.  
  
There's a fairly loud slurping noise, and luckily I refrain from grinning because Hudson's gaze darts up to me, embarrassed and slightly horrified. I touch her neck with my free hand, the backs of my knuckles caressing her skin in assurance.  
  
"It's okay, Angel. You're doing great."  
  
Her expression is doubtful at first, but finally her gaze drops down once more and her attention focuses fully on what she's doing. There's another slight graze of her teeth and my hand tightens reflexively against her hair. Her hand begins moving over the length of my cock, haltingly, completely out of time with the motions of her mouth, and yet somehow, it's still perfect. I moan slightly at the friction and Hudson looks up at me, a trace of a smile in her gaze, expression relaxing as she becomes more comfortable with what she's doing. Sighing deeply, I lay my head back and loose myself in the feeling of touch – my fingers threading through her silky hair with the same smooth glide of her mouth, hand closing over the warm skin of her shoulder even as the deeper heat of her tongue swirls over me.  
  
"That's it, baby," I whisper. "Fuck... that's perfect."  
  
By porn industry standards, it's far from the best blow job ever given. But when compared with the dozens of men and women who've performed a similar service for me, Hudson's tentative touch and sloppy start rises to the top. Maybe it's because she's taken the time to notice what I like, or maybe, as trite as it might sound, it's the simple addition of love that's already building up the deep burn in my lower back. Then again, it is Hudson, and I've never seen her fail at something she set her mind to. Even as her tongue slides back and forth over the slit, causing me to moan and arch, pushing slightly up into her mouth, the understanding that she's doing this because she wants to, not because she's expecting anything out of it, hovers at the corners of my mind.  
  
My reactions give her confidence, and Hudson's grip around me strengthens, her strokes finally beginning to time ever so slightly with her mouth. The swipes of her tongue are bolder and she attempts to take me deeper into my mouth, halting only when her gag reflex apparently protests. The fingers of her hand against my thigh flinch faintly, and her timing begins to slip once more.  
  
"Shhhh... "I whisper brokenly, fingers of one hand curling around the back of her neck even as the other tightens in the strands of her hair. "Don't... stop, Angel. So good... feels so good... "  
  
Holding her head, my hips begin thrusting very gently into her soft and hesitant suckle. I see her eyes widen only for a moment, before my own slip closed and I give over completely to feeling. Warm, velvety fingers, sultry mouth, tender strokes, silky tongue. Even the occasional slurping noise of her too wet mouth against my cock is fucking hot. I dig my heels into the mattress, my thrusts becoming erratic, rough, as everything in my body seems to tighten, white heat pooling in my groin, balls tightening.  
  
"Fuck – " Normally not vocal, I find I care little about what I'm babbling at the moment, all thought lost in the realization that my cock is buried deep in my Angel's mouth. "Hudson -- !"  
  
She jumps away, almost as if burned, as my release hits, the jet of warm liquid spattering over my stomach. I let out a deep breath, every muscle in my body melting as I feel Hudson crawling her way back up beside me, feeling her gaze locked on me in question. I just want to lay here, quietly, enjoying the post-coital sensation of floating, one of the greatest all-natural highs a being can experience. But I know that her confidence for doing this again is hanging in the balance. Opening my eyes, I find her watching me, worrying her lower lip, waiting. I smile.  
  
"Was that... did I do good?" She asks nervously.  
  
I loop my arm around her lightly. "You couldn't tell?" I grin.  
  
I can feel her relax beneath my touch. A moment passes.  
  
"A little warning would have been appreciated," she mutters.  
  
"Well, as they say in the business world 'come at 'em when they least expect it'."  
  
"Uhn!" She slaps my arm in indignation as I chuckle. "That wasn't funny – eewwww! It's in my hair!" She exclaims in horror as she touches the strands along the side of her face, her fingers sliding through the wet mess.  
  
Gathering my energy to sit up, I pull her against me and kiss her lips. There's the faintest hint of me on her lips, attesting to the fact that she was caught off guard. I can't help but linger there a moment, lost in the idea of my taste mixing with hers. She's a little less Hudson suddenly, and a little more me. Mine.  
  
"Come on," I whisper against her mouth. "Let's go shower."  
  
"What's the rush?" She leans into me, her arms looping over my shoulders, deepening the kiss.  
  
I want to just lay back in bed, pulling her with me, and not move until tomorrow. But there are things I want to show her, places to take her. As much as I desire to hide Hudson Kent away from the world, I know she deserves far better.  
  
"Shopping, dinner." I pull back and give her a smile. "But first – shower. And maybe I'll even show you a little appreciation for your first successful blow job."  
  
Grin splitting across her face, Hudson bounds out of bed toward the bathroom. "Well, what the hell are you waiting for??"  
  
Indeed.  
  
Hudson Clark Kent is the most beautiful being I've ever known. And I've dated my fair share of supermodels, actresses, singers – the most sought- after women in Metropolis. But Hudson is a step above them, and she only continues to grow more beautiful as time passes. I don't know what it is that draws me to her, that draws anyone to her who takes a moment to look past the jeans and t-shirts. Maybe it's her slightly slanted eyes, her flawless golden skin, or hair so thick and strong and full that you swear it couldn't possibly be real. It could be her mile-long legs, adorable ass or pert, round breasts that fit perfectly in the palm of my hands.  
  
More than likely, it's her smile. When she flashes it – this enormous, gorgeous smile, all pearly teeth and glowing eyes – the sun just seems to shine right through her. It lights up the room, lights up everything around and her and never, not once, have I ever been able to withstand it's intensity. Some unseen force tugs at my lips, and the next thing I know, I'm grinning like some village idiot as well, and feeling ten times lighter. The power of her smile can make almost anything seem better.  
  
And here now, at Saks, she's dazzled the store clerks. I can see it in their eyes. At first, it was only my name and the promise of my money that forced their attention on her. But Hudson won them over, either with furious blushing or polite manners, I'm not certain. More than likely, a few of the women are laughing at her naivety, carefully hiding their scorn from my observation. I don't mind as long as Hudson doesn't feel or see it. I understand that the world those women are used to, the one that I'm used to, is one where Hudson doesn't fit in. She's not versed in witty, mindless banter, she doesn't wear her pedigree like a charm around her neck – she probably doesn't know anything about her ancestors beyond the first person to build the farm she lives on. And that's the way it should be. Hudson is unique. She's a mystery. Both to herself, and to me.  
  
"The red looks marvelous on you, dear!" One of the older ladies, Marianne, praises, standing behind Hudson in front of the mirror, peering around her shoulder. "As perfect as the black one!"  
  
Hudson shifts slightly, tottering almost dangerously on the three-inch matching heels they slipped on her feet. She's an inch taller than me in the damn things.  
  
"Which do you like?" Marianne presses.  
  
She looks to me for guidance, and maybe that's what I love. Her gaze catches mine in the mirror, and she waits patiently for my verdict. If only she trusted me so deeply in every aspect of her life.  
  
"I prefer the red," I announce, and the sale's assistants around us jump into action instantly, gathering undergarments and accessories to match the dress.  
  
Hudson takes a deep breath and brushes her hands over the red satin material. The short skirt shows a tantalizing amount of leg, and the bodice is but just above her midriff, bare across the sides and her back, a scalloped neckline around her breasts. I move up behind her, placing my hands on her sides, pressing my fingers into the warm flesh. She smiles a little at me in the mirror.  
  
"What is it?" I ask against her ear. She smells like a department store, heavy perfume and expensive makeup.  
  
"This dress... seems a little unpractical, Lex," she whispers, waving toward her reflection in the mirror. "I mean, I'll freeze in it tonight."  
  
"It's not meant for wearing around a walk in the park, Angel," I reply in amusement, kissing the back of her ear. "You show it off inside. Outside, you wear a coat over it."  
  
Glancing over my shoulder, I wave Roland, the store manager, over to us. He's carrying an ankle-length white mink. Taking it from him, I slip it over her shoulders, lifting her sable-colored hair out from beneath it to hang down her back.  
  
"You wear it with this."  
  
She's already shaking her head. "Lex, my parents would kill me! They'd kill you, too. I couldn't possibly wear this."  
  
"Don't you like it?" I ask, my voice tinged with the offense I can't help but feel at her refusal.  
  
"It's not about liking it," she huffs, the familiar obstinacy gleaming in her gaze. "Of course I like it. But it's not... practical!"  
  
I shake my head and look away, muttering, "There you go again."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You sound more and more like your father every damn day."  
  
"What's wrong with that?" She settles her hands on her hips and glares at me. Down at me. I don't like it one bit. "My father happens to be a very good man."  
  
My gaze narrows. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"  
  
Hudson sighs, is just short of rolling her eyes. "God, Lex. Not everything has a hidden meaning behind it, you know."  
  
The clerks around us have grown silent. I hate being watched like this, knowing we'll be the subject of conversation for the next few days in this place. I'll be lucky if this little disagreement doesn't make the society columns. Hudson doesn't understand that. You'd think she would, considering how many times Chloe has written about situations going on in her life.  
  
Setting my jaw, I snatch the coat off of her. "I don't want to discuss this here." I toss it back to the manager. "You can wear your own damn coat." Without another word, I turn and head toward the register.  
  
I shouldn't be this angry. It's unreasonable, but that's the way I behave around Hudson. Everything I do and say is irrational when it comes to her, and I just don't know how to stop it anymore. I don't know if I can. Little things, like her refusal to accept my gifts to her. Big things, like her lies and secrets. Is it so wrong to want to be included in her life? Is it so wrong to want to give her the world? The dress, the accessories – they're not enough. She needs the coat and a car and a castle to match, dammit. And maybe, once I have her encased in that fantasy world that only I can create for her, maybe then she'll give me her secrets, she'll invite me into her life.  
  
I pay for the items and walk outside, waiting on the sidewalk while boxes and bags are piled into the limousine. Hudson moves up beside me, heels clicking on the pavement. She's tense, I'm tense. She's wearing her black wool coat over the dress, and it doesn't match, and looks completely wrong, and that just makes me angrier. Fuck. This is stupid.  
  
"I don't see what you're so upset about," Hudson whispers, arm brushing against mine as she shifts her feet.  
  
"I don't expect you to understand," I snap, moving forward as Ross holds the door open to the limo.  
  
"Where to, Mr. Luthor?" He asks as I climb in, not waiting for Hudson.  
  
I want to say back to the penthouse, or Smallville even, and to hell with the weekend. But that would provide Hudson with an out that I'm not prepared to give her. Better to force her into my presence, my anger, let her stew in my silence. And maybe I'll just get angry enough to do something stupid.  
  
"Le Petite Fleur," I announce, settling back against the seat.  
  
Hudson scrambles in through the door with Ross' help, flashes me a curious look, and slips onto the seat beside me. The door shuts.  
  
"You are seriously the moodiest person I've ever known."  
  
"Hudson, the best thing for you to do right now is to shut the hell up."  
  
I didn't mean to say that. Not to her. I flash an apologetic look but her head is turned, gaze focused out the window. I can't take it back, so we're left in an even colder silence. Sighing in frustration, I rub my hand over my scalp and wonder why it seems we just can't have a peaceful moment together anymore. There was a time when all of this seemed so easy, so right. And it's not that it seems wrong now, it's just... sometimes it feels like there's too much effort involved. Like we're forcing something that shouldn't be. As much as I want to blame Hudson for all of it, I know that I'm to blame as well.  
  
My gaze returns to the back of Hudson's head. She's still focused on the scenery passing us by outside the window. Or avoiding my gaze, which is more likely. I watch the Christmas lights flickering on in the store fronts that we pass, the sun now fully set, the city awakening from it's daytime slumber. I wonder what Hudson thinks of this, the way the city comes alive at night, since in her world daylight is your friend.  
  
Realizing my anger has faded, replaced with a poignant acceptance, I reach out and touch the back of her head, brushing my fingers through the soft strands. She starts a little at the touch, shoulders tensing. I continue to stroke her hair until she relaxes beneath my touch, and I curl my fingers into it, tugging her gently back to rest against me. Wrapping my arms around her, I kiss the top of her ear.  
  
"Thank you for my gifts," she says quietly, fingers smoothing over her silk stockings.  
  
"You're welcome," I whisper into her ear. I pause for a moment before adding, "You look stunning in that dress, you know. Beautiful."  
  
She turns her head and tucks her face against my neck, her skin warm. "Thank you." Her words are muffled.  
  
Smiling, I rub her arm and hold her a little tighter and am pleased that the evening isn't ruined. I hope that she'll forget about my little outburst. Normally, I'm focused on keeping my upset internalized but lately... I just can't seem to hold it back. Maybe things are getting too out of hand. Maybe I should just confront Hudson about everything once more, and see what happens.  
  
Maybe I should just let it go and trust her.  
  
The car stops outside the main doors to the Westin Metropolis, where the restaurant is located. I kiss Hudson's cheek and push her upright, fingers straying to her temple where I brush a strand of dark hair back. She offers me a smile and everything seems all right once more. When Ross opens the door, I help her out and lead her into the hotel.  
  
"Wow. This place is pretty."  
  
I stop just inside the doors, allowing Hudson a moment to take everything in. The Westin is the best hotel in Metropolis, or at least in my opinion. They've certainly put up with a lot of my shit in years past. Discretion is one of their greatest strengths, along with sheer class. The seven- story waterfall in the lobby is really the only adornment, the rest of the decoration left to soft lighting, lots of glass and stone, leather couches and chairs in the lounge.  
  
"I thought you'd like it." I reach out for her hand and lead her toward the glass elevator that will take us to the top floor.  
  
The elevator attendant nods at me as we pass through the doors. "Mr. Luthor."  
  
Hudson glances over at me with a wry grin. "I'm not the first girl you've brought here, I take it?"  
  
"No," I reply honestly. "But you're the only one that matters."  
  
She smiles and gives me a quick kiss before the elevator starts upward. As we move out of the lobby, the view of the city immediately surrounds us and Hudson gasps, stepping into me hard and throwing her face against my shoulder.  
  
Oops.  
  
"Lex! You didn't warn me!"  
  
I chuckle and glance over at the attendant who's looking at us with a raised brow. "She's afraid of heights," I explain.  
  
"Ah." He nods. "Then I take it you won't be dining at a window seat."  
  
Grinning, I shake my head just before Hudson's plants a fist in my belly. "Oof!"  
  
"You bastard," she whines against my shoulder. "Why didn't you warn me?!"  
  
"Because I thought this would be more fun." Another fist in the stomach. "I'm kidding, Angel. Honestly, I didn't even think about it. Don't worry. We're almost to the top."  
  
Hudson swallows and lifts her head slowly as the elevator slows. She won't look towards the windows, focusing only on the doors. I tighten my arm around her in assurance and kiss her temple.  
  
"Relax, Angel. It's all right."  
  
She practically tosses me out of the way to get off the elevator first. Slipping the attendant a fifty, in the hope that he'll refrain from talking about Hudson's phobia to everyone he knows, I follow her into the restaurant. She's standing with the maitre d', who looks up to greet me as he slips her coat from her shoulders.  
  
"Ah. Mr. Luthor. Good evening. Usual table?"  
  
"No, thank you, Jean. I think we'd prefer something a little deeper into the restaurant, away from the windows. Maybe on the upper level?" I slip my arm around Hudson's waist and give her a smile.  
  
"Certainly, sir. Right this way."  
  
Hudson tsks at my side. "You come here entirely too much."  
  
I shrug as we follow Jean through the restaurant, ignoring the flashes of recognition from the diners around us. "It's the most romantic restaurant in Metropolis."  
  
"You mean, it's the best way to get laid," she whispers in my ear.  
  
Well, yeah. That, too. "Hudson Kent, you are the only female I know that the way into your bed is through your stomach."  
  
She elbows me in the ribs and I wince as we reach the table.  
  
Holding her chair out for her, I kiss her bare shoulder, flashing her a return smile when she grins at me. Jean hands us our menus and I order a bottle of 1998 Corton [Cordon?] Charlemagne. Glancing across the table, I see Hudson squirming in her chair, frowning down at her menu. Her eyes flash over it quickly, then across the table to me.  
  
"Something wrong, Angel?"  
  
"There aren't any prices listed on the menu!" She whispers frantically. "How am I supposed to order?"  
  
I almost laugh but I hold my amusement in for her sake, not wanting to upset her. "Angel, don't tell me your parents told you to order the cheapest thing on the menu?"  
  
She huffs and I almost laugh again.  
  
"The point is for me to know the prices, not you," I tell her. "I'm the one paying, after all."  
  
"That kind of thinking is so outdated it's prehistoric."  
  
I raise an eyebrow. "Oh. Were you planning on paying then? We can switch menus, if that's the case. I'll warn you though – that bottle of wine I just ordered is more than two months allowance for you."  
  
Hudson makes a face at me, and I swear she's ready to kick me under the table. "You're such a show off, Lex. And you're not half as cute as you think you are."  
  
"That's not what you were saying on the stairs this afternoon."  
  
This time I see a flash of her tongue at me.  
  
I don't smirk. I frown. "Behave. We're in public, Hudson." I want to jump across this table and devour her. Rip that tiny dress off of her and show her what she can really do with her tongue.  
  
Huffing once more, she grows silent, hiding behind her menu. She's probably sticking her tongue out at me still.  
  
Our server approaches, bearing the wine I've ordered. After giving it my approval, he pours two glasses for us as I ask Hudson what she would like for an appetizer. She shrugs in reply, before quickly adding anything except snails. I contemplate ordering the escargot just to eat it with relish in front of her, but decide that's a juvenile activity best left outside of the public eye. Instead, I order the crevette and fois gras, deciding that if she doesn't like either of those, than maybe we just shouldn't be together.  
  
"My parents would kill you if they found out you're letting me have wine," Hudson comments as she fingers the stem of her wine glass. She grins, like this is the greatest secret we've ever shared. Unfortunately, it ranks at the top.  
  
"I guess I enjoy living dangerously." I gesture toward her glass. "Try it."  
  
She takes a sip and makes a face. Hesitantly, she tries it again, expression more accepting this time. "It's... an acquired taste, I guess."  
  
"I probably should have started you with something sweeter," I reply, sipping at my own wine. "This might be too dry for you."  
  
Hudson's expression is one of complete skepticism and I can't help but grin in return.  
  
"If you want to order a Coke, I won't think any less of you."  
  
She seems relieved. "Oh. Good." She glances over her shoulder then back to me. "Think they'd give me a cherry in it?"  
  
Sometimes I forget how young she really is. "Two, even."  
  
"Well then, this place just might be worthy of my patronage, after all," Hudson announces with a flourish, picking up her menu once more.  
  
Shaking my head, I catch the eye of our server and order a Coke with extra cherries. Is it wrong of me to hope that no one I know is here tonight?  
  
When her Coke is delivered, Hudson appears infinitely happier with her beverage of choice. She sucks half of it through the straw with more flourish than she applied to me earlier that day, and I can't help but feel a stir of jealousy toward the piece of plastic. She nibbles at a cherry and I sigh. I think my angel is tormenting me on purpose.  
  
"Think of it this way, Lex," Hudson comments, setting her nearly empty glass away from her. "You get to save money on alcohol. I mean, you know I'm a sure thing, right?"  
  
Did I create this monster? I shake my head again, not wishing to encourage her, even as I feel a smile tugging at my mouth. A comfortable silence falls over us as Hudson continues to glance over the menu, her attention finally turning to the windows, which are apparently situated far enough away from us not to send her squealing into my lap. I can only imagine the society pages having a field day with a story like that. I've already spied a few of the paparazzi snapping a picture or two of us shopping, and I have no doubt we'll be prominently featured in tomorrow morning's edition of the Inquisitor, among others.  
  
After ordering our meals, I notice that Hudson's attention is focused over my shoulder. Curious what she is so raptly interested in, I turn slightly to follow her gaze only to see a couple taking their seats a few tables over from us. The woman is wearing a white mink, similar to the one I wanted to buy for Hudson. Her throat, ears and wrists are dripping in diamonds, glittering like her platinum blonde hair and the shimmering red gloss on her lips. My attention moves to the man she's with, and our eyes meet for the briefest of moments during which he gives me a quick nod. I turn back to Hudson.  
  
"Stop staring," I admonish her gently.  
  
"Who are they?"  
  
"I don't know who the woman is, probably nobody. The man is Tony DiRisio."  
  
She stares at me blankly.  
  
Reaching out for my wine, I add, "The most powerful and dangerous hitman in Metropolis. He's a Captain in the Pagliuca family."  
  
Her eyes widen and she leans forward. When she speaks, her voice is a fierce whisper, "You mean the mafia?"  
  
I can't help but poke at her naivety. "No. A singing group."  
  
Hudson looks like she wants to kill me. "Wait. How do you know who he is?"  
  
"You mean besides the fact that he's been the subject of an article in the Daily Planet more than once?" I respond with a smirk. "My father's done business with Salvatore Pagliuca in the past."  
  
"With the mafia?"  
  
I can't help but feel that the Luthor name has fallen another few points in her esteem. Hopefully this is information she will keep to herself and not share with her parents. Even with the amount of headway I've made with the Kents, I seriously doubt her father would understand that my father's business associates, and my own, are two very separate and distinct groups.  
  
"What would he need the mafia for?" Hudson queries, brow furrowed in thought.  
  
I shrug, preferring to end this conversation. For one, I don't feel comfortable with her banding about the word 'mafia' with every other sentence, especially since Tony is seating not two tables away. Second, I've always had my suspicions as to my father's dealings with the Pagliuca family, and that's information I would rather keep Hudson innocent of. She's looking at me now, an expression of confusion, eyes filled with questions, and I wonder if I haven't already tinted those rose-colored glasses of hers just a little too much.  
  
In an effort to distract her, I ask, "So have you thought about what you want to get your parents tomorrow? We can concentrate our shopping in the Plaza district or Westport. Your choice. Have you ever seen the Mayor's Christmas tree? It's down in the park, overlooking the ice rink."  
  
Success! Her eyes light up with my words, proving once again that Hudson Kent is easily distracted by the discussion of Christmas. As our appetizers arrive, she begins listing the various items she's considered for her family and friends, hinting coyly that she already has my gift all picked out.  
  
I've been invited over for dinner this year and while I've agreed to go, I can't help but feel the slightest trepidation at doing so. There's something so intimate about the way the Kent family spends their holidays, and I hate intruding on that. It doesn't matter if Hudson insists that I'm part of the family now, or Martha goes out of her way to make my favorite foods, or even that Jonathan spends the entire time being friendly and welcoming toward me. I still feel as if I'll always be peering through a window into a world I'll never really understand or feel a part of, no matter how strong the desire burns within me to do so. The problem is, I can't disappoint Hudson. And I especially won't do so on Christmas.  
  
Hudson's animation slowly fades away, the joy of the coming holiday disappearing almost completely from her gaze. I reach out and lay my hand over hers, caressing her fingers.  
  
"What is it, Angel?" I query softly, catching her gaze over the flicker of the candlelight.  
  
"I was just thinking about Rianne." She worries her lower lip. "We talked about stringing popcorn together for the tree, and getting up Christmas morning to make breakfast for my parents." Her eyes meet mine and she searches my face for a moment. "I don't think there'll ever be a time when I can look at a comic book or hot air balloon and not think of her."  
  
I squeeze her hand. "You're never going to forget about her, no. But the pain will lessen."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
I think about my mother, knowing the pain has only grown worse. I force a smile. "I promise."  
  
Silence once more descends as our entrees are brought to the table and we concentrate on our meals. Hudson flashes me the occasional quick smile, apparently pleased with her food as she shoves bite after bite into her mouth seemingly without taking a breath. I raise an eyebrow at her, and she returns it with a rueful expression, eventually slowing her food intake to a reasonable pace. As the minutes pass, she begins paying even less attention to her food, causing me to wonder if she's suddenly developed a distaste for it when I realize her attention is focused over my shoulder. Frowning, I'm about to remind her to stop staring when I hear a woman's voice whisper fiercely behind me:  
  
"I've had just about enough of this. I'm leaving."  
  
"You're going to keep your ass in that chair," the unmistakable voice of Tony DiRisio replies. "Or you'll have two broken legs that won't get you anywhere."  
  
"Ouch! You're hurting me!" She hisses.  
  
Hudson blinks across from me, her expression darkening.  
  
"Stop eavesdropping, Hudson. It isn't polite."  
  
She brings her gaze to mine. "She sounds like she needs help."  
  
I sigh and point with my fork toward her plate.  
  
"...Stop saying those things, Tony," the blonde's voice picks up again. "Why can't you just leave me alone. Let me go!"  
  
"Shut up!" Tony's whisper is angry, his temper obviously pushed past his limit. "One more fucking peep out of you and you'll never have to worry about what I have to say again."  
  
Hudson's gaze narrows further and I can see her poised to jump out of her chair. Quickly, my hand moves across the table and I grab her wrist, holding her in place. "Don't."  
  
"She doesn't want to be here with him. Can't you hear that, Lex?"  
  
"Hudson," I whisper back. "It isn't any of our business. Did you even bother listening to me earlier? That man is not someone you intentionally pick a fight with."  
  
"That doesn't make his behavior right," she replies, glaring at me slightly.  
  
"I never said it did. But there are some people in this world that you can't protect. They either don't want your protection or there is nothing that you can do to protect them. Not without hurting yourself or the ones that you love."  
  
She looks ready to argue for a moment, before her shoulders slump slightly and she returns her gaze to the table behind me. I wish she would stop staring. She's going to bring unwanted attention to both of us. I'm distracted when our server appears, asking if we're interested in having dessert. Hudson absently shakes her head and I wave him away, knowing that the young woman across from me is singularly focused, or she wouldn't have turned down the chance to feed her sweet tooth. I finish off the last of the bottle of wine as I watch her purposely avoid my gaze for the next few minutes.  
  
"I'm going to use the restroom," she tells me suddenly, slipping her napkin onto the table and sliding out of her chair.  
  
I get to my feet politely as she excuses herself, watching her carefully to make certain she actually heads toward the lobby and not to the table behind me. Once she's out of sight, I take my seat again, pay our bill and wonder what drives Hudson in her desire to look out for the underdog. All young people have some inherent belief in them that they're invincible, that they'll live forever. But Hudson seems almost driven by that belief, as if her supposed immortality would allow her to protect and save everyone around her. I've seen her do it with me time and time again, and lately I've begun to realize she does it with everyone.  
  
"Ready to go?"  
  
I glance up to see Hudson standing beside me, shifting from foot to foot, glancing around nervously. I frown. "What's the hurry?"  
  
"I... I'm bored." She shrugs with the obvious lie.  
  
Drawing in a deep breath, I consider denying her the chance to walk out of here without an explanation but, having no desire for another fight, I place my napkin on the table and get to my feet. Jean meets us with Hudson's coat and I slip it over her shoulders before taking her hand and leading her toward the elevator. We pass Tony, who is standing in the lobby, apparently waiting for his date to emerge from the restroom. We give each other a parting nod as Hudson and I move into the elevator, and head back down to the street.  
  
"Where to now?"  
  
Hudson seems more relaxed now that we're back in the limo. She cuddles up against me, fingers playing over the front of my shirt, picking at the buttons, occasionally slipping inside to touch my stomach. I'm tempted to go back to the penthouse and fuck her until the sun rises on Sunday. But there's something I want to show her. A little piece of myself that I hope might encourage her to share her own secrets with me.  
  
"There's a place I want to show you."  
  
"Oooh. That sounds all mysterious." Hudson grins up at me, the streetlights casting shadows across her face. "I like it when you're mysterious." She leans up for a kiss.  
  
Her mood has done a complete one-eighty since the restaurant and I can't help but wonder at the reason for the change. It doesn't take long for her lips and hands to distract my thoughts, though, and all too soon I am engulfed in everything Hudson. Her fresh, earthy scent, the feather soft touches of her fingers against my cheek and neck, the honeyed flavor of her tongue brushing over mine. She makes me forget who I am, what I'm doing, years of teachings all drain away in a single moment, a solitary touch. Sometimes I think it's a special power she has, maybe that same secret her parents don't want her to share. Mostly, I'm certain I'm a fool, and people are laughing at me behind closed doors because this teenage girl sends my senses reeling. It's why I keep her at arm's length in public. I have to.  
  
Capturing my lower lip between her teeth, Hudson pulls back, tugging it with her almost painfully before letting go. There's a thin thread of saliva still attaching us and I can't stop myself from swooping back in for another kiss, pushing her back against the seat as I plunder her mouth. My hands roam over the bare skin around her ribs, thumbs slipping beneath the edge of the bodice to brush against the underside of her breasts. Again, I consider just going back to the penthouse and to hell with opening up to her. Sex should be enough.  
  
Right?  
  
Fuck.  
  
I sit up, pulling her with me, smoothing out her dress so that it's all back in place. She's looking at me as if I've just killed her best friend or something. Sighing, I lean in and kiss her gently. "You deserve better than a tussle in the back of a limo."  
  
Surprisingly, Hudson laughs. "Lex, you could have sex with me in a broom closet. I wouldn't mind!"  
  
I can't help but smile. I really have created a monster. "I'll keep that in mind for later. Right now, we're almost there."  
  
I point out the window toward the parking lot we've just entered. Up ahead are the lights of the Metropolis Waterfront Carnival, its gates closed for the evening. Hudson wrinkles her nose as she takes in the sight before lifting her gaze up to me in question.  
  
"A carnival? What's up, Doc?"  
  
I pinch her nose. "You're not cute."  
  
"No. I'm a sexy, sexy thang!" She thrusts out her chest and wiggles her hips a little suggestively, eliciting a laugh from me. "No, really. What're we doing at a carnival? That just doesn't seem very... Luthor-like."  
  
Smiling, I push the door open as the car comes to a stop in front of the gates. "That's the point."  
  
"Huh?" She takes my hand when I offer it, climbing out of the limousine to stand beside me, staring up at the cardboard medieval towers that bookend the gate. "Lex, have you lost your mind?"  
  
"I'm standing outside a closed carnival after nine with a sixteen-year old. What do you think?"  
  
Hudson rolls her eyes as I close her coat around her, making certain a few buttons are closed. "You warm enough?"  
  
After she nods in affirmation, I tug her forward toward the side employee entrance. As promised, the door is open and I slip inside, smiling at her when she flashes me a curious look. We should be the only people on the grounds, except for the security guards who were strictly instructed to stay in the guard house unless called.  
  
Threading our fingers together, I tuck my free hand into my coat pocket and lead her deep into the carnival. The carnival is fully lit up with lights, music playing, the rides turned on. The air is still filled with the scent of popcorn and cotton candy from earlier in the day, though a slight breeze from the river threatens to wipe it away. Beside me, Hudson is wide-eyed and silent, her gaze attempting to sweep over every little detail as we slowly make our way in and out of the booths around us.  
  
"This is really kind of creepy," she comments in almost a whisper.  
  
I smirk. "Why are we whispering?"  
  
She waves a hand. "Creepy. There's no one here but us."  
  
"Oh, there are others. They're just hiding out."  
  
"And that's supposed to make it less creepy how?"  
  
"Brat." I pull her close and kiss the top of her head. "I thought you would like this."  
  
"Oh, it's cool. And unexpected. Just... creepy."  
  
"We can leave," I offer, glancing away.  
  
"No." Her fingers tighten around mine. "I like it. I mean, being alone with you like this. Well, quasi-alone." I turn back to see her flash me a smile. "It's kind of like one of those 'end of the world' movies, where it's just you and me and we can do whatever we want!"  
  
I chuckle. "Except that it isn't the end of the world. Though we can do whatever we want."  
  
"You mean we could go on a spree through one of the malls in the middle of the night and take whatever we want?" She looks shocked.  
  
"I can arrange it." I shrug. If Hudson wants to live out any fantasies, I can certainly see to them. It's a perk of being ridiculously wealthy.  
  
Hudson's eyes are even wider as she stares at me for a moment, and I can't help but wonder if this is the first time she's ever really understood how much money I have at my disposal. I look away, a little uncomfortable with it, remaining silent so that she's allowed to process this newfound information. I know it doesn't matter to her but I can't erase the fears that one day it might. One day, she'll begin asking for favors, and I'll grant them because I love her, because I can't say no. And eventually, I'll hate her for using me, and I'll hate myself even more for allowing it to happen.  
  
"Oh!" Hudson breathes beside me. "Look at that carousel!"  
  
I glance up at her exclamation at the antique carousel that is the pride of the Waterfront Carnival that looms before us. Dating back to the late 1800's, it's been fully restored, well-cared for and is the main attraction for all attendees of the carnival. Even those who come just for the roller coasters have to stop and take a moment to appreciate the beauty and grandeur of the structure. It's lit up tonight, bright white lights covering the domed top amid beveled mirrors and delicately painted animals in various carnival attire, all gaudy colors and overly ornate. The horses are the focal point – whites, bays, black and grays, posed in various gaits, some prancing, others tossing their heads, two half-rearing, each wearing painted-on tack that appears worthy of a King's ransom. Tigers, lions, zebras and ostriches complete the available seating.  
  
"Want to ride it?" I ask Hudson as we draw near.  
  
She glances around. "But, I don't see an operator."  
  
I shrug and jump onto the platform, turning to hold my hand out to her. "It's not a magic carpet, but it's the best I can offer on short notice."  
  
Hudson shakes her head with a grin, taking my hand and stepping onto the carousel beside me. "If I told the people of Smallville what a romantic you are, they would never believe me."  
  
"That's a good thing. We wouldn't want it to get out."  
  
She laughs as she moves past me, long fingers caressing the neck of a black horse. She turns slowly, admiring the animals around her, soft smile highlighted by the glow in her eyes. I could stare at her for hours. Sometimes I consider commissioning an artist to paint her, naked of course, either standing in the garden with the sunlight warming her skin or reclined on a carpet in front of the fireplace. Her parents would kill me, and I would never be allowed the opportunity to gaze at my naked painting of Hudson with impunity. Maybe when she's older...  
  
"So, have you picked a mount?" I ask finally, as Hudson hovers near one of the white horses, its neck arched, legs lifted high in a prancing motion.  
  
"Why is it the most harmless questions can sound so dirty out of your mouth?" Hudson glances at me over her shoulder, smirking.  
  
I roll my eyes and move between the animals, making my way to the center of the carousel where the control room is located. "You, Hudson Clark Kent, live in the gutter."  
  
"There's room for two!" She replies cheerily, hopping up onto the white horse.  
  
Ignoring her remark, I open the small door, camouflaged as one of the eight full-length mirrors, and flip the necessary switches. The carousel lurches into motion, campy music filling the air as the lights begin dancing around us. Gently closing the door, I turn around to find Hudson watching me over the tops of the animals. I grin as she rises up, and back down, and up again, and back down again. She shakes her head, drawing my curiosity, and I duck under a few horse necks to make my way over to her.  
  
"What?" I ask as I stand beside her, my hand settling on her thigh.  
  
"I admit it, Lex. I'm completely stumped. How on earth do you know how to operate a carousel?"  
  
I shrug. "It's not that difficult. This is an antique, Hudson. There's a power button and a stop button."  
  
She crosses her eyes at me, a sign that she isn't taking me seriously at all. It's so cute that it forces me to lean forward to kiss her nose, but the horse ends up rising and I catch her chin instead. She laughs and catches me in a quick kiss on the way back down.  
  
"Now, Alexander Joseph Luthor, are you going to tell me the truth about how you know the intricacies of running a carousel?"  
  
Stepping back, I slip up onto the gray horse behind me, sitting so that I face Hudson, sideways in the hard wooden saddle. "You know how so many kids... well, they sometimes look at their family and they think to themselves, 'There's no way I came from them! I must be adopted!'?"  
  
Her gaze searches my face for a moment before she nods.  
  
"Well, it wasn't quite the same for me. I mean, I always knew that I was a Luthor. I couldn't look in the mirror and question my heritage because I couldn't escape it. It was always there, drilled into me from the cradle. I never questioned it... "  
  
I trail off, gaze dropping to the slatted floor beneath us. There's a blob of bubblegum beneath Hudson's mount, a crushed piece of popcorn caught between the slats of wood. I'm reminded of the last time Hudson and I went to the movies together – I can't recall what we saw, only that we sat in the back row and made out the entire time. And my feet kept sticking to the floor.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
Glancing up at her inquiry, I smile. "Sorry. It's just... even if I knew what I was, it didn't mean that I wanted to accept it. 'Do not go gentle into that goodnight' or some such.  
  
"Shortly after the meteor storm, I began studying places, groups that I could hide out with. Where I could erase my identity and become someone else, someone nobody knew. I could start all over, far away from the Luthor name, and write my own destiny, not the one my father had mapped out for me."  
  
I run a hand over my head nervously, unable to look at Hudson as I continue to impart information I've never shared with another. "So I studied them all – the military, the mafia, carnies, cults – "  
  
"Wait. Carnies?" Hudson interrupts, eyes blinking with amusement. "Lex, you wanted to run off and join the... carnival??"  
  
I flash her a glare. "I didn't just want to. I did."  
  
"What?" Her mouth is wide with humor now, lips twitching desperately for more expression. "You ran away and joined the carnival?"  
  
"What's so unbelievable about that?" I retort, frowning.  
  
She worries her lower lip a moment. "I don't know. You just... don't seem the type to run away, I guess."  
  
I nod. "Well, I was ten at the time, so I wasn't exactly thinking clearly."  
  
"Mmm. So what happened? Did your parents catch you?"  
  
"Not immediately." I glance out over the carnival, remembering that first night that I spent away from the safety of home, from my parents and Pamela. I can't help but smile at how stupid I was. "I packed a couple changes of clothing, a few toiletries, a package of crackers, some peanut butter and a jar of caviar – "  
  
"Caviar? No. Really – caviar?"  
  
With a shrug, I reply, "My father used to say that you could convince anyone to give you what you wanted with well-thought strategy, and a good Beluga caviar. Since I figured I already had my strategy planned out, it wouldn't hurt to have the caviar along, too. Just in case."  
  
Hudson looks like she can't decide if she wants to laugh or cry.  
  
"Anyway," I turn away from her gaze and stare at the animals as they continue to move up and down around us. "I took a cab deep into the city. It wasn't until I got to the train station that I realized that would be one of the first places my father would have his people look. That, and the airport. So I decided I needed a less obvious method of transportation out of Metropolis.  
  
"As I was wandering around the train yard, trying to think of something, I saw the train that a carnival was packed onto, heading off to their next engagement. It was 'Wild Bill's Carnival of Thrills' – "  
  
"You're making that up."  
  
"I am not!" I snap, flashing her a silencing look. "Do you want to hear about this or not?"  
  
Hudson rolls her eyes. "I don't know if I'm ready to... but go ahead."  
  
I'm tempted to just stop right there, except that I can see the sincere curiosity in her gaze. One would think I'd be used to her teasing after all of this time, but it's hard to get over the belief that not every joke made at your expense is meant to be hurtful. Especially when the past has always shown the opposite.  
  
"Figuring my father would never think to look there," I continue. "I climbed up into one of the box cars, made myself comfortable in between what I thought were some props, and promptly fell asleep. I didn't know where I was or where I was going and, at the time, it really didn't matter so much. After the meteor shower... well, I'd never really had friends to begin with. Being bald only made it that much worse. And my mom... she always looked so sad after that whenever I was with her, like she blamed herself or something. My father – well, I don't think he knew what to do with me. I didn't fit into his strategic plan for family and future. So I thought it would be better all around if I just went away."  
  
I feel something touch my hand, and glance down to see Hudson's fingers brushing over my skin. Without looking at her, I acknowledge the small offer of comfort by curling my fingers into hers, our hands clasped between the horses.  
  
"So, you were in the box car...," Hudson prompts.  
  
Nodding, I continue, "I woke up the next morning, only because I could feel that I was being stared at. When I opened my eyes, it was to find half a dozen midgets surrounding me – "  
  
"Is this the part where you tell me they offered you some magical beans for your pet cow?"  
  
"Hudson – hush," I reprimand her with a grin. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but this was how it happened.  
  
"See, I fell asleep in the clown car. In fact, the entire box car was filled with all of the props the clowns used. We'd arrived at their next stop in Oklahoma City, and they were beginning to clear out the cars when they found me. They weren't very nice about it, either," I add, vividly remembering the eldest of the group grabbing me by the ear and yanking me out of the car.  
  
"So, um, did they all clown-pile on top of you inside of the car?" Hudson asks with a grin.  
  
She doesn't believe me. I sigh. "No. They took me to – "  
  
"Their leader. Bozo the Magnificent."  
  
"Christ, Hudson!"  
  
She giggles, and then leans across the space between us and kisses my cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm just having fun. Go on. They took you where? To Wild Bill, the owner?"  
  
I remain silent, refusing to continue to be made fun of. Hudson tugs on my hand and flashes me a contrite smile and big, saucer-shaped eyes, silently pleading for the rest of the story. Damn her and whatever ability she has to make me willfully humiliate myself.  
  
"Only Wild Bill wasn't a Wild Bill at all, but Wild Bill's widow, Shirley." I cast a quick glance at Hudson, waiting for another retort but she just watches me innocently, waiting for the rest of the story.  
  
Sighing, I tell her, "Shirley was this older lady, who'd been part of a carnival ever since she was born. Her parents worked with the animals. She was a tough woman who apparently wasn't afraid of the name Luthor, even though she recognized both it and me almost instantly. She sat me down in her tent and made me tell her everything – who I was, why I wanted to run away. I told her... "  
  
I pause and look over at Hudson again, wondering just how much I should share. If I want this to work, if I want her to be honest with me, then I need to be honest with her. I need her to know I trust her.  
  
"I told her that I was a freak, and therefore it figured that I would fit in with the other freaks of the carnival – "  
  
"Lex – "  
  
"She didn't seem to like that explanation. She lectured me about the lack of right I had to refer to anyone as a freak, including myself, and how little boys should be more concerned with collecting bugs and climbing trees than how others might characterize their outward appearance. I just figured she didn't understand, and that I would be sent home that night." I shrug. "Surprisingly, though, she didn't send me home. She set me up in a tent with her two sons, and a boy whose father was the elephant trainer, and she put me to work."  
  
"You worked with the carnival?" Hudson stares at me, blinking. "But, what about your parents? Weren't they worried about you? Surely your dad was tearing up Metropolis looking for you!"  
  
"Actually, Shirley called him the moment she realized who I was," I tell her with a slight grimace. "My father told her to keep me. That if I was insisting on behaving like a child, then I didn't fit in to any part of the Luthor dynasty. I know this because I heard Shirley recounting her conversation to Edwina, the snake girl."  
  
"He just... left you there?"  
  
"It was a lesson," I remark frankly. "There was no way my father was actually going to allow his own blood to be caught working in a carnival. Shirley was paid to keep quiet and retain me in only low-profile jobs. I figure there was a bonus for her in there somewhere if I was never injured, as well.  
  
"A month into it, my mother appeared to take me home. I remember feeling awful for the worry I'd put her and Pamela through, and they were both so happy to see me, and so angry that I'd just left like that. I get the feeling my father never explained that he knew where I was all along – and that he wanted me to stay there until he was ready for me to come home."  
  
"What did he do when you got back? Were you punished?"  
  
I shake my head and purse my lips. "No. He never spoke a word about it. Pretended it never happened. A few years later I found out that Wild Bill's Carnival of Thrills had suddenly become one of the largest, wealthiest carnival's in the states. They stopped traveling and set up a permanent structure. All because my father paid them off to keep them quiet."  
  
Hudson is silent and I refuse to look at her, wondering if she is ready to break out into laughter again. She drops my hand and I take the opportunity to slip off of the horse and move to stop the carousel. But then Hudson is standing in front of me, her gaze filled with... something. I don't know what to name it. But she's looking at me and smiling softly, and I can't help but lean into her touch as her hand cups my cheek.  
  
"You amaze me," she whispers. "There is so much about you that just... takes my breath away."  
  
I struggle with the desire to tell her she's full of shit. It's an automatic response. But I can't deny the expression on her face, or the gentle touch of her fingers over my skin. I kiss the pads of her fingertips as they brush against my lips. "I've never told anyone that story."  
  
She sighs and leans against me, arms wrapping around my shoulders. I hold her, waiting for a confession, a truth, more than she's ever given. The carousel music has become absurdly annoying but I don't want to move, afraid that I'll break the spell.  
  
"What about you?" I query softly. "Any deep, dark secrets you're ashamed to share?"  
  
A long silence. I can feel her tensing in my arms. Then, "I did run away once."  
  
The fight goes out of me. I don't know how much more of this I can take. "Did you?" I reply, tone blank.  
  
Hudson laughs lightly, pulling back. "Yeah. I was six. And determined to find my biological parents." She cocks her head to the side thoughtfully, an expression of wistfulness on her face. "I wanted to know why they gave me up, why they didn't love me."  
  
"Just because they gave you up for adoption doesn't necessarily mean they didn't love you, Hudson."  
  
"I know. I... "She trails off and sighs, flashing a chagrined smile. "Dad found me. He took me home and I remember mom was so upset. She cried and held me and told me how angry she was that I ran away, even though she never stopped crying and kept kissing me. When I told them why I left, I remember my dad telling me that sometimes we get the opportunity to choose our own family. I never understood what he meant... until recently."  
  
She takes my hand and squeezes it. "Maybe we've both been given that opportunity, Lex."  
  
Would you choose to have a family that lied, Hudson? Would you?  
  
Giving her a half smile, I move to the control panel and turn off the music.  
  
When I wake up the next morning, Hudson is pressed against me like a second skin. Her face is pressed against my shoulder and I think she's drooling. It's either that or she fell asleep mid-kiss. I watch her for a few minutes silently, tempted to roll her over and wake her up with my tongue and another eager part of my body. Unfortunately, she appears dead to the world, in one of those deep sleeps where a nuclear explosion could go off, and she wouldn't notice. And it really isn't any fun to make love to an unresponsive partner. Not that I think she would be unresponsive for long but we have a big day ahead of us. Leaning over, I kiss her cheek softly before climbing out of bed and heading for the shower.  
  
Showers are extremely quick for me. Once you take out the necessary washing of one's hair and shaving, there is very little left. In school, it always meant being the first one in line for breakfast each morning. In my adult life, it allows me to sleep a few minutes longer, or appear to a meeting that much earlier than anyone else. Hudson said she'd kill to never have to bother with washing and drying her hair again. I replied that I would kill her if she ever tried to get rid of it. She just laughed at me, but I don't think she realizes how much I envy the hair of everyone around me. Sometimes, when I happen to be in a store, I wander by the hair products and simply stare at the various gels and hair sprays and shampoos. Hudson uses an apple-scented shampoo by Suave. She says it's cheap and she likes the smell. I stocked all of the showers at the mansion, and here at the penthouse, with KMS because it smells like bubblegum and seems like her. She said if only they could combine the two, it would be a perfectly scented shampoo. Today I should buy her some apple bubblegum, just to see what it tastes like in her mouth.  
  
Getting out of the shower, I wrap a towel around my hips and reenter the bedroom to find Hudson still dead to the world. She's moved in her sleep, diagonal across the bed, head firmly planted in the center of my pillow, sheets barely covering her well-shaped ass. There are many perfect aspects of Hudson's body, but I think it's her ass that I like best. I've even caught Pete checking it out. My bed sheets are obviously shameless in their attempt to destroy all of my enjoyment. Determined to rectify the situation, I move over and remove the last bit of obstruction from my view of her naked form.  
  
Perfect.  
  
"Leeexxxx – "  
  
Well, nothing lasts forever.  
  
I glance toward the pillow to see Hudson peering one eye open at me. "What're you doing?"  
  
"Admiring the view."  
  
"It's cold in here, and you're trying to make me freeze my ass off. Literally."  
  
"Hudson," I drawl with a smile. "I would never do such a thing."  
  
"Don't Luthors know how to use heaters?" She whines before reaching down for the edge of the covers.  
  
"It isn't that cold in here," I point out, snatching the covers out of her reach and tossing them to the floor. "Tsk, tsk. You're very spoiled, Hudson Kent," I inform her as I kneel on the bed and crawl over her, sprawling across her body.  
  
Instant squeals. "Lex, you're wet! And cold! Christ, you're like marble!"  
  
"And you whine a lot." I nuzzle my nose against the back of her ear and then lick it. She giggles. "It's time to get up, Angel. We'll never make the game, and get the shopping in, if you don't get ready."  
  
Sighing beneath me, Hudson struggles to roll over until we're facing each other. I find myself wondering why I left my damn towel on. "I don't think I want to go out today."  
  
I regard her silently for a moment before remarking, "You've always wanted to go to a Shark's game. Sit in the owner's box. Look down on the common folk." I give her a smile.  
  
"I know. And I still would like to. Just not today." Her fingers trail over my upper arms and she looks up at me from under her lashes and really, how would I deny her anything? "I want to stay in my sweats and just have you all to myself."  
  
"I can't argue with that thinking," I reply, kissing the tip of her nose. "But what about shopping for your family?"  
  
She shrugs. "I'll find things in Smallville. Lex, you told me if I didn't want to go out, you wouldn't – "  
  
"I know," I interrupt with a forced smile. I made the promise that we could stay in if she wanted, but there is a part of me that selfishly wants to spoil her – take her places, buy her things. I can't really do that if we're stuck in the penthouse.  
  
Unless...  
  
I smile. "We'll stay in for the day," I agree, kissing her once more before sliding off of her to my feet. "And you'll still do your shopping and watch the game." I grab my phone off of the nightstand as I ask, "What is good football-watching food?"  
  
"What're you doing?" She sits up, gathering the sheet around her to cover her nakedness.  
  
Damn.  
  
"Answer now or I order caviar."  
  
Hudson makes an adorable face at me, confusion still evident in her eyes. "Umm, barbeque, of course. Ribs, sausages, KC strips, corn on the cob, big, fat heavily seasoned fries –"  
  
"I get it," I laugh, dialing the number to the best caterer in town. "Anything that clogs the arteries."  
  
"Something like that."  
  
She flops back down on the bed, long limbs sprawled across the sheets. If I took her to business meetings like this, and laid her out on the conference tables, I'd be able to turn corporate takeovers into an art form. Rivals would be so lost examining her impossibly perfect legs that they'd forget what they were doing there. I could own the world, if I could only convince Hudson to marshal the parade.  
  
Turning away from my angelic little devil on the bed so that I can remain focused, I order our lunch to be delivered later, and then place a call to the concierge for the Luthorcorp tower. I explain exactly what I need from him in intricate detail down to the exact shops and items that I want to see represented. By the time I hang up the phone, Hudson has the bedroom TV turned on, is flopped over on her belly, sheets tangled around her hips as her feet swing above her in no particular rhythm.  
  
"You might want to get showered and dressed," I remark, opening the dresser for a pair of underwear.  
  
"Why? I thought we were just laying around the house."  
  
"We are. But that doesn't mean we're not going to have company."  
  
"Hell."  
  
I smile at her apparent annoyance, glancing over my shoulder as I dress to see her slip out of bed and stomp to the bathroom, sheet dragging along on the floor behind her. No one should be allowed to be gorgeous when they pout.  
  
By the time Hudson is done with her shower and enters the living room dressed comfortably in grey sweats and a red and blue striped shirt, Max, concierge to the Luthorcorp Tower, has arrived with shops in tow. Watching Hudson for a moment as she settles on the couch, feet tucked beneath her while she looks at the half dozen strangers gathered in the room, I turn back to Max and nod in satisfaction.  
  
"Well done, Max."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Luthor."  
  
"What's going on?" Hudson inquires from her seat, leaning over the back of the couch to look up at me.  
  
"Shopping," I explain, crossing over to her. I wave toward the group as they quickly begin shuffling around through the containers behind them. "I brought the stores to you."  
  
She blinks up at me in apparent shock, then turns to regard the shop managers once more. "You mean they shoved their entire stores into those boxes?"  
  
Chuckling, I sit on the arm of the couch beside her. "Nnnoooo. They brought only the items I thought you might be interested in for your parents and friends."  
  
"Wow." She grins. "This is so... eccentric of you, Lex Luthor."  
  
I shake my head. "Actually, my father began doing this for my mother when she became too ill to leave the house. He didn't want her to miss out on the simple joys of shopping and having new things, so he brought the stores to her. I remember once a week, climbing up onto the bed with her and watching as expensive clothes and jewelry were paraded out in front of her."  
  
Smiling at the memory, I look down to find Hudson watching me, sympathy in her gaze. I kiss the tip of her nose. "If they don't have what you want, describe what you're looking for, and they'll find it."  
  
"I feel like I'm in a movie," she comments with a sigh, though there is a sparkle in her eyes as she gazes at the group of people who stand at the ready to serve her. "It's kind of like Pretty Woman. Only you're not as skuzzy as Richard Gere."  
  
Laughing, I lean in and whisper, "And you're no prostitute."  
  
"Well, not at the moment..."  
  
"Hudson Clark Kent –"  
  
Giggling, she rolls her eyes at me and launches herself off of the couch and toward the store managers. I follow behind her, nodding silently to Mr. Sykes, the manager for Saks, to begin his presentation. He steps forward, offering his hand and introducing himself, then steps back to wave a hand toward his wares. The accompanying model displays a wildly colorful outfit that sends Hudson into pleased applause, commenting to me that it would be perfect for Chloe. When she asks the price, I sedately shake my head once more, pointing my thumb downwards toward Sykes. He barely flashes me a glance before giving Hudson a false number that is so ridiculously low it could easily beat a Walmart price. Frowning, she glances back at me as if expecting me to be holding a sign up with the price displayed.  
  
"Is that really the cost, Lex?" She asks.  
  
I shrug. "Do I look like I work in a department store?"  
  
"Well, you dress like it."  
  
"Be nice, Angel."  
  
Making a face at me, Hudson returns her attention to Sykes. "It seems kind of cheap – the price, I mean. Considering the source and all."  
  
"It's from our clearance section, Miss," Sykes replies without hesitation.  
  
I'm going to have to give him a good tip.  
  
Hudson still appears disbelieving but she shrugs and reaches out to touch the material of the skirt, lost in thought. Finally, she nods and moves on to the next item. I share a quick look with Sykes before focusing my attention back to Hudson as she continues with her 'shopping'. Surprisingly, she finishes everything up rather quickly, and when she disappears to the bedroom to get her purse for her spending money, I reach into my pocket and hand my credit card over to Max who quickly writes down the information. Slipping it back into my pocket just as Hudson reenters the room, I flash her an innocent smile as she is given a bill for an amount just under the cash I know she's carrying. If she ever discovers proof of my perfidy, I'm dead.  
  
"That was relatively painless," she comments as she drops back onto the couch and looks up at me. "Now I get to go home and wrap everything."  
  
"I could have Max – "  
  
"Lex," she interrupts with one of those 'Don't you know anything??' tones. "Christmas is about the shopping and the wrapping and the scrambling to find the time to do it all. You've just eliminated one tradition for me, no need to eliminate the others."  
  
I sit beside her, arm moving around the back of the couch. "But couldn't you spend that time doing more interesting things?"  
  
"I take it you have something in mind?" She smirks at me as I lean in for a kiss.  
  
"Oh, I could think of one thing... or two.. "  
  
"Or a dozen," she adds before I cover her mouth with my own.  
  
"Stop fidgeting."  
  
Hudson glances up at me as if I couldn't possibly understand the position she is in. "But... I feel naked."  
  
"You're the one that picked that dress out," I remind her. "Not me."  
  
And I'm beyond pleased that she did. It shows all of her more perfect assets gorgeously – short skirt, scandalously low neckline (if it could even be considered a neckline), and absolutely no back whatsoever. Jonathan Kent would have a heart attack if he saw his daughter in the thing. I certainly wasn't going to say no when she picked it out, especially since I could tell she was purposely attempting to be rebellious. It's nice to see Hudson play the role of teenager; she doesn't do it very often.  
  
"Besides," I tell her. "You still have your coat on. You won't be naked until we get inside."  
  
"Swell."  
  
She wiggles her shoulders beside me once more as we approach the Bouncer outside of Atlantis, the latest nightclub in Metropolis to take the much- coveted place that Club Zero's closing left open. The few dozen in line along the building glare at us as we approach, and the braver souls toss out a couple of bawdy comments toward me. It feels like forever since I was last in this type of atmosphere, even though it hasn't been two years.  
  
"We're never going to get inside, you know," Hudson whispers confidently. "He'll take one look at me and realize I'm underage."  
  
I barely refrain from rolling my eyes. When did I pick up that habit?? "Hudson, you could be in diapers. As long as you're with me, you'll get in."  
  
"That's really sick, Luthor," she quips with a smirk.  
  
Smart ass.  
  
The Bouncer glances over at us as we near the door and gives me a slight nod. "Lex, it's been a while."  
  
"That it has," I reply, slipping a fifty into his hand as we pass by and I escort Hudson through the door.  
  
Atlantis prides itself on being classier than Club Zero, only it isn't. It's bigger and gaudier and the drinks are more expensive, though the clientele hasn't changed much. Its reputation, on the other hand, is fast becoming worse than that of my old haunt, and I have every intention of not allowing Hudson very far out of my sight. Her eyes are already far too wide, the combination of her beauty and innocence drawing stares from all around us, and I wonder if maybe this wasn't a good idea. I slip her coat from her shoulders and hand it to the girl behind the coat check station, taking the ticket she hands me in return.  
  
Placing my hand against Hudson's back, I guide her through the crowd, attention focused on our surroundings as we move toward the largest of the three bars located in the club. Her skin is warm and I can't help but caress my fingers lower, hoping that those around us are watching, that they understand she belongs to me. We make it to the bar and Hudson slips up onto one of the stools as I lean in beside her to order our drinks, figuring she might enjoy a Cosmopolitan. Reminding myself I'm only going to let her have one. Then again, she's apparently so fascinated by her surroundings that I could hand her gasoline to drink, and she wouldn't notice the difference.  
  
"This is awesome, Lex!" She practically squeals, dancing in her seat with barely contained excitement.  
  
"Glad you like it. Just don't stray off."  
  
I slip a bill across the bar to pay for our drinks, and then hand one to Hudson.  
  
Clinking our glasses, I tell her, "Welcome to Wonderland, Alice."  
  
"Does that make you the Mad Hatter?" She asks, taking a cautious sip of her drink. She blinks for a moment and takes another.  
  
"You're in a feisty mood."  
  
"The Sharks won. That makes me very happy. I still have hopes that they'll make it to the Superbowl."  
  
I shake my head and turn my gaze toward the dance floor. "Won't happen. Hasn't happened in decades. My father laments over it all of the time. Luckily, the fans keep coming or he would have sold the team long ago."  
  
"Well, with the way he keeps hiking the price up on tickets and parking, I don't see why he would want to sell. It's the only legal way he can steal from the public."  
  
Chuckling, I lean in and give her a quick kiss. "This is why we're made for each other, Hudson Kent."  
  
She beams over her glass at me as she takes another drink.  
  
The afternoon spent watching the Shark's game had been a pleasant one. It began with sex on the couch, a minor bout of cuddling, and then the joy of watching Hudson stuff her face with barbeque from Arthur Bryant's. She got sauce all over the shirt she was wearing, so I made her take it off and we went back to cuddling on the couch in our underwear until the Sharks won. Apparently seeing her favorite football team win stokes Hudson's hormones into action, and she had me on the floor in minutes.  
  
Not that I'm complaining. I just can't recall ever spending a day so... relaxed. I can't help but wonder if life with Hudson would always be like that, if such a thing is possible. Is that the way her parents act when they're alone together? Is that the way couples are supposed to behave?  
  
"I want to dance."  
  
Pulled from my thoughts at her words, I look over at Hudson and raise an eyebrow. "Is that so?" I take a sip of my drink but make no move to lead her to the dance floor.  
  
Hudson frowns. "Oh, don't tell me you're one of those who is too full of himself to dance in public?"  
  
"I simply choose not to look like one of the many idiots out there flailing around," I reply.  
  
"They're not idiots. They're having fun and we're not." She slides down from the stool and places her hands on her hips as she looks at me. "Why on earth did you bring me here if you didn't plan on dancing?"  
  
Shrugging, I look around. "I thought you'd like to see it." I pause and flash her a smile. "And, there are quite a few dark little places to hide out in... "  
  
Hudson rolls her eyes. "You're like a machine, Lex. You'd think you've had enough sex today."  
  
"There's no such thing!"  
  
Huffing, Hudson glances out toward the dance floor longingly, affecting a pretty pout. Unable to withstand such behavior, I wave a hand toward the crowd.  
  
"Nothing is stopping you from going out there, Angel," I comment, rubbing my hand over her over.  
  
"Really?" She looks at me hopefully.  
  
I nod. "Just stay close to the edge of the floor where I can see you, okay? And if anyone starts anything – "  
  
She laughs. "Lex, I can take of myself, you know."  
  
No, you can't.  
  
She leans up to kiss me, then hurries away from the bar to the dance floor. Figuring this should be a pretty good show, I take a seat facing the crowd of dancers to watch. As Hudson situates herself amidst the others, I carefully seek out the gaze of each man near her, waiting until their eyes meet mine before moving on to the next. For the first time since we left Smallville, I find myself wishing I'd brought Dodd along. Then again, he might have cleared the entire floor before allowing Hudson out there.  
  
Assured of her safety from roaming hands, I return my attention to Hudson, watching her closely as her body moves in rhythm to the beat. Hips grinding, breasts bouncing beneath the silk of her dress, hair tossing wildly around her face. Fuck, she's gorgeous tonight. I'm getting hard just watching her, and normally I can exhibit a little more control over myself in public. But not with Hudson, not now, not when she's out there tempting every man in the building, and so obviously showing off for me. No one's ever done that before. No woman I've ever dated has ever been innocent enough to stand in a crowd of others and think that no one is watching her but me, to so brazenly exhibit herself as if to say 'I'm yours to do with as you please'. It's reckless and dangerous and makes me want to throw her to the ground and fuck her through the dance floor.  
  
"Now, if Lex Luthor had ever bothered watching me like that, I certainly wouldn't be wasting my time dancing."  
  
Repressing the sigh that immediately springs to my lips, I turn to regard Celia Dawson, uptown socialite and ex-fuck buddy. "Hello, Celia."  
  
"Lex," she purrs, fake eyelashes fluttering closed for a moment. "I was beginning to think we'd lost you to the Children of the Corn."  
  
Cute. I shrug, my gaze returning to the dance floor. "I grew tired of the Metropolis nightlife."  
  
"So I hear. You traded it in for cornfields and cows."  
  
Celia takes the seat next to me, uninvited. Pulling a cigarette out of her purse, she hesitates a moment, apparently waiting for me to light it for her, before finally fishing out her lighter and doing it herself. Taking a long, slow drag, she brushes a strand of blonde hair from her face and leans closer.  
  
"Rumor has it you're interests have turned to farmgirls." Laughing, she nods toward the dance floor. "And, seeing as how no one here recognizes your leggy companion, I'd be willing to bet she's more comfortable in jeans and cowboy boots than she is silk and leather."  
  
Expression carefully blank, I finish my drink and set it on the bar. "Shouldn't you be busy trying to sucker some loser into a quick fuck and some expensive blow?"  
  
She frowns, pulling away, the heavy scent of her perfume and cigarette lingering. "Well, one thing is certain, the sticks haven't done anything to improve that surly attitude of yours. Tell me, does your innocent little companion know that deep down inside you're an arrogant ass? Or are you still blinding her to your true self with flashy gifts and charm?"  
  
It's one thing to share snappy banter with an ex-whatever. It's quite another when they decide to hit so close to home. That's one of my biggest fears – that Hudson might really look one day and see the ugly person that I am, hidden beneath the clothes and the smiles and things I try to do for her. I'm afraid she'll discover I'm not the Prince Charming she envisions, that I have a past far different from her own.  
  
"Celia, is there a point to this little chat?" I ask, my voice bland, bored.  
  
Shrugging, she flicks the ashes of her cigarette into the tray on the bar. "People are curious, Lex. This is the first we've seen of you – other than when your name was all over the society columns due to that two day marriage of yours. Whatever happened with that?"  
  
"I'd say it's none of your business, Celia, but you have trouble grasping such a simple concept."  
  
"I'm simply looking out for you, Lex," Celia replies, touching the sleeve of my jacket. Her eyes regard me imploringly. "Myself – the entire group, we all miss you."  
  
"What group?"  
  
I turn from Celia to see Hudson standing in front of us, dots of perspiration on her chest and face, eyes bright, hair mussed. Her color is a little flushed and her gaze narrows the longer she looks at Celia. I watch as her eyes drop to my arm where Celia is touching me, and I realize that Hudson is jealous. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.  
  
"Our group of friends, darling," Celia replies, flashing a false smile at Hudson. "The group of friends Lex abandoned when he sequestered himself out in Cowville."  
  
"Smallville," Hudson corrects, watching Celia almost curiously. I wonder at her expression.  
  
"Whatever," Celia flippantly remarks before turning back to me, ignoring Hudson. "As I was saying, Lex, love – "  
  
"You're in my seat."  
  
I quickly grab my refilled drink, taking a sip to stifle the laughter at Hudson's interruption. Celia swings around to gaze at her in surprise.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I said you're in my seat," Hudson tells her sweetly. "I didn't punch your lights out for touching my boyfriend, but don't push me."  
  
"Boyfriend?" Celia repeats and looks at me, laughter bubbling out. "Oh, how very cute!"  
  
"Look, lady – "  
  
"Angel, why don't we have a dance?"  
  
Getting to my feet, I take her hand and lead her away from Celia toward the dance floor. Hudson tugs on my hand all of the way there. Once hidden within the crowd, I turn to her, pulling her tight against me as we begin moving to the music.  
  
"You slept with that woman, didn't you?" Hudson asks, glaring at me beneath the blue lights.  
  
I smirk. "I wouldn't say I've slept with her, no."  
  
"Sex, then. You had sex with her!"  
  
"I've had sex with a lot of women, Hudson Kent. And when you come to Metropolis, it's likely that you'll run into one."  
  
She purses her lips. "I don't like it. I don't like knowing they've touched you. I don't – "She cuts herself off and focuses her gaze on my shoulder.  
  
No woman I've ever dated has ever displayed such an overt reaction to the attention I've received from other women. The jealousy, the blatant threat to Celia, the upset now. I used to think such cloying repugnant, but now I'm finding that I want it from Hudson, I crave it. She's as possessive of me as I am her. I don't want other men to even look at her, let alone talk to her, touch her. And while I have the satisfaction of knowing I'm the only man she's ever been with, she can't say the same about me.  
  
"It's okay," I tell her, pulling her closer, one hand drifting down to cup her ass. I lick the shell of her ear before whispering, "She's not touching me now. You are."  
  
Hudson makes a sound much like a whimper, and then her hips are grinding against me, my cock aching for closer contact. This is why dancing in public is a bad thing – there are many other things I'd rather be doing to her at this moment than dancing with her. But Hudson seems to enjoy the music, and she isn't stopping, her body swaying alternately against and away from mine, hands moving over my shoulders and chest, head dipping back, back arching, gorgeous neck vulnerably exposed. I follow it down, nipping at the hollow as her hands cover the back of my head, rubbing the extra-sensitive skin.  
  
"Fuck, Hudson," I breathe against her throat, pulling her back up.  
  
I'm not certain how much time passes. We move to the music together, stopping occasionally for a drink, lost in the smoke-clouded crowd, barely noticing the existence of others. Hudson teases me with her body and hands, and I give as good as I'm getting until it becomes a game to us. The alcohol and the music and the atmosphere seem to relax her, giving her more of the teenager aura, and less of the 'weight of the world on her shoulders' adult role that she apparently enjoys adopting. I wonder what my life would be like if Hudson were older, if we'd met a few years earlier. Where would we be today? Would we own the world together?  
  
The music all sounds the same to me now. We're plastered together, barely moving to the beat, her hair damp against my cheek. The scent wafting off of her skin is intoxicating – sweet, fruity, musky, like she smells after sex. The smoke of cigarettes and marijuana, the tangy scent of alcohol, seem to repel away from her. It makes me want to lick her everywhere, cover my body in her skin.  
  
"Nice."  
  
I open my eyes to see a dark-haired man hovering behind Hudson, gaze roaming over her, roaming over me. As our eyes meet, I notice an invitation in his that I haven't seen in years. And there is no way in hell I'm exposing Hudson to it. I know myself well enough to realize I wouldn't handle anyone else touching her, especially in front of me, no matter how hot it might be. I flash him a frown and return my attention to her the shoulder just below my chin.  
  
"What's going on?" I hear Hudson mumble lazily into my neck.  
  
"Unwanted attention. Nothing to worry about."  
  
"Oh."  
  
We drift into companionable silence once more when I suddenly feel hands that aren't Hudson's move over my waist. My eyes shoot open to see the uninvited man back again, this time pressing himself against Hudson's back and touching me.  
  
I lift my head and glare. "I suggest you find your party elsewhere."  
  
He smiles. "You can't seriously mean to keep this hotness between the two of you? I've been watching you both, all over the dance floor. Everyone has. Don't think you can offer such an exhibition and not deliver on its promise."  
  
"Fuck you," I reply neatly. "Back away. Now."  
  
"Be cool, man," he retorts, removing his hands from my waist as one drifts over Hudson's ass.  
  
Before I can react, she whirls around and slams her hand against his chest, pushing him away. I watch in stunned amazement as he flies back through the crowd, slamming into a table just off of the dance floor and sliding to the floor, dazed. Touching Hudson's arm, I turn her to me, about to ask how the hell she did that when someone grabs my shoulder.  
  
"Hey, that was uncalled for, bitch," someone shouts at Hudson.  
  
Staying between her and the latest trouble, I swing at the man in front of me. No one calls Hudson a bitch, least of all in front of me. My fist connects with his jaw just as Hudson calls out to me and I duck a blow coming toward me from the right. The missed attack lands on another dancer beside us, and then all hell breaks loose.  
  
Grabbing hold of Hudson's hand, I pull her out of the crowd, hurrying toward the exit which we duck through just as a couple of the bouncers hurry inside, slamming the door shut behind them. Beside me, Hudson laughs as we break into a run down the sidewalk, the sounds of screams and breaking furniture echoing out from inside the nightclub. As I move toward the limousine, Hudson stops, pulling me to the side and deep into a dark alley beside the building. The next thing I know, I'm up against a wall, her hand cupping the front of my slacks, stroking my erection through the material, tongues locked in fierce combat with one another.  
  
"What's this all about?" I pant against her mouth, nipping at her lower lip.  
  
"I've been wanting to do this since I saw that skank with her hands all over you."  
  
"She only had one hand on me, Hudson."  
  
Her tongue grazes over my teeth and she pulls back, looking up at me with a teasing smirk. "Ever had sex in an alley?"  
  
"Many times," I reply.  
  
Smile fading from her face, Hudson begins to pull away.  
  
I pull her back, spinning us around so that her back is pressed against the wall, my knee pressing between her legs, parting her thighs. "But never with you," I whisper into her ear, hand slipping up the skirt of her dress to push her panties aside. "And that's all that matters."  
  
Whimpering softly, Hudson's hands work at the zipper of my slacks, freeing my cock from the slit in my briefs and soon I'm buried deep within her, wet heat surrounding me. Grabbing the back of her leg behind her knee, I hitch it up over my hip and thrust against her, pressing her hard into the wall of Atlantis. She gasps, leg clutching around my ass, pulling me in deeper. I cover her mouth with mine as I continue to thrust into her, hard, fast, needy. Hudson utters soft little cries into my mouth where they extinguish at the back of my throat and I speed up my assault, aching so badly for release.  
  
Pulling away from her mouth, I bite at her neck none too gently before nudging the sleeve of her dress off her shoulder, exposing a pert, dark nipple. Bending my head, I catch it between my teeth, tugging slightly before suckling, drawing on it like a starving man. I barely hear the thump of Hudson's head against the wall behind her, fingers digging hard into my shoulder. I flinch slightly before shifting the angle of my hips and rocking into her deeper, faster.  
  
"Oh god!" Hudson gasps. "Lex, please... "  
  
I can't deny the excitement of taking her like this, the thrill of being discovered, the stained beauty of fucking my Angel up against a wall in a dirty alleyway, fully dressed. Just this once, I can take her out of that ivory tower and pretend she's just like the rest of us. Lifting my head, I reach up to curl my fingers into her hair, pulling her head back and to the side, staring down into her open gaze. She's the most glorious individual that I've ever met. Sometimes, I don't even believe she's human.  
  
"Does this feel good?" I whisper, kissing her temple and cheek, trailing my tongue over her lips. "Are you feeling it, Angel?"  
  
"Yes," she pants, eyes drifting closed as I feel her begin to shudder against me.  
  
The feeling goes straight to my groin, balls tightening, burning. "Open your eyes, Hudson."  
  
She does so; she looks straight at me as our release sweeps over us both.  
  
And for only a moment, there's honesty between us.  
  
"I don't know where you put it all."  
  
Hudson glances at me over the top of what's left of her double bacon cheeseburger with a sheepish grin. "I have a high metabolism."  
  
"Apparently." I reach out with my napkin to dab at a bit of mustard on the corner of her mouth. "Too bad there's no way to bottle and sell it."  
  
She gives me a strange look before hurriedly dropping her gaze and returning to her food. I wonder at it a moment as I take a quick bite of my cheeseburger, curious as to why a joke about her metabolism would set her on edge.  
  
After sex in the alley behind Atlantis, we'd both worked up enough of an appetite to stop by Town Topic for burgers. The booths were all taken so we grabbed the last two seats up at the counter, enjoying the witty banter of the cook and waitress while the twelve-inch black and white television behind them drones on with the late night news. It's hard to sit here together, watching Hudson devour her burger and shake, and not remember the first time I brought her to the tiny diner. It seems like a million years ago that I took her to see 'Phantom of the Opera', a million years since I doubted we would ever be anything more than friends. Yet here we are, casting knowing looks at one another, sneaking the occasional touch, knees brushing against one another. I find myself thinking of the past and realize that, at the moment, nothing matters more than the two of us sitting here together now.  
  
"Thank you," I tell her softly, my hand drifting down to settle against her thigh.  
  
Hudson blinks at me, licking a bit of ketchup from her upper lip. "For what?" She places what's left of her burger on the cheap china plate in front of her, and lays a hand over mine.  
  
Her gaze is too intent. I don't want to have to explain myself. Instead of replying, I lean in to kiss her, just a simple kiss, a barely-brush of our lips against one another. I catch the faintest flavor of mustard and ketchup on her mouth. When I pull back, she's smiling and I'm certain she understands. I would have never shared a day like this with anyone if Hudson had not come into my life. A weekend like this. There have only ever been three other people in my life who've known about my affinity for greasy burgers – two of them are dead now, and I've never cherished the idea of spending an evening on the town with Dodd. For all of our, at times, insurmountable problems, Hudson still has the ability to give me hope. Rare glimpses of a life not engulfed with ridicule and pain, where love is simply given and not asked for in return. I want to give her the same, I can only hope that what I have to offer is on par with what she deserves.  
  
"You're a hopeless romantic, you know that?" She whispers as I pull away.  
  
"Shhhh." I place my finger to my lips and give her a slight smile.  
  
Shaking her head, hair falling over her shoulders, Hudson gives me the customary roll of her eyes before picking up a couple of fries. She never eats them just one at a time – usually half a dozen, all crammed together, smearing her fingers in grease – and then she's shoving them into her mouth, shiny bits of salt clinging to her lips. I reach out and brush them clean with the pad of my thumb before slipping the tip into my mouth and sucking the salt away. Hudson's eyes widen a little.  
  
"Lex Luthor. I think that's the most salt I've ever seen you ingest."  
  
"It's not my fault you have the diet of a future heart disease patient," I quip.  
  
Hudson mumbles something about knowing good food when she smells it, then picks up her chocolate shake and sips about half of it through the straw with one breath. I raise an eyebrow, saying nothing. I keep waiting for her to let out a loud belch and wipe the sleeve of her dress across her mouth. Her dad did that once when I was over for dinner. Hudson laughed, and Martha turned twenty shades of red, and Jonathan simply shrugged. I knew he was likely doing it just to annoy me, or mark his territory in some strange fashion. It was like he was saying, 'This is my house and I'll do what I goddamn well please, Luthor or no Luthor.' I found it more amusing than anything, wondering what it was like to grow up with a dad who didn't mind being himself around his family, and probably gave Hudson a special lesson on how to belch her loudest when she was younger. I just hope it was worth his spending the night on the couch, because Martha looked seriously pissed off at the behavior.  
  
"This has been nice."  
  
I glance over at her with the comment, brow furrowing slightly. "What? The food?"  
  
"No." Her face reddens and she flashes me a quick smile. "This whole weekend. Thank you, Lex, for convincing me to come with you. It's helped. I mean, I still think of Rianne when we get quiet or I see something I know she would like. But mostly, I don't feel so sad. And when I start to... well, you're here."  
  
It's strange to think that I'm responsible for making someone feel better, feel happy. That's certainly not something that I'm used to hearing and I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop. That moment will come when Hudson realizes I'm not the knight in shining armor that she's come to believe I am. Valor and heroism aren't associated with the Luthor name, and whatever armor I might be wearing is extremely tarnished. Growing silent, I return to my meal while Hudson scarfs down the rest of hers.  
  
As I sit back to finish my cup of coffee, Hudson starts up a conversation with the waitress, Annie. She's maybe thirty-five, at best, but the lines around her eyes and the gray in her hair would cause a less observant person to judge her to be ten years older. It's evident in her slow, weary smile that she hasn't experienced an easy life, and while she gazes at Hudson with envy, there's a strange hint of joy as well. It's as if she recognizes that the animated girl in front of her has an entire lifetime ahead of her, and Annie wants her to live it to her fullest, to experience things she could only dream of. If this were Smallville, I wouldn't mind taking the time to get to know Annie better.  
  
"It's getting late, Angel," I tell Hudson softly as I reach into my pocket to pay the check.  
  
Hudson glances at the old analog clock on the wall with my words. "Oh! It is. I'm all hopped up on adrenaline and good food."  
  
Grinning, I hand over my credit card to pay for the meager check, and as Annie walks away, I surreptitiously slide a hundred dollar bill under my plate. Hopefully she won't notice until we're gone. After all, I don't want to offend her.  
  
"I saw that," Hudson whispers into my ear, breasts pressing into my arm as she leans against me.  
  
"Shhhh." I put my finger to her lips and smile slightly. "You're seeing things, Hudson Kent."  
  
She flashes one of her megawatt smiles and kisses my finger. "Of course I am."  
  
Shaking my head, I take my card from Annie and sign the receipt, and Hudson waves her goodbyes as we move away from the counter to the exit. Pushing the door open, I wait as Hudson digs into her purse for a quarter and slips it into the slot of a bubble gum machine, fishing out an enormous red gumball. She bites into it and holds the second half out to me, while chewing away at the first.  
  
"Want some?"  
  
I raise an eyebrow at the offer and smirk. "I'd rather not."  
  
"You don't know what you're missing," she replies, happily popping the second half into her mouth to join the first.  
  
I watch her work hard at mashing the hard ball into some semblance of gum before I wave a hand out the door. "Are we leaving? Or do you plan on standing here all night massacring gumballs? You know, they haven't done anything to you."  
  
She sticks her red-coated tongue out at me. "You're not cute."  
  
"You keep telling me that." The door swings closed behind us and I follow her out. "And yet you keep coming back."  
  
"Yeah, well... the sex is good."  
  
"Hudson Kent. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I grin, enjoying the sway of her hips in front of me as she heads for the limousine.  
  
"Nope. It's reserved solely for you."  
  
"I guess that makes me lucky."  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
Hudson glances over her shoulder at me, eyes dancing with amusement. I just want her to get in the damn car so I can have my way with her again. Sex in the alley, sex in the back of the limo. It'll be a night of firsts for her. She stops near the rear tire, bending over in front of me, and a hundred innuendos, remarks and hand gestures all fly through my mind at once.  
  
"Oh! A penny!"  
  
I open my mouth to reply that I can give her a billion pennies when a loud popping sound rings out across the parking lot, and a burning, searing pain rips through my shoulder.  
  
"Lex!" Hudson screams.  
  
Everything seems to be moving in slow motion.  
  
"Fuck!" I cry out as I stumble back, my fall stopped by Ross.  
  
Another shot is fired.  
  
"Get in the limo!" My driver barks, shoving me forward, ignoring the fact that I'm bleeding all over my new Hugo Boss leather coat.  
  
I hit the seat a little hard and roll to the floor, cursing again as excruciating pain echoes from my shoulder through my body. Another shot, this time from close by, most likely Ross' gun. I peer over my shoulder, looking for Hudson, realizing that she's not in the car with me.  
  
"Hudson!" I call out, struggling to sit up – fighting against panic – to get back to the door where Ross' body is hovering, crouched, just low enough not to be seen over the roof of the car.  
  
"Ross!" I shout. "Where's Hudson?"  
  
Images of her lying on the asphalt, blood streaming from her body, flash before my eyes. And just what would I say to her parents? How would they ever forgive me if I let something happen to her? How would I ever forgive myself? I shouldn't have brought her to Metropolis, shouldn't have taken her to the club, had sex with her in the alley. Hell. I shouldn't have started dating her, truth be told. We never should have even been friends.  
  
But I couldn't let her go.  
  
I can't let her go.  
  
Giving way to the panic filling me, I push against Ross, trying to get out of the car.  
  
"Mr. Luthor, stay down!"  
  
"Dammit, Ross! Where's Hudson? Where is she?"  
  
He cranes around, searching, gun clenched in his hand. A frown forms. "She ran off –"  
  
"What?" I stare up at him, dumbstruck.  
  
Ross peers over the roof of the limousine once more as I sit in shocked silence, bleeding all over the car, holding my shoulder, wondering where the hell Smallville's town heroine thought she was going. What she thought she could do. It's one thing to stop an invisible teen from pummeling me in the mansion, or stop her own father from putting a bullet in my brain. But this is Metropolis and Hudson doesn't know the city, she doesn't know the dangers. She's relatively innocent to the cruelties humankind can create – at least as innocent as I've kept her, for all of my influence and apparent desperation to turn her into someone like me. Someone like Celia.  
  
God, why didn't I leave her on her farm?  
  
Slipping the gun back into his jacket, Ross glances around as sirens are heard by us in the distance.  
  
"I need to get you to the hospital."  
  
"No. Hudson – "I shake my head. "If she's out there, I can't take the chance of her being involved in an investigation."  
  
I lean back against the seat and force myself to breathe, to think, to block out the pain. "Take me back to the penthouse. Call Toby. Have him meet us there."  
  
The door slams shut and within seconds, the limousine hums to life and pulls out of the parking lot. Closing my eyes, I continue to breathe, refuse to think that Hudson may be hurt, may need me, may be in terrible danger. And I refuse to think of what caused her to run off like that in the first place.  
  
The pain in my shoulder seems insignificant at the moment; I've suffered through worse. The torture during the two kidnappings when I was young, the accidental drug overdose, too many car accidents at ridiculous speeds, knife wounds, head wounds... Christ. It's a miracle I'm alive.  
  
A miracle named Hudson Kent.  
  
"Ow! Fuck, that hurt!"  
  
"Well, if you haven't noticed, you've been shot," Toby drawls at me, completely unperturbed by the angry glare I've been flashing at him for the past forty-five minutes. "If you'd take one of the pills I offered you – "  
  
"No," I state flatly, taking another swig of the scotch from the bottle in my hand. "The pain's dulling anyway."  
  
At least from what it was. Toby was pleased to inform me the bullet had gone straight through, which meant he didn't have to dig it out. But that didn't make the subsequent cleaning and stitching any better. The hole is near the top of my shoulder, just to the right of my collar bone. A little to the left and it would have went right into my neck. A little down and it would have lodged in my chest. I guess I could call this one of my lucky nights.  
  
"Don't see why you won't take the pills," Toby nags, just like somebody's mother. "That night – Club Zero – you were more than happy to take anything I offered you."  
  
"That was different."  
  
I just wanted to forget the events of that night. I wanted to block it from my mind and remain in a drug-induced haze for as long as I could. Not tonight. Tonight I need to be lucid, I need to be ready. If the cops get involved, if there were any witnesses, if anything should happen that I need to cover up, I need my head to be clear. My gaze strays once more toward the clock. It's going on three. She's been missing for over an hour.  
  
Fuck.  
  
Ross drove back to look for her, said the police were combing the area, but there was no sign of Hudson. I don't know where she is, but I'm beginning to piece together what happened.  
  
Looking back up at the television that is now on mute, I frown at the news anchor who is currently discussing sports highlights from the day. The victory of the Sharks over the Bills, the recovery of the team's star quarterback from a concussion suffered on the field. The remote sits beside me, and at any moment I wish, I can hit the recorder and go back to the top story of the evening. Right now, it's the last thing I want to think about.  
  
My phone beeps, the doorman's voice booming too loudly over the 2-way radio. "Mr. Luthor. She's here."  
  
I close my eyes in relief. "Let her in."  
  
Finishing off the scotch, I set the bottle heavily on the end table and get to my feet, ignoring Toby's protests as the room sways slightly. I wait it out, gaining my bearings in time to hear the door open quietly at the top of the landing. Looking up, I see Hudson slink her way inside, manner and appearance very much that of a cat burglar, like she isn't supposed to be here, or doesn't want to be caught.  
  
I'm betting on the latter.  
  
"Well, well, well. Look who decided to let me know that she was alive and well," I snarl, knowing that I'm drunk and wishing I could be much more so.  
  
She jumps, as if not expecting me, eyes wide in the low light. Hurrying down the steps, she crosses over to me. "Lex, you should be at the hospital."  
  
"I have Toby," I announce grandly, sweeping my good arm toward him. "Toby, this is Hudson. She didn't get shot."  
  
Hudson winces beside me before nodding at the doctor who looks more like some bum I dragged in off of the street. I really don't feel like giving her an explanation. Not when I'm the one that she should be explaining to.  
  
"Where the hell were you?" I demand, my words only slightly slurred. "One minute, I had a bullet going through me, bleeding all over my goddamned Hugo Boss, and the next thing I know, you're no where in sight! Do you have a fucking explanation for this one, Hudson? Because I would sure as hell like to hear it."  
  
She blinks, as if she's never heard me cuss before or something. "Lex, you're drunk – "  
  
"For Christ's sake, Hudson! I've been shot!" I point out incredulously. "I plan on getting so drunk that I pass the fuck out and can wake up forgetting this night ever happened."  
  
Jaw setting, she nods once, as if arguing something in her mind. "I'm not going to talk to you when you're like this. You need to see a doctor and – "  
  
"Don't." I grab her by the arm and pull her close. "Don't do it, Hudson. Don't write this off like nothing happened – "  
  
"I wasn't – "  
  
"Tell me where the hell you went."  
  
"I... "Her gaze drifts over my shoulder to Toby, as if she doesn't want to speak in front of him. I grip her arm harder until her attention returns to me. "When the gun shot went off, I wanted to see who was shooting at you. So I... I followed him."  
  
It's even more preposterous than I expected. I'd been expecting something like she got scared and ran for cover or something. She got lost on the way to the penthouse. I stare at her as if she's lost her mind, or maybe I've lost mine. Stepping back, I reach for the bottle, realize it's empty and simply turn back to her.  
  
I can't help but ask blandly, "Did you catch him?"  
  
There's a flash of something in her eyes, almost an affirmative before she shakes her head. "Uh... no. He got away."  
  
"Did you get a good look at him?"  
  
She drops her gaze and worries her lower lip, and everything I've guessed must be true.  
  
"It was Tony DiRiso, wasn't it?"  
  
"How did you know?" Her gaze shoots up to mine, eyes searching.  
  
I shrug. "Call it a gut instinct." I take a step toward her. "What did you do, Hudson?"  
  
"I – " Hudson cuts herself off, glances over my shoulder again at Toby, like maybe he'll get her out of this. I move my head, catch her gaze, glare at her. A few tears spill over onto her cheeks with her confession, "I ran into that woman in the restroom last night. She said her name was Franky... " Her voice trails off as she looks away again, almost as if in shame.  
  
"Hudson... ?" I wait.  
  
"I – I gave her all of the money that I had," she admits in a rush. "I told her to use it to get out of town. I helped her get out of the building without being seen. I... " A deep breath. "I gave her my name. I told her to come to Smallville if she needed, that my family could help her – "  
  
"Mother of fuck!" I look for something to break, but there's nothing in reach. I round on Hudson. "Do you have any idea what you have done -- ?!"  
  
"I was just trying to help!" She defends, the color of defiance glowing on her cheeks.  
  
"Help? Is this helping, Hudson?"  
  
Whirling around unsteadily, I snatch up the remote and hit the play button.  
  
"In tonight's top story, the body of a woman was found in the Missouri River today by a couple of dock workers. Authorities identified the woman as Francesca Cimino, a twenty-seven year old exotic dancer – "  
  
I press pause on the player and turn back to Hudson, her complexion pale as she stares wide-eyed at the frozen image on the screen – a high school picture of 'Franky'. I twist the knife deeper.  
  
"Did you help that woman, Hudson? Did you help me tonight by pissing Tony off? And what the hell do you think happens if he got your family's name and location out of Francesca before he murdered her?"  
  
"I... I... "She stumbles over her words as if she is actually choking on them, before she finally breaks down into tears. "I thought I was helping – I didn't know!"  
  
"I warned you, dammit!"  
  
Hudson cries like she does everything else – be it laughter or anger – she just let's loose, loudly, unattractively. It's one of the reasons I'm drawn to her, I think. I always know where I stand. She can't seem to lie when it comes to her emotions, what she's feeling.  
  
It's one of the only things she doesn't lie about.  
  
But I hate it when women cry, especially since so many use it as a combat technique against men. Just when they think they're losing the battle, the waterworks begin and all is forgotten. I've seen intelligent men give up entire empires to women who cry quite beautifully and effectively. And then, when a shiny new diamond is placed on the woman's hand or hanging on a thin gold chain from her neck, she dabs at her eyes, reapplies her makeup and goes shopping.  
  
And people say I'm a bad person.  
  
Hudson's tears are something else, though. She doesn't do it often, and when she does, I know they're real. I can feel them deep inside of me. They always hurt, they rip me apart inside, and maybe that's why I hate them most of all. I can't stand knowing that she's in pain. Especially when I'm partially at fault. Unable to just stand there, I reach out and pull her into my arms, letting her cry against me.  
  
"Shhhh," I whisper against her temple, my hand stroking her hair. "Don't cry, Angel. You didn't know. You couldn't know what would happen."  
  
She clings to me, and cries, and I'm torn between shame for yelling at her, and shame for feeling contrite when she so obviously deserves my anger. Hudson should have listened; we both know it. She shouldn't have interfered, but she'll never understand that.  
  
And I never should have invited her into my world.  
  
"I don't understand," she whispers into my torn and bloodied shirt. "Why do people do such things to one another? And why does no one ever to tell them to stop? Why doesn't someone stop them?"  
  
"You can't save the world, Angel," I reply, kissing the top of her head. "You have to look out for yourself and those you love."  
  
"But what about those who can't look out for themselves?" She lifts her head, eyes bright with tears, cheeks stained. "We have to do something, Lex. I need to go to the police and tell them about her fight with Tony."  
  
She's so fucking naïve.  
  
I brush her tears away and hold her face between my hands. "And what will that do, Hudson? Do you know how futile such an act would be? You have no proof. And a good number of the Metropolis police work for the Pagliuca family." Shaking my head, I tell her, "In the grand scheme of things, this entire case will be swept under the carpet and forgotten. Francesca likely had no family, or if she did, they won't care what happened to her. To the police, to the public at large, she was nobody."  
  
"What makes it so a person doesn't count?" She demands, anger replacing her sorrow. "What is it, Lex? What specific thing makes someone lesser than you or me?"  
  
"I never said anything did, Angel," I reply calmly, fighting the overwhelming urge to pick up the table and throw it at something. "I'm trying to explain why the police won't do anything, why you can't expect them to. Why it's important in the real world to look out for yourself."  
  
Hudson grows silent, staring at me for a long moment before turning away. I reach out to her, touch her shoulder, wish that I could explain how much she and her family mean to me. I couldn't stand the thought of any of them being hurt, and by getting mixed up in this entire mess, she's put all of us in danger. I'm going to have to take care of it, obviously. Call in a few favors that my father might have hanging over the Pagliuca's. He might even have something on DiRiso. It'll likely be expensive, but the plant is making enough that I should be able to take care of it.  
  
It's the only thing I can do.  
  
The one thing that surprises me is that Tony didn't harm Hudson. If she went after him, if she got close enough to see him, certainly he had to have seen her as well. Why didn't he try to take a shot at her again? I'm almost positive the shot that got me had originally been aimed at her, but Hudson ducked. So why did he just let her go?  
  
"Hudson, how did you get away from Tony? Why didn't he try shooting you again?"  
  
She turns and looks at me, and it's there again. The telltale sign of her lies. "I... I guess I frightened him off, or something."  
  
Tony DiRiso doesn't get frightened. Especially by a young woman.  
  
I have the most absurd desire to laugh. Maybe it's the alcohol. Maybe it's adrenaline. Maybe it's simply the force of the realization that the girl in front of me – the one that I love, the one I was planning on telling how much I love her – knows damn well that she didn't frighten a man with a gun off, and she isn't saying a goddamn thing. She's just standing there, looking innocent, looking scared and angry, crystal teardrops on her cheeks, and not saying a fucking word.  
  
And it's the first time I've ever hated her. It's the first time I've ever wanted to throw something at her, to wrap my hands around her pretty neck and choke the truth from her.  
  
Instead, I do nothing. At the forefront of every emotion is my love for her, my desperate need to hope that she's making this decision to lie to me for some grand reason. I want to believe she's doing it because she loves me, and she doesn't want to hurt me with knowledge that she feels might do so. I hope that she's doing it to protect me, to protect us. Silently, I give her the benefit of the doubt because there is little else I can do.  
  
I don't know when it began to happen. But it's all falling apart. 


	22. My First Taste: Pieces

**PIECES**

_Jonathan_

"Well, it looks like it's just you and me, old girl."  
  
Sitting down on the cool floor of the barn beside the tractor, I finally give up on any help arriving from either my daughter or wife. Frowning a little at the rusted bolts, I reach into the toolbox for a couple of wrenches and begin working at loosening them. Of course, if Hudson were here, she would have had the bolts off already, asking me if I would prefer she just speed through the entire process on her own. I wouldn't say yes – there are moments when farm work can be relaxing, and it's doubly so when done with my daughter at my side, sharing some family time. There is so little of that lately, now that she's growing up.

And dating.

Dating a man who is six years older than her, far more experienced and comes from a less than ideal upbringing.

People are under the mistaken impression that I hate Lex Luthor. I don't. I hate the name Luthor and the behavior it evokes in others. I hate what it stands for. And I fear what trouble that name can bring to my daughter and my family. I've seen through time that Lex cares for Hudson, that he may even love her in his way, and it's only this which has convinced me to allow this relationship to continue. But time and again, I've been forced to reconsider my leniency. Unfortunately, Martha is right – if we were to push, make demands, Hudson would only pull away from us. She'd give in to that foolish teenage notion that your first love is your only love, and she would never trust us again. I can't let it come to that, but I don't know what else I can do.

Just before Christmas, we allowed Hudson to go to Metropolis for a weekend with Lex. Martha believed she needed time away after Rianne's death, and while I didn't agree that time alone with Lex in the city was the right path, there was no other recourse for me but to agree. I know my daughter can take care of herself but in Lex's world, she is subjected to people and circumstances that she can't control. In this instance, I was right in my judgment. The Sunday morning edition of the Daily Planet posted a picture of Hudson and Lex at some club, discussing their activities and my daughter in the society column like she was some cheap –

I was furious. Hudson blew me off, as teenagers tend to do, telling me I was overreacting and nothing happened and so what if her picture was in the paper? It took Martha and me to point out that dating someone like Lex Luthor placed her in the spotlight, and now all of the Roger Nixon's of Metropolis would know where to look for her, where to find her. To watch her. Hudson had paled with our words, instantly leading me to believe that more happened that weekend than she shared with us. When I questioned her about it, she simply shook her head and quickly hurried out to do her chores. I hate to think that our daughter is keeping things from us, and can only assume that she's developed that behavior from her time spent with Lex.

When he joined us for Christmas, I took him aside to discuss the picture in the paper. I held back, though what I really wanted to do was forbid him from seeing Hudson again. It feels too much like I'm losing control of my family – like I've lost control ever since the day Hudson saved Lex's life on the bridge. Not that she shouldn't have done so – I just find myself wishing he had never been sent to Smallville. That they had never met.

First it was Hudson. Now my wife has defected to the Luthor side. When she told me she had taken the job as Lionel's assistant, I was certain it was only a momentary interest. Surely Martha would come to her senses, see what kind of man she was working for, realize that our family was more important than LuthorCorp. Instead, Hudson's been forced to cook more and more meals – and, as much as I love my daughter, I've been eating more and more peanut butter sandwiches. I'm left doing chores that I've always been used to my wife helping me out with, or at least keeping me company on.

Hell, it's not like I begrudge her the desire to be something more than wife and mother, but it seems like that used to be enough for her, and suddenly it isn't. She claims it's to help with the farm, to help save money for Hudson's college fund, except that it's difficult not to notice that a lot of it seems to be for selfish reasons. I know Martha was meant for more than this farm; I'm damn lucky to have her, to have her love. She was raised to take a place at her father's side in his law firm, to be a lot more than a homemaker. But I didn't exactly club her over the head and drag her off to my farm, making her my wife at gunpoint. Martha needs to be here to help with Hudson's development. Our daughter is slipping away from us and I don't think my wife is here enough to notice anymore.

So here I sit by myself while my wife and daughter are off bringing our family ever closer to the Luthors.

Sighing with frustration at both my family's situation and the damn bolts that refuse to loosen, I throw my weight a little harder against the wrench. "Ah, come on. Come on, you!"

Paying little attention to the equipment in front of me, I lose my patience and give the wrench a hard yank. The jack tilts and falls from beneath the tractor, the corner of which falls on me before I can react and pull away. A deep, sharp pain throbs through my thigh, causing me to cry out. I attempt to lift the tractor just enough to pull away but it won't budge, the weight and my position beneath it making it impossible to free myself.

Faintly catching the sound of Hudson's voice from somewhere near the house, I yell out to her, "Hudson! Hudson!"

"Dad?"

Gritting my teeth, I dig my fingers into the ground beneath me in an attempt to fight the pain. I look up to see Hudson appear at my side.

"Dad!"

Quickly, she lifts the tractor into the air and I roll away from it, wincing and groaning at the pain from my action. I hear the tractor hit the floor once more and then my daughter is kneeling beside me, her expression reflecting her concern.

"I can't move my leg," I tell her, attempting to push myself up from the ground.

Her gaze narrows for just a moment as she focuses it over my leg, and a frown quickly follows. "It's broken," she informs me, eyes returning to mine. "Hold on."

I note the obvious indecision as Hudson climbs to her feet, the impatience on her face. The desire is in her to simply scoop me into her arms like a child and speed her way to the hospital. But it's daylight outside, and there have been far too many close calls recently. Sighing, her decision made, Hudson reaches beneath my arms and carefully helps me up. To any casual observer, it would appear that I'm helping to carry my own weight, when the truth is, my good leg isn't actually touching the ground. I fight the desire to tell her I can make it on my own, and allow Hudson to carry me to the truck.

When we get to the hospital, Hudson takes care of the paperwork while I'm wheeled into the elevator and up a few floors to x-ray. After it's determined that I have indeed broken my leg – sometimes I wonder what kind of doctor Hudson could make – I'm shuffled into a room where various nurses move in and out, preparing for my cast. I wince at the destruction of a good pair of jeans, and wonder where my wife is.

"Mr. Kent?"

I glance up to see an attractive woman enter the room, chart in hand.

"I'm Dr. Helen Bryce."

Shaking her outstretched hand, I force a smile. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Bryce. I take it you're new to Smallville?"

She nods, gaze moving back to the information she's holding. "I just started here last week, actually." Pausing, she pulls out the x-ray, looking it over for a moment before setting it to the side. "It says here your leg was trapped under a tractor? Farm work seems to be the number one cause of injuries around here."

"Yes, well, nothing done right is easy," I comment, wincing as she begins to look over my leg.

"Dad?"

Looking around the doctor, I see Hudson peering her head into the room, eyes wide. "Yeah, honey?"

"Umm, I couldn't get a hold of mom. I left a message with her voicemail. And no one is answering at the mansion."

Of course not, Lionel probably has her off in the wilds of Metropolis.

Frowning at the thought, I wave Hudson into the room. "Doctor Bryce, this is my daughter, Hudson."

They shake hands, though Hudson seems less than attentive at the moment.

"You're the one who brought your father in?" The doctor asks.

Hudson nods, shifting slightly in discomfort. I know what she's thinking – if she'd been there, this wouldn't have happened. But I'm not going to be the one to voice those thoughts. Especially not when her mother was the one who had promised to be there.

"Well, don't worry. We're going to set the leg and get a cast on him, and your dad will be as good as new. Mr. Kent, I'll be right back and we'll get you taken care of."

"Thank you, doctor." I give her a smile as she heads out the door. Turning my gaze back to Hudson, I tell her, "Go ahead and stay in the waiting room. You heard the doctor. She said I'd be fine."

"Dad – "

"Go on, Hudson," I repeat more firmly. If we get into this discussion now, I know I'll lose my temper and say things I'll end up regretting.

"Okay. I'll just... uh... try to get a hold of mom." She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and hurries out the door.

A little over half an hour later, after being poked and prodded and tossed this way and that while they worked on my leg, Hudson returns to the room where she watches quietly as Dr. Bryce looks over my cast. I can't erase the frown I'm wearing, knowing how difficult this is going to make getting to everything that needs to be done around the farm. While I know Hudson will do what she can, Martha has become another matter. I don't think even this will be enough to get her to leave her job with Lionel Luthor.

"So are you in high school, Hudson?" Doctor Bryce asks, glancing over her shoulder at my daughter.

Hudson nods, getting up from the chair she is sitting in to pace along the wall. The room seems too small for her. My little girl.

"Yes. I'm a sophomore."

"Really? You seem older. At least a senior."

Beaming at that, Hudson glances over at me, as if I should acknowledge her adulthood or something. When my expression doesn't change, her smile fades slightly and she turns her attention back to the doctor.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" The woman asks with the hint of a smile, as if this is some secret discussion happening between two girls at a slumber party. I try not to roll my eyes.

"Oh, yes! He's – " Hudson cuts herself off, looking over at me again, obviously realizing this is not the conversation to be having at the moment. Swallowing, she looks back over at Doctor Bryce. She neatly changes the subject. "Is he going to be all right, doctor?"

"I don't see him square dancing in the near term," she replies with a smile as she glances back over at Hudson again. "But if he stays off the leg, it should heal fine."

_Stay off the leg_? The woman has obviously never run a farm before!

I open my mouth to ask just how long she thinks I'm going to be laid up with this thing, when the door to the room opens and my wife hurries in, her face drawn in concern.

"Oh, my God, Jonathan.... "

She hurries to my side, arms out to hug me and I can't stop the instant reaction to flinch away from her when it happens. "Martha, I... "

Immediately feeling contrite for my behavior, I shrug the anger aside and assure her, "I'm going to be fine."

"His doctor agrees," Doctor Bryce responds with a smile aimed at both of us.

Grabbing my chart, she moves toward the door, telling me, "As soon as I can find you a pair of crutches, you're good to go."

"Thank you."

The moment she exist the room Hudson rounds on her mother. "Mom, where have you been?" She demands, obviously upset. "I left you a message an hour ago."

"I was in a closed door teleconference between Lionel and the LuthorCorp board." She looks to each of us apologetically as she explains. Her eyes turn to me, and there's the slightest amount of censure in her tone, "I wish you had waited for me."

"I did wait for you." I snap, losing my patience. "I waited over an hour for you."

"Well, I'm sorry..." She blinks at me a moment, brow drawn together. It's an expression I'm more used to seeing on our daughter when she is attempting to explain her actions. "I tried to call, but the machine was on."

And somehow that's my fault. As if I should be waiting around by the phone to find out when my wife is coming home. She's never so complacent when it comes to meeting Lionel at an appointed time and place.

Sighing, I realize this isn't the place to argue about it and wave my hand toward the door. "Well, what's done is done. I would just really like to get out of here, now. Please."

Martha nods in agreement beside me, and moves to help me to my feet.

"I'll grab your stuff," Hudson calls out, slipping behind us to pick up my coat and discarded sock and boot.

Beside me, Martha takes my hand. "I'm really sorry," she whispers, face soft, beautiful blue eyes glittering.

I nod. "I know."

I know. And that's what makes all of this so damned difficult.

_**Chloe**_

_ReporterGrrl's Livejournal_

Subject: Private Entry 10 Jan 2003 l 01:32PM

Mood: Contemplative

_I love Hudson to death, but sometimes I swear I just want to grab her and shake her and maybe slap some sense into her. I mean, there are times when you're with her, she's so there; you know she's paying attention to everything you say and that she's genuinely enjoying her time with you. But then... well, at other times it's like she really has to be somewhere else, or wants to be somewhere else... or maybe she is somewhere else. Mentally, I mean. Like those increasingly numerous moments when she shows up late to a study date or just a girl's night out, and you ask her where she's been, and didn't she remember? And Hudson just stands there, blinking at you, like she hasn't a clue what you're talking about. Here she is, a straight A student, and I swear that there are days you could ask her what 22 is, and she wouldn't know the answer._

_  
Or maybe I'm just misinterpreting things. _

_I look at Hudson and I can't help but be envious of her life. Aside from the fact that she's gorgeous – and doesn't know it – she has this idyllic home life that most people I know would kill for it. And I don't think she sees that. Sure, she's adopted and doesn't know who her biological parents are but she has the Kents, two people who love her to distraction. She eats three full meals a day, all cooked lovingly by her mother, and her father scowls appropriately whenever she's wearing something that hasn't been approved by the softer side of Sears. I think only the Cleavers are one up on the Kents, and that's just because Beaver had an older brother to look out for him._

_Hudson doesn't get any of that, though. She walks around like the weight of the world is on her shoulders, like no one understands what she's going through and she bears burdens that few have suffered. And I get that, I do, because we're teenagers and I guess everything going on inside of us is all kind of wonky for the time being. But it's not like she's the only one, and maybe things wouldn't be so rough if she just shared them once and a while. I don't know. It's like, Hudson used to talk to me. We'd stay up until two in the morning, talking on the phone, even on school nights, and we'd talk about so many things. We'd share dreams for the future, crushes, argue for hours as to whether Mulder or Scully was the better character. Lately, though, we just don't talk. About anything, really. Unless it's an argument. We seem to do that a lot recently._

_And the problem is that I don't think Hudson realizes it. I don't think she sees. First she starts becoming best buddies with Lana, and then she's dating Lex Luthor and suddenly none of her other friends matter. Pete blames Lex, says he's brainwashed her. I don't know what to believe._

_The weirdest part of all of it is, Lana and I are growing closer now. I mean, I can actually consider her a friend and talk to her and stuff. I think she's starting to feel a little abandoned by Hudson lately as well. We haven't really talked about it... well, we did once. At the time, Lana was very sympathetic toward Hudson. She kept telling me that Hudson was going through a lot with the farm and her parents and Lex and if we just gave her some time and some space, that she'd come back around to us. I didn't argue. Sometimes I think Lana looks up to Hudson far too much – and I really never thought I'd believe something like that! But she does. I don't know if it's some kind of hero worship, or something else entirely. Lana doesn't really like to talk to me about Hudson, though she will talk about almost anything else._

_Especially lately. Whitney came out a few weekends ago to visit home, brought a few of his classmates from college. And then proceeded to tell Lana that he was dumping her. I think it was a real blow to the girl's ego. She kind of threw herself into the Talon after that, working and going to school and doing little else. I tried to talk to her about it, but she put on that false smile and acted as if it really didn't matter much. Lana does that sometimes, puts on a brave face for the rest of us. But you know it does matter, because at other times it's all she can talk about. Unfortunately, I think she really wanted to talk to Hudson about it, and Hudson seems to be off in her own little world lately. _

_I don't know why I'm typing all of this out. I mean, it's a private entry and no one is ever going to see it, but it sure makes my head feel a little clearer. Maybe someday I'll be able to make sense of it all or something._

_Better cut this short. I need to finish this article on Ian. He's soooo cute! And he's actually interested in me! Me – over Lana!! And, for once, he's not some freak out to kill me or anything. He's smart and driven and I haven't been this excited over anyone since... well, Justin. But I don't really want to talk about him..._

At the sound of a knock on the door, I glance up to see Hudson looking in around the door. "Chloe?"

I turn my attention back to the screen. "Yeah?"

"Hey, you got a second?"

"Sure."

Hudson wanders in to the office, dressed in characteristic flannel and denim, heavy jacket thrown over her arm. I glance down to see the usual too worn work boots that are still slightly wet from the snow outside. She could really turn some heads if she ever had any fashion sense. Sometimes I wonder if Lex actually likes the flannel or just puts up with it because... well, it's Hudson.

She places her backpack on the desk, a tear in the corner where I can see the binding of her history book peeking through. There's a tag attached to the zipper that Lana made for her – it's in pink and silver glitter and says "H.K. L.L.", and it looks completely out of place on the ragged, red book bag. Then again, it just seems to fit in with Hudson, who seems eternally out of place. When I think about it though, I wouldn't want her any other way. I feel her lean over my shoulder, gaze focusing on the article on my computer screen. She smells like the cafeteria – Salisbury steak today – and I can feel the cool air wafting off of her from her apparent walk outside.

Hudson begins reading aloud, "_Primed to graduate two years early, Ian Randall is a true academic superstar._" She shifts beside me, and then straightens with a snort. "Well, so much for journalistic detachment."

Pushing away from the desk, I jump to my feet and wander over to the opposite table to grab a file. "Believe it or not, not every story has to be Wall of Weird material," I respond quickly before realizing what I'm doing. I shake my head and glance toward the ceiling. "Why am I defending myself?"

"Do you like him?" The question seems to come out of nowhere. Her tone's curious, but I can see the censure in her gaze.

"I don't _not_ like him," I huff. "What is this about, H.C.?"

She shrugs and kicks at the floor with the toe of her boot. It leaves a scuffmark. "Nothing. I just want you to be careful."

There's a hell of a lot more to it than that. I know Hudson, and I know she never brings anything up unless there's something specific on her mind. "Why?"

A deep frown creases her forehead as she looks over at me. It's not the most attractive expression; Hudson's much prettier when she smiles. "Look, I probably shouldn't say anything, but I saw him and Lana in the hallway and they seem pretty... close."

Ah. So that's it.

"Oh, I get it. You just want to make sure that poor little Chloe doesn't get burned... Again," I snap.

"No. Chloe... "She begins to defend.

"You know what, H.C.? Not that it really matters, but Ian already told me that Lana was kind of into him, but he'd rather be with me. He asked me to keep it a secret because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings."

Hudson blinks at me, incredulous. "And you believe that?"

I raise my chin slightly as I look over at her. "You're not the only one who deserves a little happiness in her life, H.C. You're not the only one worthy of having some guy interested in you, who wants to take you out and treat you well and -- "

"Chloe – "

"No, H.C.," I cut her off. "You have Lex. And it seems like you flaunt that fact in my face constantly, and I'm sick of it. I'm not going to let you ruin my chance at having someone in my life just because you want to be the center of attention!"

There's this heavy moment of silence between us where Hudson looks away, her face pinched in thought. I open my mouth to say something but think better of it and quickly close it, waiting to see if she even acknowledges my feelings.

"I didn't know you felt that way," she comments finally.

"Well, it's not like you ever asked now, is it?" I don't want to be sarcastic but it certainly came out that way.

Hudson sighs and glances over at me. "I'm sorry, okay? But it's not like my relationship with Lex is all roses and Ferrari's, you know. I have my problems, too. And maybe I just don't want to see either you, or Lana, get hurt."

I roll my eyes. "You know, that might have been more effective without the Lana clarifier." Grabbing my purse, I add, "One of these days, Hudson, you're going to turn around and realize that you've pushed the people who truly care about you away."

Regretting every word I just said, I quickly turn and stalk toward the door past Hudson. I hear her call out to me but I keep walking, not wanting her to see my embarrassment. I didn't mean to fall apart like that. It's not as if I really feel that way... well, maybe a little. Hudson doesn't really flaunt her relationship with Lex; in fact, she's very low key about it. I understand that she's excited, that this is something different for her, something she never expected to happen to her. And that's great but I think it's caused her to lose sight of everything else – her friends, mainly. I can't help but be a little lonely when all I want to do is hang out with my friend and all she wants to do is spend time with Lex. And it's not like I'm really jealous of Lana, it's just that I miss my friends. I miss how close we used to be.

I miss being her only confidant.

The worst part of it is, I can't stop the nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, I'm relishing Ian's attention just because it's making Hudson notice that I'm still here. I like it when she's looking out for me, when she shows me that we're still friends, instead of just saying it in passing to assure me. Of course, I don't like that she's dragging Lana into this as well, or insinuating that Ian is anything less than he is. Sometimes I get the feeling that Hudson simply doesn't trust anyone.

I sigh and head out of school.

If this is what growing up is all about, I really don't like it.

_**Lana**_

"Tell me what we're doing down here, again?"

Hudson glances back at me, expression all impatient. She's cute when she gets like that. I think sometimes she expects everyone around her to know exactly what she's thinking. Maybe it's easier for her to believe we can read her mind, instead of actually having to voice her thoughts.

"There's something I want to show you, Lana. I want... well, I just need some help in figuring it out, is all."

"Ah." I smile as Hudson huffs and moves ahead of me.

"Be careful of your footing," she calls out over her shoulder. "The ground's a little wonky."

Only Hudson can use a word like 'wonky' and not seem like a complete freak for doing so.

I catch myself quickly, barely refraining from twisting my ankle and decide to take her words to heart. Reaching out, I lay a hand against the cool rock of the cave walls and balance myself as I continue down the slow incline, deeper and deeper underground. Flashlight in my other hand, I keep a look-out for more rocks and dips in the ground beneath my feet, not wanting to deal with the embarrassment of Hudson having to carry me out of here.

The further we delve into the caves, the more dramatic and numerous the drawings on the walls become. I can understand why the Kawatchee people want this land to be preserved; there's obviously quite a bit of history documented here. It worries me, though, that Hudson is becoming so wrapped up in it all. It's one thing to want to preserve a historical landmark. It's quite another to want to take on Lionel Luthor. And so far, that's what's been happening. This Joseph Willowbrook has somehow convinced Hudson that she needs to stage a one-woman... girl war against Luthorcorp. I think she's even gotten Lex involved.

Once the ground begins to even out, I move a little more quickly to catch up to Hudson. The beam of my flashlight grazes across a primitive drawing of stick figures stacked into a pyramid. I can't help but smile. This place looks like a classroom of kindergartner's were let loose with finger paints.

"So, this is all supposed to have something to do with you?" I ask, stopping beside the little stick figures.

Hudson bites her lip and looks at the wall. "I don't know. The things that Joseph said... He told me that these drawings speak of someone named Numan, who would fall from the skies in a rain of fire." She pauses and looks at me and I know she's thinking of the meteor shower. Continuing, she adds, "They say that Numan will have the strength of ten men, and will be able to start fires with her eyes."

"Her?" I can't help but smile. "They're so sure of Numan's sex, then?"

Sighing, Hudson waves me a few feet over, to another wall. "This is what I mostly wanted to show you."

I look up where she is flashing her light to a figure of something that looks like a very badly drawn dragon, only it has two heads. They're facing each other, angry and snarling. "What's that?"

"That's Numan and Segeeth. They're lovers, two halves of the same soul. Joseph told me that legend has it, one day he'll turn against Numan, and together they'll be the balance between good and evil." She's worrying her lower lip like she does, shifting nervously.

I watch her for a long moment, waiting for more. Then it hits me why we're here, why she looks so panicked. "Oh, wait. You believe all of this stuff, right? And now you think that's supposed to be you and Lex?" I point at the wall above, careful to keep my tone modulated, so that Hudson doesn't think I'm making fun of her.

Really, I'm not. I can understand why she'd be so fascinated with all of this, especially when this Joseph tells her things that relate so closely to who and what she is. I'd be a little scared, too.

Hudson nods and turns away, fiddling with her flashlight. "Things have been sort of rocky with Lex and I lately – "

"You haven't mentioned anything," I tell her, concerned.

She shakes her head. "No. I keep thinking that maybe if I ignore it, everything will just go away. But sometimes, it gets worse. I make it worse. Like during our weekend in Metropolis." She turns back to me, eyes wide. "I made a mistake, Lana. And Lex, he's the one that paid for it. And I think he knows I was lying to him."

"What did you do?"

"It doesn't matter now." Running a hand through her hair, Hudson glances up at the drawing on the wall, again. "I have this nightmare... I'm flying and I'm holding Lex in my arms and... he's looking at me with such hatred. And then he tells me to let him go, and I do and – "

"Hudson." I reach out to touch her arm, noting the pale pallor of her skin, the panic in her eyes. Quietly, I assure her, "There's an explanation for all of this, hon, and I'm sure it has nothing to do with you being Numan or Lex being Ziget – "

"Segeeth."

"Whatever." I give her a soft smile. "These are legends, Hudson. Nothing more. Look at these drawings. You could infer anything from them. And I hardly think that one up there looks anything like you and Lex," I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

"What about the fire storm from the sky?" She persists. "Or the strength of ten men? Or starting fires with her eyes?"

"Well, first I think you're a hell of a lot stronger than ten men. At least, the men I know!"

"Lana!" She rolls her eyes and turns away from me.

"Okay, look. How do they even know what these walls say? I mean, some inventive story-teller could have just made it all up."

"The story has been passed down through generations," she tells me earnestly. "From a man who came from the stars and fell in love with the mother of their people. Out of that forbidden affair, the Kawatchee people were born. When he left, he promised he would send another."

I can't understand why Hudson seems to want so fervently to believe this, even at the same time as she apparently wishes for me to disprove it.

"There could be any manner of explanations, Hudson," I reply, waving a hand toward her. "Did you ever think this could be some grand scheme to expose your secret?"

She looks at me, surprised, her expression evidencing the fact that she never considered it. "But... how?"

"I don't know." I shrug. "What if this Mr. Willowbrook saw you using your powers? That could explain his mention of your strength and heat vision. Maybe he wants to exploit you or something. Use you for some of his own nefarious purposes."

Hudson laughs a little nervously. "What possibly nefarious thing could Joseph be capable of doing?"

"Well, he seems to harbor a lot of resentment toward Lionel Luthor. Maybe he has plans to use you to go after him."

"I don't know. It doesn't seem right."

Sighing, Hudson slides to the floor, leaning her arms on her knees as she stares up at the wall. I walk over and sit down beside her, following her gaze up to the drawings. As fantastic and impossible as it all seems... well, I am sitting beside an alien who happens to be my best friend. And when I look at it that way, having some old Indian legend that speaks prophetically of her coming doesn't really seem all that far-fetched any more.

"Why can't I just be like everyone else, Lana?" Hudson whispers beside me, voice wavering. "Why can't I just be normal? Be a human being? I don't want to be meant for something greater. I don't want to be responsible for saving Joseph's people – _any_ people!"

I bite my lip at the distress I can hear in Hudson's voice, the tears spilling onto her cheeks. Reaching out, I brush them away. "Hon, I truly believe that even if you were human, you would never be just _normal_. You would always be destined for something greater, something better than any of us. It's just the way you are. If someone needs to be saved, you save them. You put others first. And I don't think it's because you're an alien or Numan or anything like that. It's because... you're _you_."

Hudson grows silent, shaking her head just slightly as she returns her gaze to the wall. I wish I could make her fears and pain go away. I wish I could hold her or something, or just offer a moment's comfort. She's got all of these people around her who love her so much, and yet I think she's afraid that not one of us really understands. And even though we're there, she's still all alone.

"Let's go."

I climb to my feet and quietly follow Hudson out of the caves, feeling stupid for not being able to help her.

When she drops me off at home, I wave to her, watching as the truck disappears down the drive before turning and hurrying inside the house. Aunt Nell is standing at the counter, arranging a fresh array of flowers into a vase – chrysanthemums and roses, sprigs of baby's breath and ferns. I slip off my jacket, watching her for a moment before she looks up at me and smiles.

"Did you have a good time with Hudson?"

I nod, pleased that she's asking. My aunt doesn't really like my growing friendship with Hudson. It's not that I think she doesn't like Hudson as a person... Actually, I don't know what it is. Sometimes it's like she's looking down on her, thinks she isn't good enough to be my friend or something. I don't know. I've never really asked. There are a lot of things that Aunt Nell keeps secret from me.

"We drove around town and stuff," I tell her, reaching out for a grape from the bowl on the countertop. "We talked."

"That's nice," Nell replies as she ties a pink ribbon around the top of the vase.

I watch her a moment longer before asking, "Mom, did you ever have a best friend that... well, that you couldn't stop thinking about?"

She looks up at me then, gaze narrowed for just a moment before shrugging slightly and smiling once more. "Her name was Jenny Carter. We were inseparable. Shared each other's clothes, spent hours on the phone every night, spent every weekend at each other's house." She laughs a little and shakes her head. "We were even closer than your mother and me. I remember wishing she were my twin, never believing we would ever not be friends."

"I think about Hudson constantly when she isn't with me," I tell her. "Whenever something happens, I wonder what she would say about it. It's like... well, it's like I love her, Nell."

"Lana." My aunt reaches out to touch my shoulder, brushing my hair back. "I think all young girls experience that moment with the right friend. Your best girlfriend is safer than any boy, knows you better than anyone around you, and shares your deepest secrets. Of course, you love her. I remember wondering the same about Jenny – if my love for her was just normal, or if it was something else. And when we finally did drift apart at the end of high school, I realized it was just one of those special friendships that comes along maybe once in a lifetime."

I want to ask Nell if she ever knew what it was like to kiss her friend, to be held by her, to look up at her and know that she's the most beautiful creature she's ever seen. Was Jenny special, different, unlike anything else on earth? And did Jenny share this one secret with her, singling her out from everyone else? I don't know how my aunt would react if I ever told her the truth – that I fantasize about Hudson kissing me again. That I want to know what it's like to be touched by her, to taste her mouth after she's just drank a glass of lemonade or smell the scent of hay in her dark hair. When Whitney broke it off with me, I couldn't even find it in my heart to truly care, except to wish that Hudson were free, too. Just so that I could maybe have a chance of finding out if she cared for me like I do her.

Is that just the love for a friend? Or something deeper, something unattainable?

I give Nell a small smile and push away from the counter to head up to my room, glancing over my shoulder at her. "Thanks, Nell. It's nice to know I'm not alone."

Or maybe, we really all are alone. And Hudson's not as unique as she believes.

_**Dodd**_

Television is possibly one of the single greatest inventions of the human race. I have yet to outgrow my fascination with it; it's ability to tell stories, draw images, and pull you into another life without ever having to leave the comfort of your own mind. The newest revolution in entertainment – that of reality shows – has me just as enthralled. Not because of any particular ability to provide exciting storylines, but in the simple inanity of it all. It's, as young Miss Kent would say, complete crap. And still, I can't tear myself away from it.

I have a television sitting on the counter in the kitchen. My employer hates it there, but I don't really care. He hardly enters the kitchen as it is, unless it's to greet Miss Kent when she arrives with the weekly delivery, and then neither ever stays very long. Right now it's playing my latest obsession, _The Amazing Race_. Human beings will do the strangest things just for some momentary fame, just to be noticed.

"Hey, Dodd."

Glancing up from my measuring cup, I watch as Hudson Kent slips into the kitchen, closing the door quietly behind her. She has discarded her traditional work clothes for something dressier – a white sweater and black slacks. It makes her appear older, less carefree. She's been troubled lately, her smile less frequent; sadness and fear that is usually missing from her thoughts now very prevalent. I attribute it all to whatever truly happened in Metropolis. Apparently my employer doesn't believe the story she gave him. I know that she was simply protecting herself, but he does not.

"Are you going somewhere?" I inquire before returning to the cup of flour I was measuring.

"Lex is taking me to the movies."

She pauses by the counter and stares up at me a moment, and I know there are a thousand questions on her mind. I've never said a word with regards to what I know about her, yet still she fears. If she knew the truth, she would probably fear me even more.

"We're going to see 'Two Towers' again."

"I see."

"What are you making?" She peers over my shoulder.

"Dough," I reply. "For bread tomorrow."

"Oh."

She leans against the counter, watching me work, making no move to head toward the study. Usually, when she behaves this way, it means Miss Kent wants to say something, or ask me something, and it typically takes her a few moments to do so. I give her the time needed, splitting my concentration between the recipe and my television show, attempting to ignore the jumbled thoughts that are burning through the mind of the young woman beside me.

"Dodd?"

Ah, there it is.

"Has Lex ever... " She trails off and bites her lip and watches me a moment before shaking her head. "Never mind."

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued that she would stop herself before asking the question that is plaguing her. Glancing over, I watch as she exits the kitchen, disappearing soundlessly down the hall. The question regarding Lex's newest friend, Helen Bryce, is still burning brightly in her thoughts.

Normally, I don't make it a habit of reading the minds of those around me. It's far too invasive. Especially when, sometimes, the thoughts of humans are better left to the individuals, and not to be shared. Miss Kent is a different matter all together, though. There are times that her thoughts are so loud; it's almost impossible to block them out. She has never been taught to keep her thoughts and emotions to herself, so not only are they visible through her expressions and body language, but she projects them loudly through her mind as well. I suppose it's because no one has ever been a threat to her before – not even the young, telepathic boy Luthor harbored for her a few months ago was able to penetrate her alien defenses.

But then, she's never met another alien before. At least, not that she's aware of.

"Stop behaving like a goddamned child!" I hear my employer bellow down the hall.

A scant second later, Miss Kent stomps into the kitchen, whirling around just as she clears the threshold to face Luthor, who is only a few steps behind her. "If I'm behaving like a child, maybe it's because you're treating me like one! Do you really think I'm stupid enough to believe that this is just some buddy thing you have going on with her?"

"Christ, Hudson! All I did was ask her to go to the movie with us. The way you're carrying on, you'd think I'd invited her to a threesome or something!"

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Luthor snorts in disgust. "Dodd, would you excuse us?"

I shrug, "You're not bothering me," and go back to my work.

"I'm going home," Miss Kent announces.

"Dammit, Hudson!" He grabs her arm before she can escape, obviously realizing that either they have this discussion in front of me, or not at all. "Why can't you get it through your head that I'm just trying to be friendly? Helen doesn't know anyone in Smallville. I thought, of all the people who would understand making someone feel welcome, it would be you."

She's pouting. I once heard Luthor refer to this particular behavior of hers as 'heavy artillery'. "You _like_ her."

He sighs and rubs his hand over his face for a moment, glancing back at me. I keep my gaze carefully trained on the television.

"Helen and I have a lot in common, Hudson," he finally replies, voice lowering as he turns back to her. "Have you ever thought about the fact that you're the only person in this town who bothers to give me the time of day? The only one who asks me how I'm doing, and gives a damn? Helen is someone who comes from the same place that I do. We're friends, Angel. _Friends_." He touches her chin, bringing her gaze to his. "Don't you know? No one could take your place in my heart."

Miss Kent makes a small noise in her throat at that, heavy artillery quickly falling under a peace treaty.

Luthor smiles. "I'll go call Helen and tell her that something came up, and maybe we can meet her for a movie some other time."

As he turns to leave, she reaches out to touch his hand. "Lex... No. It's all right. She can come with us."

"You're certain?" He asks, after a moment's hesitation.

"Yes." She nods and flashes a big smile before slipping her hand into his. "Come on. We're going to be late. And you know I have to have the 'sweet' spot!"

They disappear out the door, making their way along the path that leads to the garage. I quietly finish the dough I am preparing, and then set it aside to rise before turning off the television and moving toward the door. Once outside, I consider my choices and slowly feel my body change around me. The world becomes larger as I creep closer and closer to the ground, ignoring the chill of the cement from the winter's frost against my four feet.

The door opens behind me and I turn to see the housekeeper, Mrs. Maxwell, peering outside. "Dodd?" She calls out. "Dodd, are you out here?"

Sitting back, I look up at her silently until she finally glances down, and a frown crosses her face.

"Shooo!" She exclaims, waving her hands toward me. "You pesky cat! Where did you come from? Go away! We have no scraps for strays!"

I bellow my displeasure at her apparent dislike of animals with a loud meow, and then dart away, jogging down the curving path toward the woods that surround the estate. The lack of underbrush during the winter months makes my journey smoother, leaving only the occasional fallen tree and deadened stump left in my way to maneuver over or around. Traveling as a human might make the journey easier but far too conspicuous – Luthor's cook isn't often seen leaving the estate grounds. As a cat, I'm virtually ignored, and it's far easier to get in and out of places I otherwise have no business trespassing through.

Cutting across the back pasture of the Kent farm, I break into a run, hoping not to be seen by Miss Kent's mutt, AJ, again. The last time I passed through, he chased me until I was forced to change into my true form and confront him. He did a quick turnabout, and raced back to the farm. Unfortunately, I don't want to take the risk of morphing out in the open like that again.

Minutes later, I slip under the fence surrounding the property owned by Luthorcorp, and cautiously make my way toward the opening to the caves. The last time I made my way across the site, I was nearly plowed under by one of the bulldozers. The operator had laughed, apparently enjoying the idea of killing one of nature's creatures. Sometimes, I just don't understand human behavior.

Ducking into the entrance, I follow the descent down into the darkness of the underground labyrinth and toward the outcroppings with the oldest paintings. Certain that I'm alone, I morph this time into the person known as John Jones, just in case I am detected, so my presence here can't be taken back to Luthor or Miss Kent. Stepping forward, I begin surveying the crude paintings before me, as I have so many times before, and ponder their meaning to both the young alien I've been watching, and the world at large. There are clues hidden in the rock as to why her arrival occurred here on Earth, only I have yet to decipher them. Ever since their discovery, I have come here day or night to wonder at the story told through the art of the Kawatchee tribe. At first it had been in the hope that something of Mars would be mentioned, that there might exist some knowledge of my people by the humans, so that we would not be totally forgotten. Those hopes were quickly dashed though as I realized the story here was about the alien child who landed in Smallville thirteen years ago.

When the meteor shower occurred, I learned quickly of the ship's existence. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived in Smallville, the traveler was already gone, and I was left with the concern as to whether he escaped on his own, or was captured by the government. A quick investigation negated my concerns regarding the government, but I still had no idea what happened to the being that occupied the rumored craft. All indications pointed to a landing, but it was as if both visitor and ship simply disappeared.

Over the years, I remained alert for any information regarding the occurrence in Smallville. Occasionally, there were stories – not just of the effects of the meteor rocks on the inhabitants, but circumstances much more difficult to explain – lives that were saved in impossible situations, blurred movement in the distance. I was in Turkey at the time, busy protecting the populace in my new home. And as much as I wished to discover if these tales were true, I wasn't prepared to abandon my post just yet. It wasn't until my return to Kansas, and a job I took as a detective with the Metropolis Police Department, that I continued my queries into the meteor shower and its cause.

What began as a routine investigation of former spy, Maxim Dodd, eventually led to my employment under Lex Luthor. Dodd was a former heavy-hitter during the Cold War. He was dangerous, deadly, and willing to flip sides at the mere mention of more money. He was working for Luthor under the guise of cook, though he was truly hired to be his bodyguard. Unbeknownst to his employer, Dodd was actually working for Lex's father, Lionel, to keep an eye on his son's activities. Being the snake he was, Dodd was playing them both, trading off more secrets of Luthorcorp for a sizeable sum to their competitor, Hardwick Inc. When the deal finally fell through – apparently from too many sides playing against one another - Dodd's luck ran out, and Sir Harry had him killed. Unable to arrive before the murder took place, I simply took up the disguise of Dodd, and returned to Smallville in his place. On my homeworld I was known as J'onn Jonzz, but here on Earth I've been called John Jones, Marko Xavier, Dervish, Bronze Wrath, Paolo, Johann Johansen and Tomasso, the cat. It's a simple thing for me to slip from one identity to the other, and I do miss the ones that I have been forced to retire. The new identity provided me with an opportunity I would never have counted on - the ability to finally meet the visitor who landed here more than a decade ago.

And so began the questions – Where was she from? Why was she here? Would more of her kind be coming? Or was her arrival a fluke? I wish I knew more. I wish I had the answers that I know she is undoubtedly asking herself day after day. More than anything, I wish I could tell her that she's not alone, that she isn't the only one who is different, who can't truly call this planet home. Nothing is more frightening, more painful, than believing you're all alone, that there is no one who will understand you, no one who could truly accept you for what you are. If I were to present myself to the people of this planet, in my true form, I do not believe that I would be accepted. For all of the brilliant, scientific minds like Luthor, there are just as many who remain superstitious and tied to their beliefs that the universe revolves around Earth.

But I cannot interfere with Hudson Kent's maturation. Whatever the future holds for her, she must learn to accept and embrace it through her own experiences and choices. I wish that I could guide her; I wish that I could make it easy.

Instead, I wait, and I watch, and I ponder the mystery of her presence.

**_Lionel_**

"She's coming, Mr. Luthor."

I wave a hand over my shoulder toward Dominic, where I know he's hovering like a guard dog. "Leave us for a few."

Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I watch as he walks off toward the edge of the park, before focusing my gaze back to the path. As she approaches the bench, I am reminded of a quote by Petrarch: _Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together_. Helen Bryce is certainly beautiful, with her exotic looks, dark hair, and her refined and elegant in manner. A man would be remiss not to notice her, and she is exactly the type of woman my son falls for. Especially if one were to delve deeper into her motivations and psyche to see the bitch that lay beneath. Frankly, if my plan does work – and there's no reason it shouldn't – then Lex deserves to be shown once again that women cannot be trusted.

And that includes his precious little farm girl.

As Helen reaches me, I carefully focus my gaze ahead of me, continuing to feign my blindness.

"It's a little risky, isn't it?" She comments, perching on the edge of the bench. "Meeting out here in the open like this."

"Ah, Dr. Bryce. I didn't hear you approach." I smile, enjoying her sudden unease. Ignoring her comment, I politely comment, "I hope your new home is treating you well."

"It has it's charms," she replies, setting her purse between us.

"On the surface, Smallville is very charming. Quaint, peaceful, enchanting even. It's when you finally spy its hidden underbelly that the true nature of this town becomes apparent."

"No wonder the Luthors have moved in."

I raise an eyebrow. "Casting stones, Dr. Bryce?"

Beside me, she purses her lips and shifts slightly on the bench. "I haven't agreed to anything yet, Mr. Luthor," she responds indignantly. "So far, my worst mistake has been agreeing to meet you here."

Reaching into the inner pocket of my coat, I grab a slip of paper and extend it toward her. "Perhaps this will entice you to take a step further."

Hesitating only a moment, Helen takes the paper from me and unfolds it, eyes narrowing slightly as she glances over the figure. Folding it once more, she places it into the side pocket of her purse and returns her gaze to me.

"What do you want me to do? Kill somebody?" She laughs nervously.

I chuckle, shaking my head. "Nothing quite so dramatic, doctor. You've already taken the first few steps, acquainting yourself with my son as I requested. Now, I would like you to take it a step further. Ingratiate yourself into his life, make yourself someone he trusts above all others."

Helen shakes her head quickly, rolling her eyes. "It's not as easy as all of that. He's enamored of his little girlfriend. In his eyes, she can do no wrong. I think he judges everyone he meets by her."

"So change his mind."

She stares at me, brow furrowing. "I don't understand."

Leaning on my cane, I gaze out at the park as I explain, "Hudson Kent is an interesting young woman, Dr. Bryce, as I'm sure you'll discover on your own soon enough. She has my son captivated because she saved his life – Lex easily falls prey to people who show any sign of kindness toward him. It's an unfortunate trait he developed from his mother."

"Yeah. Making friends with people is a very unfortunate trait," Helen remarks sarcastically.

I ignore the comment and continue. "This... _need_ my son has developed to cling to those he thinks care for him blinds him to the truth regarding human nature. First and foremost, it's survival of the fittest. What we do, we do for ourselves. There are no exceptions."

"Are you always this cheerful?"

"Dr. Bryce, if you plan on succeeding, and receiving more bank statements like the one I just handed you, then I suggestion you heed my advice."

Helen shrugs and does nothing to hide her look of boredom. She's feisty, something I know my son will appreciate once the glow of Miss Kent is diminished. And I don't believe that should take very long. After all, there is little that Lex and his farm girl share in common – and it's the common ties that bind.

"Hudson Kent is hiding something, Dr. Bryce," I inform her. "And I intend to find out what that is. My son, for all his devotion to the girl, is guided by his curiosity. I know he's as interested in discovering the truth as I am but, unfortunately, he guards anything he knows about Miss Kent very carefully. I'd say he's more obsessive about protecting what he knows of her from me than he is about discovering more about her." I pause, allowing this to sink in, so that she understands how difficult it might be to make it past his defenses. "I need you to be the key that opens the lock to his collection of information. I don't know if he keeps the information on his computer, in files in his study or somewhere else. All I do know is, the knowledge he has, combined with what I have learned, may be the final pieces of this very interesting puzzle."

There's silence beside me for a long moment, and I turn slightly, watching Helen as she processes this information. I can tell she's interested, but like most people I'm certain she's more interested in how much this information is worth to me, than any thoughts of gathering it for herself. If there is one thing I've learned on my in depth research of Dr. Bryce, it's that she likes big payoffs for minimal work. She'll take whatever path is the easiest to get what she wants. I'm not too worried that the information she retrieves for me will stay in her hands long, especially when I'm willing to pay the right price. I swear this woman would stab her own mother in the back if she were certain to gain power and wealth in the process. And normally, I would avoid such an individual for the sheer unpredictability such traits imply. Unfortunately, she's the perfect pawn for my plan.

"So, you want me to convince him she's lying to him?" Helen questions.

"There's no need to be so obvious," I reply with a thin smile. "Seeds of doubt, Dr. Bryce. That's all Lex really needs. The rest, I assure you, he will develop with his own brand of paranoia. Surely you're smart enough to outwit a sixteen year old?" I challenge.

Helen straightens her shoulders, glaring at me outright, apparently at ease with my blindness. "I'm not worried about her," I reply. "Only what your son will do when he finds out what you're up to."

"Ah, but he won't find out, now will he, Dr. Bryce?"

Standing, I turn slightly, focusing my gaze just over her head where I see Dominic take notice and begin moving in our direction. "My son means everything to me, doctor," I begin. "Make no mistake about that."

She snorts. "You have a funny way of showing it."

Shrugging, I smile. "I don't expect you to understand. The Luthor name carries with it a certain amount of sacrifice to achieve the greatness expected. Lex is too emotionally attached to the small world he's created for himself to see past his narrow vision. I know he is capable of achieving more, once he accepts and follows the path I've set before him. There are always minor obstacles to be overcome, and we are in the process of eradicating one of those.

"Gain my son's trust and you'll find another payment in your account. Bring me the information I seek, and you'll never have to worry about working in a small town hospital again. Do we have a deal?"

She looks away, expression one of deep thought. Finally, she nods and glances up at me. "But, uh, I'll do this at my own pace and design."

"Agreed." I hold out my hand to her as she stands and she takes it, shaking once. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Dr. Bryce."

Not bothering to hide her dislike, she barely acknowledges my words before turning and heading back down the path.

If you can imagine it, you can create it. So many brilliant individuals have been held back by lack of funds, lack of materials, lack of technology, and lack of answers. I don't plan on allowing any of these obstructions to stand in my way. There's great power to be had – power unlike any have ever seen or heard of. And its within my grasp, tantalizing me with its nearness, with the sheer inevitability that one day, it will be mine. Whether by coercion or outright force, I will not be denied this. The signs have been spread out before me like a carefully laid roadmap. All I need now, to find my way, are the destination and the purpose.

_**Martha**_

My husband is tense beside me; though his hand still holds mine, thumb occasionally sweeping back and forth in a caress. He hasn't said much, his gaze never straying far from the seat across from us where our daughter is sitting beside Lex. I can't shake the feeling that something happened between Jonathan and Lex today regarding the situation at LuthorCorp. But Jonathan doesn't seem willing to talk about it yet, and I don't want to push.

"Are you all right, Mrs. Kent?"

I glance over at Lex, noting the concern on his face. It seems sincere enough and yet, I used to believe that Lionel was sincere in his wish for me to work for him. And now I know that the only reason I was there was so that he could gather information on Hudson, and get closer to our family. It makes me fear for our daughter; fear that her relationship with Lex could be dangerous. Not that I believe he would hurt her, but I do believe that there is nothing his father wouldn't do.

"I'm fine, Lex," I tell him with a slight smile. "Thank you for asking."

Hudson smiles at me and moves closer to Lex, placing her hand over his. Lex visibly stiffens and I wonder if she notices. She doesn't seem to, though, leaning over to whisper something to him before laying her head against his shoulder. Young love is a beautiful thing, and I've wanted nothing more than for my daughter to be happy in the time she has with Lex before they both grow up and move on. But after the events of today, I don't want her mixed up with the Luthors anymore than my husband does. I'd feel so much more comfortable if the Luthors were out of ours lives, and maybe it's not far of me to put any of the blame on Lex's shoulders, but as long as Hudson is close to him, she is far, far too close to his father. I don't want to hurt Lex – I truly believe he loves our daughter – but I can't seem to convince myself that he's good for her anymore. This would be so much easier if he came from a different family, if he had a different father.

I'm so angry with Lionel Luthor right now, I could scream. That vault filled with meteor rock... I don't understand it. Why he feels the need to collect it unless he knows of Hudson's weakness to it, and I'm just not ready to believe that yet. At least we had a chance to destroy the file he had on her, and I can feel the key from her ship safe in my pocket. Unfortunately, I fear for how long it will remain safe.

If I tell Hudson I found it, there's no telling what she might do. She's impulsive and rash – and she wasn't there to see the ship as it awoke, the power it commanded with a simple insertion of the key. I've never really feared the ship's presence; it had always been the vessel that brought Hudson to us, and little more. But now it represents knowledge, a possibility for our daughter to discover who she is and where she's from. And maybe she'll want to return there. Or maybe the ship will just hurt her in some manner. It's even possible if the ship took off on it's own again that Lionel Luthor would see it, find it, make it his, and it would lead him back to Hudson. This key is dangerous and it makes the ship dangerous. It doesn't make sense, but I almost felt safer when Lex had possession of it. At least then I didn't know what it could do.

And to think Lionel was trying to get me to work in Metropolis, to turn the life of my family upside down just to do his bidding. The worst of it all is that I actually considered it, even if only for a split second, I wondered what it would be like to sit in my own office, staring out at the skyline of Metropolis, knowing that I was an integral part of the running of Luthorcorp. Except, I realize that most likely that wasn't the point of his request. I can't shake the feeling that Lionel has intentions of splitting our family apart, making Hudson even more vulnerable to his machinations. I'll do whatever it takes to make certain that never happens.

I look over to the seat across from us to find that Hudson has fallen asleep, head tucked against Lex's shoulder. He's watching her, fingers gently caressing her wrist of the hand that is resting in his lap. He seems so very tender and caring with her, and sometimes I can't help but wonder if Lex hasn't put our daughter on some kind of pedestal because she saved his life. It's sad that she would have so far to fall if she ever made the decision to tell the truth. I don't know if Lex would accept the necessary lies that the foundation of our family has been built on. When I look at the relationship he has with Lionel, I can't help but imagine Lex as an abused puppy – kick him one too many times and he fights back. I fear for him and his future. And I fear for Hudson's role in it. God, I wish I could make her life easier.

"Is there anywhere in particular you would like the pilot to set the helicopter down at?" Lex asks Jonathan quietly, breaking the silence.

My husband stiffens slightly beside me and then shakes his head.

Lex watches him for a moment, as if he wants to say something else, and then turns and speaks to the pilot behind him. Hudson stirs beside him, bringing Lex's attention back to her.

"Wake up, Angel," he whispers. "You're home."

I smile as Hudson blinks her eyes open, stretching slightly as she glances at Lex almost shyly. She's so very beautiful, and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother; it's easy to see that Lex is as enchanted with her looks as anyone would be. But what never ceases to amaze me is how in awe Hudson often seems of Lex. Her she is a unique, gorgeous individual with brains, beauty and abilities beyond imagining, and yet it's a young man as flawed as Lex Luthor that she looks up to, and even on occasion emulates. They could be so good for each other, if only their very different lives didn't have to interfere with that.

"I can't believe I fell asleep," Hudson mumbles as the helicopter lands in our driveway.

"You've had a rough day," Lex excuses with a half-smile as he pushes the door open and climbs out.

Jonathan follows, saying nothing as he heads straight toward the house. Lex holds his hand out to me and I accept the help, moving only a few feet away as I wait for Hudson to join me. It's obvious that she wants to give Lex a proper kiss goodnight but with my presence, Lex is hesitant. He finally settles for a quick peck and a hug before assuring her that he would call in the morning, and then climbs back into the helicopter, shutting the door behind him.

Hudson steps back beside me, watching as the helicopter lifts off into the air and toward the Luthor estate. "Something's wrong," she comments softly. "Lex was upset but he won't tell me why."

Not knowing how to reply, I slip my arm around her waist and guide her toward the house where I can see my husband waiting by the kitchen door. "Come on. Let's get inside. It's chilly out here."

Sighing softly, Hudson walks with me up the back stairs and into the warmth of the kitchen where Jonathan is pacing beside the sink. I give him a warm smile, hoping to ease the tension set in his shoulders. There's a long silence as if none of us seem to know what to say. Hudson removes her jacket and leans against the counter, worrying her lower lip. She looks at me pointedly before glancing at her father. I nod, knowing now is as good a time as ever to tell him what we found.

"I think Lex had something to do with this," Jonathan announces before I can say anything.

Hudson straightens, eyes flashing her disbelief. "What? That's insane, dad. Lex would never do anything of the sort!"

"I caught him on the phone, H.C.," Jonathan responds, meeting her gaze. "He was talking to the people that were holding your mother and Lionel captive."

"He was probably attempting to negotiate their release. He told his father he did everything he could. I was there, he – "

"And how did he get a hold of them, H.C.?" Folding his arms over his chest, her father stares at her, waiting for an answer.

Knowing I need to stop this conversation before my husband or daughter takes it too far, I comment, "Whoever they were speaking to was a man named Mr. Green."

Hudson glances over at me, humor evident in her expression. "Well, there. See? Lex is more original than that. He at least would have gone with Professor Plum or Colonel Mustard."

"This isn't funny, H.C.," Jonathan remarks.

I sigh and shake my head at Hudson when she is about to reply. "No, it isn't. Jonathan, it isn't Lex that we have to worry about. It's Lionel."

My husband frowns as he stares at me. "What do you mean?"

"When they opened Lionel's vault, there were bars of meteorite inside. Dozens of them."

"What is Lionel doing with the meter rocks?"

I shake my head. "I'm afraid it may have something to do with Hudson. Jonathan, he had a file on her, too."

He stares at me in shock before glancing over at our daughter, who nervously drops her gaze to the floor. "Dammit, Martha. I knew letting those people into our lives was a bad idea."

"Lex isn't a part of this, dad!"

"Do you have any proof, H.C.? How do you know for certain? All of this time, you mother has been working for Lionel, believing she had an honest to God job, when in actuality he's been using her to get close to you, to our family. How do you know Lex isn't doing the same?"

"Because he loves me," Hudson responds stubbornly. "I don't know why you can't accept that. Why you're so certain that no one could love me enough not to hurt me – "

"Honey," I interrupt, moving over to touch her cheek. "Your father isn't saying that. We just have to be careful now. We have no idea how much Lionel knows. He could be using his own son to get information on you. And that's what we have to watch out for."

"Lex would never hurt me," she whispers.

I smile. "I know. Look, why don't you go upstairs and get into bed. You've had a busy day." Reaching up, I hug her tightly to me. "Thank you for coming to our rescue. You put yourself at risk, and were as brave and wonderful as can be. I'm so proud of you, sweetie."

"Thanks, mom."

I glance over her shoulder at Jonathan, giving him a hard look. He forces a smile and nods. "We're both proud of you, H.C," he tells her softly. "There's no telling what would have happened if you hadn't taken the chance you did to save your mother."

Hudson seems to force a smile in return before kissing my cheek. "Goodnight, mom. I'm glad you're okay."

I remain silent as Hudson heads up the stairs to her room. Once out of hearing range, I turn to Jonathan, setting my hands on my hips. "You need to temper you attitude toward Lex, Jonathan Kent, before our daughter decides the Luthors are more trustworthy than her own parents."

Jonathan shakes his head and looks toward the stairs. "How do you expect me to react, Martha, after the news you just gave me and my suspicions regarding Lex's part in today's events?"

"They are only suspicions," I point out. "Just as you asked Hudson for proof for Lex not working with his father, you owe her proof regarding his duplicity before you begin hurtling accusations. Jonathan, we have to begin trusting our daughter's instincts, or how else will she ever learn to trust them?"

He sighs and brings his gaze back to mine. "I'm just trying to protect our family, Martha. I was scared today. Scared that we might lose you. And it all comes back to the Luthors. It always comes back to the Luthors."

I walk over to my husband wrap my arms around him, welcoming the return embrace. The scent of hay and oil and the rich, warm earth of Kansas cling to his clothing. It grounds me, reminds me of what's important, of what we've built together. I close my eyes, refusing to imagine a world without this, without him or my daughter or the happiness that surrounds us.

"We're stronger than that, Jonathan. We're stronger than the Luthors or anyone. As long as we're a family, no one can touch us."

Jonathan's arms tighten around me and he kisses the top of my head. "I love you. You know that?"

I lift my head and smile. "Nothing else matters."

Maybe it's wrong of me not to tell them about the key, but after all that we've been through tonight... I'm not ready yet. I'll put it somewhere safe and then, when the danger from Lionel seems to have diminished, I can give it to Hudson. When she's older and ready to understand whatever the ship has to teach her, then it will be safe.

Then I won't have to worry about our family being torn apart.

_**Helen**_

"Thank you for doing this."

I flash a smile at Lex as he looks over at me with my words. He shrugs and returns his attention to the road. "I didn't really have anything else going on."

He falls into silence again, which has been the state of conversation between us since he picked me up earlier this evening. I've slowly been learning that the most difficult aspect of this job I have to do is getting Lex to open up, or to speak at all. Sometimes I wonder how Hudson handles it, how it doesn't just drive her up a wall, his brooding silences and moody behavior. And then I remind myself that if a sixteen-year old farm girl can get to him, can capture his attention, then I sure as hell can do the same damn thing.

"I can't believe the run of bad luck I've had," I continue in my attempt to draw him out of his shell this evening. "First my car breaks down, and then the train station loses my travel information. You really came through for me when no one else could."

Lex doesn't say anything.

I add, "Especially after the day that you've had. Is your father all right?"

He tenses, hands clenching the wheel a little more tightly. "My father is fine," he snaps.

It's my natural instinct to want to knock that goddamned chip off of his shoulder and tell him to grow up. Instead, I think about everything that Lionel has told me about his son and adopt an expression of hurt.

"I'm sorry. It's none of my business." I glance out the window, silently communicating that the conversation is over.

Almost like clockwork, I here Lex sigh beside me and shift in his seat. I can feel his gaze on me for a moment.

"You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry. It's been a rough day and... it only continued to get worse when I returned to Smallville."

I turn to face him once more, my gaze sympathetic. "What happened?... I mean, you don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to. But I'm here to listen, if you need to get it out."

Lex seems to contemplate my words for a few moments, the silence stretching on between us, broken only by the soft hum of the engine. He shifts slightly in his seat and glances over at me once more as if gauging whether I'm trustworthy or not. It makes me want to hit him.

"My father took control of Lexcorp," he responds finally. "I'm working for him... again."

Lionel didn't inform me of any plans he had to take his son's company. "I don't understand. How could that happen?"

"You tell me." His gaze narrows, expression darkening. "I thought my shareholders trusted me, that they believed in Lexcorp and it's future. But apparently I was mistaken. The stigma from the plant closing last year, and my father blaming it on me, remains. I'll never get a damn foothold in this community."

In the controlling behavior of our fathers, I can sympathize with Lex. Mine still barely acknowledges me at family get-togethers. It's the thing about men – all men. They don't seem to believe that anyone they consider lesser than them could possibly survive on their own instincts, making their own decisions. After living with a controlling father for so very long, I don't ever plan to be ruled or maneuvered by another man, again.

"I'm sorry, Lex," I reply softly, reaching over to touch his arm. "I understand a little of how you feel."

Lex nods. "Maybe that's why I told you." He looks over at me and gives me a half-smile. He's really a very attractive man when he smiles. "You know what it's like to never do the right thing in your father's eyes."

His remark makes me curious. "Have you told Hudson about this?"

"No." Lex shakes his head and looks back out the windshield. "There really wasn't time before I left to pick you up. Besides, as much as I trust she would like to know about what happened, and sympathize with me, I doubt she could ever truly understand what it means. Her family life is so different from what I grew up with that I..." He breaks off to sigh and reaches up to rub the back of his neck.

"What?" I question, knowing that there is something more there he wants to say regarding their relationship.

"Nothing." He waves his hand in dismissal before settling it back to the steering wheel.

Apparently he doesn't want to talk about Hudson with me just yet. And yet, I believe there has to be a way to coax him into it. While I've been observing them for a few weeks now, and have had the chance to learn about the difficulties involved in their relationship, I still haven't discovered just the right spark to earn Lex's trust above Hudson's. In fact, I wonder if it's even possible. Sometimes it seems as if in his eyes, she can do no wrong. What is it about a sixteen-year old that can so fascinate someone like Lex? Is it simply because she saved his life?

Determined to keep the conversation going, I ask, "So, what are you going to do?"

Lex blinks, as if he's forgotten about my presence. "Do?"

"About your company."

The darkness returns to his expression. He has the ability to switch moods faster than anyone I've ever met.

"There's not much I can do," he finally responds. "Once my father sets his plans in motion, it's near impossible to stop them. He wants to control me; he wants to force me down the path he's chosen... And for a very brief moment, I thought I'd finally broken free from that." Lex glances over at me. "I admire you for being able to do what I can not."

I allow a smile at his words. Admiration from Lex Luthor is an unexpected gift, and one that I can certainly use. "You shouldn't," I tell him, hoping he doesn't see through my false humility. "I've caused a great deal of dissention in my family, making my mother miserable in her attempt to keep the peace between my father and me. I would prefer that I never had to resort to such a step, that he could have just accepted me for who I wanted to be."

Lex shakes his head and laughs bitterly. "I've never even fooled myself about receiving such acceptance from my father. I've been a disappointment to him since the day I was born."

"At least you were the right sex," I shrug as he looks over at me. "I would never amount to anything because I'm a woman. I could never hope to be as great as he is, not in his eyes. I always wonder why people like our fathers bother having children."

"Ego," Lex replies. "They want their magnificence to be passed on, and are disappointed when they don't get what they want. So they decide to force it in anyway possible."

All men do that, I think. And not just to their children but to wives, sisters, girlfriends, perfect strangers even. They enjoy placing their pawns just where they need them. And none of them could ever begin to suspect that a mere woman could be playing her own game of chess – and win.

"Have you ever thought of just leaving?" I find myself asking. "Just telling your father where to go and going somewhere far away, changing your name, being whoever it is you want to be?"

"You don't understand." He flashes a feral smile at me that I find surprisingly hot. "I want this. I want the kind of power my father has – I want to beat him at his own game. I'm not going to surrender. I can't. That isn't who I was raised to be, and it isn't the character I was born with. I'm not a coward; I'm not going to run. I'm better than that."

"But, with everything he's put you through, aren't you tired of it?"

Lex shrugs. "I've grown... immune, I guess. Or maybe it's true, that which does not kill you, etc. I... expect it anymore. Every morning I wake up, I know my father's going to screw me over in some manner. He'll call it character building, strengthening me to lead in the corporate world one day. I'll call him on his bullshit and the next day it will all repeat."

"Jesus. And I thought my family was screwed up."

Chuckling slightly at that, his expression resigned, Lex reaches up and runs a hand over his face a moment. The silence extends to the point that I'm certain the conversation is over until Lex comments, "Thank you for this."

"What?"

He waves his hand between us. "The conversation. I've tried talking to Hudson about it – she always wants to know the whys and wherefores. But she doesn't understand. Like you, she's asked me why I don't just leave. And I've given her the same explanation as I have given you but it just doesn't seem to sink in."

"She's young," I explain. "She hasn't seen much of the world beyond the comfort and safety of her family, Lex. I think she knows that if she were to just pick up and leave one day, and nothing worked out, that she could come back home and everything would be fine. She doesn't get that not everyone has that option."

A frown appears on his face as he glances in the rearview mirror and then back to the road. "I envy her that. Her parents... they're good people. They love her above all else. Sometimes I think I'd kill to have the family that she does."

"None of us know how good we have it until we lose that."

"Mmm." He chuckles suddenly. "Do you know, the first time she asked me why don't I just runaway from it all, I knew... instinctively knew that she would go with me if I asked. And I was so tempted in that moment to do it."

"Why didn't you?" I ask.

His expression softens, and there's a deep sorrow in his eyes that is almost painful to see. "Deep inside, I know she doesn't understand me," he replies softly. "Maybe, like you said, it's because she's been so sheltered all of her life. Her world is a small one and she knows what to expect from the people in it. And I just fear... I know that one day she would wake up and look at me and..."

As he trails off, I realize I've found what I've been looking for. I know where to hurt him when it comes to Hudson. "She'd be as disappointed in you as your father is," I supply for him.

Lex nods. "Yes. She wouldn't recognize the person she thought I was, and she wouldn't like the person she saw. I wait for it to happen every day."

I reach across to lay my hand over his. "I'm sure that you're right, and something like that will one day happen, but you can't blame yourself or her for it, Lex. She's young, and still growing, becoming the person she's meant to be in another ten years or more. In that time, she's going to go through a lot of changes. God knows the boys I fell in love with as a teenager aren't the ones I'd care to be attached to today."

Lex's expression has fallen even deeper, his hands clenching the wheel once more as he swallows hard. My god, his father was right. His emotions are far too easy to play with as long as you know the right buttons to push.

"She's... " He begins and takes a breath, composing himself. "My life hasn't been the same since she entered it."

"You love her," I reply with a smile. "And I know she loves you. But to last, love has to grow. And that's a difficult thing to do when there is still so much growing up to do by one half of the relationship. It's difficult to love someone when you don't even know who they are."

Flexing his jaw, Lex grows silent once more, and this time I know it's the end of the conversation. I sit back, pleased with everything that has been accomplished tonight, and everything that I have learned. Lionel thinks he's so smart – hiring me to not only gather information that he wants but to once more place control of his son back into the palm of his hand. But, unfortunately, he overlooked one little thing.

I'm going to own Lex Luthor by the time this is over. And then I'll be the one in control.

_**Pete**_

I shouldn't have gone to that stupid Rave with Chloe and Lana last night. I'm completely behind on my homework, my dad's all over my case about it and this morning I realized I'm missing my folder with my notes from Algebra and I have no idea where it is. The Rave was a downer, anyway, thanks to yet another death of one of our classmates. Travis must have been drinking too much or unknowingly took some drugs – he's totally not the type to take drugs voluntarily – and it caused him to throw himself off a scaffolding.

Some really weird shit goes on in this town.

So here I have a test tomorrow and no notes to look over, and we all get to deal with the school counselor, Miss Rose, who will tell us once more how it's all right to show our fears and sorrow over the death of our classmate. And we all have to band together and love each other and blah blah blah. A part of me wishes I could try that drug Travis was high on. Then I might actually enjoy her psychobabble.

Pulling open the door to the Talon, I enter hoping for a little respite with my friends before I tackle homework. I haven't seen Hudson, Chloe or Lana all day. And I was really hoping to get a hold of Lana's notes for the test. The coffee shop is mostly empty, with maybe half a dozen customers, half of whom look like they wish they were somewhere else. I walk up to the counter, tapping my fingers against the bar as I wait for Melanie to notice me. She finally glances over her and shoulder and smiles. She's really pretty, and I asked her out once back in the eighth grade and she said no. I haven't tried again. That whole fear of rejection a second time really gets to a person.

"Hi, Pete."

"Hey, Melanie. What's up?"

She shakes her head. "I'm totally in a panic. I haven't heard from Lana all day, Jenny is going to be late for her shift and I'm all alone. What if we suddenly get a rush?"

I frown. "Did you try calling her?"

"Yeah. Her aunt said she hasn't seen her this morning, when she left the house with Chloe."

"Weird."

I look over my shoulder, glancing around the room. Lana is the responsible one of the group; she wouldn't just not show up for work. It's plain to see this place is her life, which is kind of sad when you think about it, but then again, it's not like the rest of us are doing anything particularly spectacular with regard to our futures.

Turning back to Melanie, I ask, "Could I get a cup of coffee? I figure I'll stick around and see if Lana shows up. If nothing else, I'll lend you a hand if things get too crazy."

Melanie smiles and I stop myself from asking her out yet again. "Thanks, Pete! I'll get that coffee for you right away."

Nodding, I take a seat on one of the stools and wait, wondering where Chloe and Lana headed off to. They were both acting a little weird last night when we left the Rave after the police had arrived and taken everyone's statements. Like they just didn't care about what happened to Travis or couldn't be bothered by it or something like that. I remember I was a little surprised by their behavior, but thought nothing of it as I dropped them off because I've never been able to figure out women. Like, ever.

Take Hudson, for example. The girl is hotter than Christina Aguilera, Beyonce and Alicia Keys all rolled in to one. And yet, she goes for someone like Lex Fricken Luthor. I mean, seriously, what could she possibly be thinking? He lies, he's constantly causing serious trouble, his family steals money from everyone around them, they pollute the environment and swallow up the lives of those stupid enough to get caught in their path. I don't know what she sees in him. Sure, he drives fast cars and has lots of his daddy's money (part of which technically belongs to my family though Hudson will never admit it), but I've never known her to be into those kinds of things. She's always seemed simpler to me.

But like I said, I don't get women.

"Well, well, well. Look who's sitting all by his wittle wonesome."

Turning in my seat at the voice, I see Hudson, Chloe and Lana walking toward me. Or, at least, unreasonable facsimiles of them. Lana is dressed in a skin tight red dress with the front zipper pulled down far enough that I can see far too much of her push-up bra. Chloe's hair is shot through with black dye and she's sucking on a lollipop so hard, I think she's going to pull the candy right off the stick.

I try not to think about that.

Hudson slips up beside me, smirking at her words, wearing heels that add a good three more inches to her height. Even on the stool I'm eye-level with her chest. Combined with the little piece of material that's apparently a flimsy excuse for a skirt, she's like all legs and then some. The attention of the four guys who are in the Talon besides me is focused firmly on my three friends.

"What's the matter, Pete?" Lana asks, moving up to Hudson and wrapping her arm around her waist. "Can't find a date?"

"I... uh... I was going to ask to borrow your notes for Algebra." I hate that my voice cracked on those last few words.

"Algebra?" Chloe rolls her eyes as she leans against the counter on the other side of me, flashing an ample amount of boobs over the top of her tank in my direction. "Surely you can find something a little more interesting to do than that?" She grins and places her hand on my thigh.

"I... " All thought has fled me. What the hell is going on?

Lana giggles, bringing my attention back to her, and she leans up to whisper something in Hudson's ear – and then she licks it! Licks Hudson's ear like it wasn't anything and now the attention of every person in here is on them. And I think the girls know it because they're showing off, speaking louder than necessary, kicking their feet against chairs, Chloe is singing beside me, smiling when she catches me looking at her. Her hand tightens on my thigh and she slides the lollipop back into her mouth slowly, raising her eyebrows in suggestion. Crap, there's only so much a guy can take!

"Is this some kind of joke?" I can't help but ask with a nervous grin as Chloe leans closer to me and blows against my ear. I turn and give her a weird look and she goes back to sucking on her lollipop, all wide-eyed and damn cute.

"It's a joke because we're trying to have a little fun?" Hudson asks, pouting.

When I look back over at her, she smiles suddenly and I can't help but be a little creeped out about it. I mean, there have always been things about Hudson that haven't made the most sense but there was once before I saw her acting all weird like this and she never had an explanation then, either. I wonder if it's Lex influence. I mean, I've never seen her go over the top like this until he came to town. He's seriously out to ruin all of our lives, I swear.

"So, uh, what're you guys up to?" I ask, hoping to get a little information out of them.

"Considering this is Smallville?" Chloe asks. "Very little." She sneers and rolls her eyes a little.

"We're thinking about heading over to Saunders Gorge," Hudson replies as she sits on one of the stools and Lana quickly presses between her legs, laying her head against her shoulder and snuffling her neck.

Whoa.

"Chloe bet me that Lex's Porsche couldn't jump the quarry."

Still staring as Lana begins nibbling on Hudson's ear, I finally catch what she said and look up at her. "You... does Lex know about this?"

Hudson shrugs, her hands moving over Lana's ass to pull her closer. "What he don't know won't hurt him. 'Sides, it isn't as if he doesn't have like a million cars. He won't even know it's missing. And if he does? He can buy a new one."

"Won't he be pissed?" I can't help but ask, in the midst my fascination with the whole make out session between my two friends.

"Like I care," she comments flippantly before pulling Lana's head up and pushing her tongue into her mouth.

Dude.

Beside me, Chloe snorts. "Third wheel here, guys," she remarks, sighing loudly. "Bubble gum, H.C. Did you bring enough for everyone?"

Hudson lifts her head and grins past my shoulder at Chloe. "Why don't you come over here and find out?"

Man!

I watch as Chloe slips down from her stool and moves past me to Hudson and Lana. She flashes me a saucy wink. There are people walking in from off the street now, as if someone ran out there and told them what was going on. The three of them almost have an audience, including me.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

At the voice, I glance over to see Lex standing a few feet away, watching Hudson with an unreadable expression. Oh, now this is going to get good!

Hudson sighs loudly, a frown instantly crossing her face as she peers over Lana's head toward Lex. "You are." She pushes Lana slightly to the side as she stands.

"Does he know?" Chloe stage whispers to her.

"No," Hudson replies with a slight snort. "I only tell people who don't go around stabbing me in the back and lying to me."

Know what? And when did Lex stab her in the back? Well, I mean, when did she actually catch on to it. What'd I miss?

Lex doesn't react to her remark. Instead, he nods toward the other side of the room. "Hudson, can I have a word with you? Alone?"

"I'm busy," she snaps, turning back toward Lana.

"Don't even worry about it, H.C.," Lana tells her with a smile as she leans up to kiss her neck and then start toward the door. "It's cool. We'll meet you in the car."

Chloe begins to follow her, stopping in front of Lex and for a moment, I think she's about to come on to him, too. Instead, she says, "You know, I always wondered. For a boy who has all the money in the world, you'd think he could afford a good toupee."

Beside me, Hudson laughs as she leaves and I really thought I'd never see something like that. I mean, yeah, it was funny and props go to Chloe for saying it. Guess I'm just used to Hudson sticking up for every little thing regarding Lex Luthor.

After they leave, Lex takes a step toward Hudson. He looks over at me as if expecting me to leave too, but I just kind of shrug and turn in my chair. I'm not about to miss out on this conversation.

"What's going on, Hudson?" He asks. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you guys were on something."

For the first time, Lex and I are thinking on the same wave length here.

"We're just having a good time," she responds casually, sidling up beside him to slip an arm around his waist. "Not that it's any of your business – "

"Hudson, you stole my car."

"Correction. I borrowed one of your cars. Damn, Lex. You'd think with a whole fleet you wouldn't get so touchy about one. It's not like you don't owe me, or anything."

Lex sighs. "Hudson, I came here to tell you I talked to Walden. He won't budge."

"He won't budge or you don't want me in the cave?" She shakes her head. "Come on, don't lie to me. You're Lex Luthor. You pay a guy to do a job; he does what you tell him. Isn't that the way it always works?"

"Hudson – "

"I'm gonna go into those caves whenever I damn well please. I dare you to stop me."

There's a moment of silence before Lex asks, "Is this really about a term paper?"

"You'd love to know, wouldn't you?" Her tone is flippant and biting. I can't help but turn back and watch as she guides him toward the door with her. "I'm gonna go. So are you."

And then she pushes Lex out of the way. Just like that. Even I'm in shock.

Lex straightens, watching her silently as she reaches the door. Finally, he calls out, "I like to see you standing up for yourself, Hudson, I really do. Be careful not to cross the line."

Laughing, she turns back to look at him. "Is that a threat?"

"I'm just giving you a friendly piece of advice," he tells her with a shrug.

Hudson nods, still smiling as she watches him. "Let me give you some back. If you know what's good for you, stay the hell away from me." With that, she turns and disappears through the door. Moments later, the sound of a car peeling out in the street echoes through the coffee shop. I look back over at Lex, surprised that I actually feel a little sorry for him. Hudson's treatment of him was bad enough, but doing in front of so many others was a little uncalled for, even by my measure for what Luthors deserve.

Catching Lex's gaze, I shrug a little. "I didn't know you two had broke up."

Lex's gaze narrows just a bit. "We didn't." Turning, he makes his way out of the Talon.

Apparently I'm not the only one who doesn't understand female behavior.

_**Lex**_

What I hate most of all is how stupid she must believe me to be. Her excuses, her lies, her feeble attempts to cover up those moments when something slips, when something unexplainable occurs. It's sad actually, watching her back peddle every step she takes. I wish I could help her. I wish that, just once, she trusted me enough to let me help her. Helen says she's too young to understand what a mature relationship entails. But Helen doesn't know the half of it. If she did, she wouldn't believe it anyway. Hell, I'm having a hard enough time convincing myself what's right before my eyes.

At first, I'd come to the conclusion that Hudson had simply been affected by the meteor rocks like so many others in this town, including myself. It made sense that she wouldn't broadcast that information because there is a very strong prejudice against those 'meteor freaks' as the townspeople have to come refer to them. I understood that, even though I held out hope that she would one day tell me the truth. I allowed her to go on with her life, with her lies, while I focused my attention on other matters, specifically those involving the cause of the meteor shower. Hudson laughed at me when I told her I thought an alien ship might have landed that day. I didn't take it personally because I could understand her disbelief. Aliens and ships from outer space were science fiction; they didn't actually exist. If you can't touch it and can't see it, then it isn't real.

But lately, my original conclusions have begun to unravel. Things weren't adding up. Or maybe, the right pieces were finally falling in to place. I've opened my eyes, and allowed myself to begin to believe in the impossible. And the scariest part of it is, it all makes sense. None of that would have happened if it weren't for Hudson's continual push/pull with regards to her lies and her secrets.

I don't know why I kept the information Nixon gathered for me on Hudson and her family. When she asked me to stop investigating her, I had every intention of doing so. I planned on focusing on the cause of the meteors, the ship that my father was certain had been found and the octagonal disk that disappeared from my home in the storm. None of it seemed connected in any way; none of it seemed to make any sense. And then Hudson showed me the caves.

At first, I thought they were simply another piece to the puzzle, not meant to make any more sense other than the fact that the key I no longer had in my possession had something to do with them. But Hudson changed all that. With her silence, with her lies, with her stupid excuses for everything and nothing, the final piece fell into place.

She's the key to all of it. Her innocence is a cover for the secret she hides. She's not like the rest of us. She wasn't simply affected by the meteor shower.

She was the cause.

I'm insane for thinking it. And yet, it all makes so much damn sense I don't know why I didn't see it before. It explains everything. Her adoption (though I have yet to figure out how my father fits in to making that happen), the almost hermit-like privacy of her family, the accident, the events around town where she always shows up as some modern day heroine, her lies, her fear, the final information that Nixon had collected which he was so certain I would be willing to pay anything for. The more I think through every moment spent with Hudson, the more it all adds up.

I wanted to ask her. I wanted to confront her with everything and just hold on to that thread of hope that she'll be honest with me, just this once. But after the recent confrontation with her, I know it will get me nowhere. There is no trust between us. She can't take responsibility for who and what she is yet because she is still a child. Her parents have instilled this fear inside of her, not only of keeping her secret from the world at large, but especially keeping it from anyone with the name Luthor.

Yes, I do believe that Hudson Kent, whatever she may be, loves me. I just don't believe she loves me as much as she should, as much as I want her to. Even attempting to imagine someone sharing a secret with me as big as this possibly could be is astounding to me. I can't begin to imagine how I'd have reacted if she'd come to me with the truth. Now, I find I don't care anymore. If she doesn't trust me, then I'll just have to find the answers on my own.

I glance up from my musings as Professor Frederick Walden enters the study. Closing the book I was staring at, I turn my attention to him. "Professor. I just got off the phone with Catmus Labs."

He slips his hands into his pockets, affecting that pompous attitude that just makes me want to knock his pointed little head off of his shoulders. "The dissection is done, I take it."

I nod and smile a little. "The creature's physiology is completely unique. Its DNA is unlike anything on this earth."

Walden frowns in disbelief. "Are you suggesting that these parasites are somehow alien in origin?"

Refusing to give too much away, I simply reply, "I'm hoping the symbols on the cave walls might answer that question."

Walden nods. "Then I better get to work."

Stopping him, I add, "Before I allow you to continue, I'm afraid you're going to have to make a few concessions, Professor."

"We've already negotiated my fee," he replies arrogantly.

I can't help but smile at that. "This isn't about money. You're going to give Hudson Kent unfettered access to the cave."

Walden comes just within the boundaries of rolling his eyes. "Just what exactly is your fascination with this girl and her penchant for poking around an ancient archeological dig?"

Oh no, Professor. You don't get quite that much. "My instincts tell me Hudson knows a lot more about that cave than she's letting on," I answer simply.

His gaze narrows a bit before he shrugs. "Fine. Whatever. But if she destroys any of my research in any way, she's out of there." Without waiting for a reply, he turns and exist the study.

And what do I do if I get the proof I'm looking for? What if my hypothesis is correct? What if I'm not crazy?

Then I can confront her. I can show her that I know the truth, that she can't hide it anymore, that she has to trust me. Because if I can figure it all out, then so can my father. And without me to protect her, Hudson doesn't stand a chance against him. I wish she could understand that. I want to give her another chance. I want to stop feeling like this – like I'll do anything to find out the truth to her secrets just so that I can feel like I'm a part of her life. That I'm important to her.

I can admit to myself that it's taking over my life. I've lost sight of so many other things in my need to know the truth that I've even lost my company over it. Helen's right – this relationship isn't healthy for me. She doesn't understand how much I love Hudson, though. How happy she has made me in the past.

In the past... That's the key. A relationship has to grow to last, and Hudson seems to want to keep playing that teenage romance game, where it could all be over the next day, and let's just live for the now. I can't do that anymore. I want to know that I have something to hold on to. That I'll have her to hold on to.

I want to give her the chance to explain herself. I want the truth. I want... so many things in life that I'll never have.

_**Hudson**_

I hurry up the loft stairs to see Lex sitting on the couch, still wearing his coat, waiting for me. Flashing him a hesitant smile, I pause on the top step, caught between wanting to blurt out an apology for my recent behavior, and pretending it never happened. How can I possibly explain to him that some alien parasite infected my friends and caused Lana to slip me a piece of red meteor rock, causing me to go all wacko again? It sounds preposterous, even to me.

"Lex," I breathe, watching the cloud of cold air as it drifts upwards and disappears. "Mom said you were waiting for me."

He nods; still saying nothing, gaze intent on my shoes, as if he just can't bring himself to look at me, before finally meeting my eyes. I shift a little under his regard before taking a few steps forward.

"I... uh... guess I owe you an apology." I shove my hands into the pockets of my pullover and kick at the floor. "I'm sorry, Lex. I mean, for my behavior the other day... And Chloe. She... she feels really bad for what she said to you."

No change in expression. Lex stands, hands in the pocket of his coat. "Does this apology come with an explanation?" He asks quietly.

Explanation? Drugs? Alcohol?

Lex won't buy either of those from me.

"I... was angry," I answer, gnawing on my lower lip. "When you said I couldn't go to the caves anymore, I just... I shouldn't have blamed you. I know it wasn't your fault. But I couldn't help but think that you're... well, you're Lex Luthor. People _have_ to do what you say. And I just felt you could have fought a little harder with Dr. Walden to let me in."

"Is that so?" Lex stares at me before nodding and then walking slowly to the edge of the loft, back to me. "You decided to steal my car, call me a liar and tell me to stay out of your life because you were... having a temper tantrum?"

When he put it like that... Fuck. "I guess."

Lex turns back to me, brow furrowed. "And why the interest in the caves, Hudson? What is so important about them that you are willing to jeopardize our relationship just to gain access to them?"

My eyes widen in panic as I quickly move across the loft to him. "No! No, that isn't it at all, Lex! I would never do anything to – You mean everything to me!"

"You haven't answered the question."

I open my mouth to protest but can read the expression in Lex's eyes – he doesn't want to hear it. "Joseph," I reply finally. "I feel like I owe it to his people."

"I see."

Lex watches me in silence a moment longer before walking past, back to the couch where he stands, hands still in his pockets, staring down at the cushions. I shift again from one foot to the other, waiting for inevitable yelling or throwing of things or maybe a stinging set-down where he will tell me how childish I've been. And I'll cry, and he'll hold me, and we'll kiss and make up, and everything will be better.

"I have something for you."

My head snaps up at that, and I watch in confusion as he pulls a small velvet box from inside of his coat, holding it out to me. I royally pissed him off, treated him like shit, evaded his questions, and now he's giving me a present? Blinking in confusion, I walk over to him, taking the box from his hands.

"What is it?"

"Something I bought for you a few weeks ago."

I watch him a moment before returning my gaze to the small gift in my hands. Slowly, I open the box, a gasp escaping me at the contents inside. It's a gold heart locket, with a brilliant diamond set in the center. Around it the word 'Angel' is inscribed. Gently, I reach inside, lifting the delicate chain and holding the necklace up in front of my face.

"Oh, Lex... " I'm not certain what to say. "It's... it's so beautiful."

Taking it from my fingers, Lex motions for me to turn around, which I do, and he loops the pendant around my neck as I hold up her hair. I touch the heart where it lays against the hollow of my neck, marveling at the idea of owning something so obviously expensive.

"Lex, I... I don't understand. If you bought this for me awhile ago, why did you wait so long to give it to me?"

More silence. I turn to look up at him but he won't meet my gaze. Instead, he reaches out and brushes his fingers lightly against my throat before shoving his hands back into his pocket and walking past me. I follow him with my eyes, wondering why everything seems so... wrong.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

I frown at the question. Technically, we first met when we were little, but I can't really tell him that. "Yes. I remember diving off of the bridge after you."

Lex's shoulders tense just a bit, and then he nods. "I remember looking up into the face of an angel. Your dark hair was even surrounded by the sunlight, just like a halo. I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven."

"Lex – "

"I wanted so much to be a part of your life, Hudson." He turns back to me, a soft smile on his face. "Maybe I forced my way in; I wanted to be there so badly. I've made mistakes, that much is certain. Pushed, when maybe I shouldn't have. I woke up in Heaven, and I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to be relegated back to the Hell I'd come to know as my life."

My face grows warm with embarrassment at being referred to so reverently. I don't deserve it. Not after all of my lies, my secret distrust. Lex deserves so much more from me, and he doesn't even know it.

"Back in Metropolis, drugs and alcohol and breaking the law were my means of escape. I could forget I was a Luthor, forget the future my father had carved out so neatly for me. I was on a one-way trip to self-destruction and I didn't really give a damn at the time," Lex tells me with a shrug.

"But you gave that up," I interject with a slight smile, hoping that the conversation will get a little better at some point. Maybe make more sense than it is to me at the moment. "You moved to Smallville and started over."

Lex nods, regarding me thoughtfully. "Yes. I did. You gave me a new lease on life when you pulled me out of that river, Hudson. And for that, I thank you."

I start to smile until he continues, "But, obsession in any form is a bad thing, Angel."

"I... I don't understand."

Lex walks back to me, eyes holding my own. "Hudson, I gave up all of that, in part, because it caused me to lose sight of who I was. But what I hadn't realized, until recently, was that I only gave up one obsession in place of another. I wanted so much to lose myself in this new, ideal life I imagined, that I didn't notice it had as many consequences as any other addiction."

I can feel a cold dread beginning to grow in my stomach. Belatedly, I'm beginning to realize that he hasn't kissed me hello, his hands didn't linger on the back of my neck when he clasped the necklace -- he hasn't really touched me at all beyond the quick touch of the pendant. And the way he is looking at me is almost as if...

"Lex." I swallow back the fear that is rising. "Please, tell me that – "

"It's over, Hudson."

I wince as his words seemed to echo through the silence of the barn. Breath catching in my throat, I shake my head, vision becoming blurred. "No... Lex, if this is about what happened – "

He reaches out and touches my cheek – the briefest contact – but I can't help but move into it.

"Deep inside, we always knew it couldn't last, Angel. We're from two different worlds, and the more we fight against it, the more those worlds clash. I'm never going to be the person you need me to be, and you're too young to understand that yet. One of us has to know when to say stop."

"No!" I grab his hand, panic rising. "Please, Lex! Please, give me another chance. Whatever it is, I'll change. I'll make you happy. Please, tell me what I need to do and I'll do it!"

There's a long moment of silence where the tiniest thread of hope begins to grow in my heart, and then he replies, "If you really meant that, we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation."

And all of my lies come crashing down around me. Every untruth I've spoken to him, every story I've concocted, every choice I've made to go down one path when I should have chosen another is suddenly, and cruelly, tossed back in my face.

"This is about Helen, isn't it?" I throw at him. "You're in love with her."

"This has nothing to do with Helen." Lex sighs and glances away for a moment before returning his attention back to me. His jaw is flexing, like there's something he wants to say but doesn't know how to say it. Finally, "I don't like the person I've become with you."

I feel tears spring to my eyes as I stare up at him, as I fight back the bile that is rising in the back of my throat. The only thing that has ever actually made sense in my world is suddenly being snatched away. I'm supposed to help Lex; I'm supposed to be good for him. Instead, the opposite has been achieved. We bring out the worst in each other. _ I_ bring out the worst in us.

Apparently affected by my tears, Lex moves closer, reaching up to brush my tears away with his fingertips. "Don't cry, Angel," he tells me softly, cupping my face. "You know I can't stand your tears."

_But how can I not_?

"I love you, Lex," I sob, closing my eyes to feel his touch, wishing I could pretend this isn't happening. "Please don't... I love you!"

"I know you do." He leans forward and kisses my forehead. "But... it isn't enough."

"No... "

My chest hurts; my stomach is roiling, head pounding. I can't get sick, can't have my bones broken, can't die from anything this planet can think up to throw at me – and yet, I'm more than certain that right now my heart is tearing into pieces inside of me.

"Please, don't leave me... "

"I'll always be here, Angel," Lex tells me, lifting my chin up to meet his gaze. "You'll always be an important part of my life. But you can't _be_ my life, Hudson. I can't give you that anymore." He kisses my cheek.

And then he's walking away, walking toward the stairs and out of the loft and I've never felt so scared in my life. Everything I believe in seems to be careening out of control suddenly, and nothing seems right anymore. He has no right to do this to me! No right to turn my world upside down over and over and over again!

Turning to him, unreasonable rage flowing over me, I yell, "You can take your stupid payoff with you, too, then!"

Lex looks back at me as I rip the chain from my neck and throw it at him. It lands on the loft floor at his feet before sliding through the wooden slats to the barn below. Lifting his eyes back to me, Lex stares for only a moment before continuing on his way out the door.

"No." I gaze at the empty space in front of me, realizing what I've done. "No! Lex! Wait!"

I call out again as I run after him down the loft stairs. But he never falters in his step or bothers to look back.

"Lex!" I scream from the doorway as he moves toward his car. "Lex! Please... don't... "

The nausea grows worse as I sob, clinging to the doorframe as Lex climbs into his car and backs down the drive. Sliding to the floor, I can feel the cool earth against my knees as I cry, thin splinters snapping off the wooden frame as I watch the sports car disappear from sight.


	23. My First Taste: Retribution

**EPISODE SEVENTEEN**

**RETRIBUTION**

_And like a fool who will never see the truth,_

_I keep thinking something's gonna change._

_**Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough – Patti Smith & Don Henley**_

"So I was going to tell him."

Lana looked up from the text book in her lap, studying Hudson as she balanced on the railing of the porch, twirling a basketball on her finger. "Tell?" She frowned.

"Tell Lex," Hudson replied with a slight snort. "Tell him.. you know, everything."

Eyes widening, Lana set her pen aside and leaned forward. "You were? When? Are you still going to?"

Pursing her lips, Hudson stared down at the ball in her hands. "I was going to… it was two weeks ago, when I saw him with Helen."

"Oh." Lana's shoulders drop and she leans back once more, running her fingers over the pages of her book. "I see."

"I can't believe he dumped me for her – and then lied about it!"

"Hudson, just because they've gone out a few times doesn't mean that he broke up with you just to do that. Look at the situation from Lex's perspective – there are a lot of weird things that go on with you that can't be explained unless you know the truth, as I do. And Lex has been, unfortunately, caught up in a lot of it. Anyone could see why he's frustrated."

"So you think I should have told him?"

Sighing, Lana shook her head. "Honestly, Hudson, I don't know. Your parents have a point regarding Lex's father and the danger he represents just by being a part of Lex's life, and consequently yours. But… I don't see how a relationship can last built on lies."

"Well, I sure as hell can't tell him now."

"No. I guess you can't." Lana watched her friend for a moment in silence before commenting quietly, "They've been to the Talon twice together this week."

Hudson nodded, chewing on her lower lip. "I think Lex is flaunting the fact that he's with her in my face."

"Or, he could be trying to get you used to it."

"Just who's side are you on?"

Lana rolled her eyes. "Yours, of course. I'm just saying…. Well, you said he still wanted to be friends, right?"

"Yeah. Friends." Hudson slid off of the railing and walked to the end of the porch, dribbling the ball before her. "I wanted to break something when he stopped me for that little chat. It's like he expects me to go to dinner with the two of them or stop by for pool or something."

Lana remained silent, uncertain of what to say. In a way, she was going through the same thing. Whitney had a new girlfriend, some college cheerleader, and occasionally he emailed, talking about her. The difference was, Lana didn't have to deal with that in her face day after day. Not to mention, she was mostly over Whitney, except for those few pangs of regret where she wished she could have done something to have made it last between them. Hudson didn't have that luxury. She was still full blown in love with Lex, and at the moment, her hurt was still in a stage of blazing fury.

"Mom says that if I really love him, then I should be happy for him," Hudson continues quietly, leaning against the wall beside the screen door. "She said that Lex needs an adult relationship in his life, and I just can't give him that. I think her and dad are relieved."

"I wish I could make it better for you," Lana commented softly.

Hudson smiled at that, wishing she could express to her friend how much that meant to her. For days after the incident with the parasites that had infected both Chloe and Lana, she'd been unable to look her friends in the eyes. They may not have remembered what occurred while the three of them were running around town wreaking havoc, but she sure as hell did. The affects of the red meteor rock to her behavior were frightening. Everything that mattered to her seemed to disappear, every care, every fear, every worry. She felt as invincible as she knew her body was – when she was on it, she didn't even really fear the green meteor rock. She feared nothing; she wanted everything. And Chloe and Lana had simply been added to that want list for those few short hours. On that high, she knew who she could take advantage of, and she did so, hating herself for it afterwards.

A familiar honk broke Hudson from her thoughts and she glanced out to the driveway to see Lex pulling up, with some guy she'd never seen before sitting in the passenger seat. Sighing, she pushed away from the wall and glanced at Lana.

"Just what I don't need," she muttered as she started down the steps.

Putting her book to the side, Lana got to her feet and followed her friend out past the white picket fence where Lex was emerging from his car.

"Hey," Lex called out, smiling, the afternoon sun glinting off of his sunglasses before waving a hand toward his passenger who was moving around to join them. "I want you to meet somebody. This is my brother, Lucas."

Hudson blinked, glancing from Lex to Lucas and back again. Beside her, Lana remained silent in equal shock.

Lucas nodded to both of them, though his gaze lingered on Hudson. "What's up?"

An uncomfortable silence followed, where Lucas and Hudson spent the next few moments sizing one another up, while Lex sat between them, smiling as if his life were complete. Knowing that she needed to do something to disperse the tension, Lana flashed Lucas a quick smile.

"Would you like some fresh lemonade, Lucas?" She offered. "Mrs. Kent just made it."

Lucas glanced over at Lex before shrugging. "Sure. Why not? When in Rome, right?" He grinned.

Lana gave him a quizzical look but turned and started back toward the porch, Lucas following.

"I didn't mean to drop a bombshell on you."

Hudson glanced back at Lex, blinking. "It wouldn't be the first time, now would it?"

Lex set his jaw and looked away toward the porch.

Mentally kicking herself for letting him see how upset she still was, Hudson took a breath and tried again. "I thought he was supposed to be… well, uh, dead."

Leaning against his car, Lex shook his head and smiled without humor. "Just buried by my father. I've been looking for him for several months."

Hudson frowned, kicking at the dirt. He'd been looking for his brother all the time that they were together, and yet never mentioned a thing about it to her. And yet, he dumped her over keeping secrets? Hypocrite.

"Why didn't you say something?" She asked.

"Well, because I wasn't sure what I was going to find," he replied, turning his gaze back to her. It was the truth, though he didn't really see the need to explain himself to someone who never afforded him the same courtesy.

Hudson mulled that over as she continued to dig the toe of her boot into the dirt She flashed a surreptitious look at Lex, thinking how glad she was that he was wearing his sunglasses, that she certainly didn't want to stare into his pretty blue eyes or anything. It was still unfair that he always had to look so good, so composed, so unruffled. She thought he should at least regret breaking up with her or something. If only she could come up with a way to make him regret it, make him see how stupid it was, and that she was better than ugly old Helen Bryce any day. After all, Helen was funny looking and too old and definitely not worthy of the hotness of Lex.

Lex's phone gave a shrill at that moment, pulling Hudson from her thoughts of revenge. She watched curiously as he looked over the display screen with a frown.

"I've got to go and straighten out something with the bank," he tells her before glancing toward the porch. "Lucas, we have to get going."

_Oh no_! Hudson thought, gaze narrowing as she stared at Lex. She wasn't letting his brother go without doing some digging of her own. She wanted to know who this new person was in Lex's life, and why Lex seemed to feel the need to flaunt the fact that he now has both a _new_ girlfriend and a _new _brother to her.

As Lucas approached, Hudson turned to him and offered out of the blue, "Hey, uh, you can hang out here if you want." When she realized Lex was looking over at her in surprise, she shrugged and added, "Give me a chance to get to know him a little bit."

Eyeing her for a just a moment, Lucas nodded with a slight smile. "Sure. Why not?"

"I'll be back in an hour then," Lex replied, pushing away from his car and flashing them both a smile.

Hudson stepped back, watching silently as Lex drove off before turning around to find Lucas watching her, still smiling just a little. Wondering at his stare, she turned back toward the porch, picking up the basketball she'd discarded earlier to play with it some more on the steps.

"So, Lex tells me you two used to go out," Lucas commented as he followed her.

She'd have to tell Lex exactly what she thought of him running around telling people things that were none of their business. "Yeah. So?"

Lucas shrugged as he leaned against the railing. "So, it seems like a weird match is all. Farm girl, rich city boy."

"There's a lot more between them than just that," Lana offered defensively.

"He's a little old for you, don't you think?"

Hudson frowned. "I don't really see how it's any of your business."

"Just making conversation." Lucas grinned.

Silence began to grow heavy around them until Lana asked, "So, uh, Lucas where did you grow up?"

"All over."

"It must be kind of weird, growing up having had no idea who your mom or dad were."

"Not really. Parents always try to make you little versions of them selves. When you grow up without those constraints, you're allowed to become your own person."

Lana frowned a bit and glanced over at Hudson before returning a displeased gaze at Lucas. "I grew up without my parents. And frankly, I have to say I would love to have had a bit of their input into the person I'm becoming."

Hudson nodded. "It's an interesting theory. I don't buy it, though."

"All right." Lucas nodded. "Let's, uh, let's take you and Lex, for example. If he were raised by your parents and you were raised by Lionel, you wouldn't grow up to be different people?"

Hudson tried to picture Lex growing up on the farm and had to bite back a smile. And the idea of her growing up under Lionel… no, she couldn't even allow that image in her mind. Still, she couldn't imagine there would be that much of a difference between them. She'd know what it was like to have anything she wanted when she wanted it, and Lex wouldn't. How much more different could it be.

She began to reply, "Well, I...

"Trust me," Lucas interrupted with an amused grin. "you'd be rich and miserable, and he'd be wearing flannel. But if you were left totally alone, abandoned by your parents, how do you think you'd turn out?"

Hudson frowned. "I'm not sure. "

She didn't like to think that Lex was rich and miserable, and she somehow had something better than he did, simply because their parents were so different. For some reason, that seemed much worse to her than simple financial differences. She knew Lex and Lionel had their problems, but she'd like to believe that their relationship really wasn't all that different from any other family that had problems.

"It's when you find out what you're really made of," Lucas answered, gaze dropping to the ball in her hands. "So, can you actually play with that thing? Or do you just enjoy fondling balls?"

Lana gasped a little at his innuendo, but Hudson found a slight grin, thinking this was the first spark of Lucas that actually reminded her of Lex.

"Why don't you try me and find out?" She replied.

Twirling the ball on her finger in an effort to show off, she quickly tossed it to him and then started down the steps and out toward the area in front of the shed where her dad set up her basketball hoop. She didn't play much any more, though when she was younger, her and Pete played all of the time. Then again, it wasn't as if she had to practice. Her abilities made her naturally talented in most sports.

Spinning around, she waited as Lucas joined her, Lana following behind, looking less than pleased by the recent turn of events. Hudson took her place where the top of the key of the court would be and nodded toward Lucas.

"Check it up," she called out as Lucas got into position in front of her.

The ball tossed between them before Lucas moved in position to guard Hudson as she headed toward the basket. Shooting from where she stood, Hudson watched in dismay as the ball clanged off the rim. Mentally, she warned herself to pay more attention as Lucas caught the rebound, flashing an arrogant grin toward Hudson as he quickly went on the offensive. Purposely bumping into Hudson as they switched positions on the court, Hudson rolled her eyes at his showboating, before glancing over at Lana who was nibbling on her lip worriedly from the sidelines.

"Hudson, be careful," she warned softly.

Hudson nodded before getting in position to guard Lucas. With a quick spin move, he darted easily around Hudson and laid the ball into the basket. Catching it as it slipped through the net, Lucas tossed the ball to Hudson as passed one another, grinning cockily once more. Hudson couldn't help looking over at Lana again and rolling her eyes with a slight grin. She really couldn't understand why this guy seemed to think so much of himself, when she really hadn't been trying yet. Didn't he know that just because she was a girl didn't mean she couldn't smoke his ass? Never mind that his supposed moves seemed to be impressing Lana just a bit.

They passed the ball off to one another once more as Lucas prepared to go on the offensive again. He got past Hudson to shoot the ball a second time, but this time, Hudson is paying attention and makes an almost impossibly high leap, blocking the shot against the backboard and grabbing the ball. She dribbled away, giving Lucas a cocky smile of her own as she passed him, enjoying the expression of disbelief on his face.

Taking her turn on the offensive, she decided it was time to stop playing around and show him that there was nothing wrong with Lex for wanting to date her. Glaring at Lucas, she quickly ran past him, heading for the basket, leaping high into the air. Clearing several more feet than should have been possible, she slammed the ball home into the net with a windsailing slam-dunk. Dropping to the ground, she grinned once more at Lana before flashing a look of triumph in Lucas' direction. On the sidelines, Lana bit her lip, worry sweeping over her that Hudson would allow her competitive nature to get in the way of safety, and cause her to become careless with her powers. She hurried over to her, inserting herself between the two players.

"So, white girls can jump," Lana joked nervously, catching Hudson's gaze. "But we don't want anybody to get hurt."

Hudson shrugged, nodding a little at her friend's caution. "All right." But her focus turned right back to the game. And putting this interloper in his place.

She began dribbling the ball, as Lucas got in to position to guard her, before making a quick move toward the basket. Lucas spun in front of her to block her, swinging his arm in an attempt to steal the ball. Instead, he slammed it roughly up against Hudson's immobile body.

"Aah! "

Grimacing, Lucas stumbled back in pain from the hit, clutching his shoulder and cradling his arm. Hudson came to a stop, turning to watch him in interest as Lana moved up beside her in concern.

"Are you okay?" Lana asked as Lucas moved his arm back and forth, apparently checking to make certain it was all right.

"Yeah," he replied, his gaze intent on Hudson. "Sorry about that," he told her, as if she must have been hurt just the same as him. "No hard feelings, right? It's just a game."

"Right," Hudson replied, a little uneasily, realizing she went a little too far. All of the warnings her parents ever gave her regarding playing sports in school or with Pete were coming back to her.

"Felt like you had a steel plate in there," Lucas commented with a slight chuckle.

Hudson just smiled, knowing her father would kill her if he knew what had just happened. She heard Lana sigh beside her and knew she'd be receiving a lecture from that end as well.

"Any chance I could get a ride back to the mansion?" Lucas asked, apparently tired of playing basketball.

Or maybe he just wanted to run back and ask Lex why he was interested in a girl who was about as soft as a diamond quarry.

"I can give you a lift," Lana offered, eyes drifting up to Hudson. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Hudson nodded, her gaze catching Lucas' once more as he followed her friend toward her car. There was something… she couldn't quite put her finger on it. But there was definitely something about Lucas Luthor that couldn't be ignored.

---------------------------

prettyinpink : I'm just saying you were behaving a little recklessly, H.C. Lucas could have been injured a lot more than he was.

farmgirl86 : He was the one throwing himself into me, Lana. He meant to do that. To teach me a lesson or something. It wasn't my fault.

prettyinpink : sigh You shouldn't have allowed yourself to be in that position in the first place. I know it's unfair, but because of what you are, you have to be more careful than the rest of us.

farmgirl86 : You know, sometimes you sound just like my parents.

prettyinpink : Sorry. Just trying to look out for you, hon.

farmgirl86 : I know. It's just…

Hudson shook her head and sighed as she stopped typing. She really didn't know how to make Lana understand that she didn't want anyone looking out for her, she didn't need anyone looking out for her. Couldn't they trust the alien to make the right decisions for once??

farmgirl86 : I'm going to go. Mom's pie is calling to me.

prettyinpink : Okay. Talk to you tomorrow. hugs

farmgirl86: hugs

Turning off her instant messenger and shutting the monitor off, Hudson got up from behind her desk and made her way into the hall, hurrying down the stairs toward the kitchen. She glanced toward the family room where her mom and dad were sitting in their easy chairs, mom with the paper in her lap, dad reading one of his favorite western books. Smiling, she returned her attention to her goal – a piece of her mom's delicious blueberry pie. Unfortunately, her goal was postponed by the ringing of the doorbell.

"I'll get it," she called out, spinning on her heel to make her way down the hallway to the door.

She pulled it open and stared in surprise at Lex as he stood there on the front porch, looking up at her with a slightly uncertain expression.

"Umm… hey, Lex," she greeted, wondering if this was the point where he asked her to go on date with him and his new girlfriend so that they could 'get to know' one another.

"Hudson," he greeted softly. "I'm sorry to bother you."

"No problem." She shrugged, still thinking of the piece of pie she was currently missing out on. Curiously she asked, "Is everything all right?"

"No, it's not," came the reply, and Lex's expression darkened slightly.

Hudson couldn't stop herself from hoping that Helen dumped him on his ass, and he was crawling to her, begging for forgiveness.

"Lex, what is it?" Martha asked with concern, stepping up beside her daughter, with Jonathan following.

Lex took a deep breath, glancing between the family members. "According to my father, I'm… uh, no longer a Luthor. He's left me with nothing, not even a place to live. So, I… uh… was wondering… "

He paused, his gaze drifting over to Jonathan nervously. "If… I could stay with you for a while?"

Hudson blinked at the request, and then promptly burst into laughter. "You're kidding, right?"

"H.C.," Martha warned.

"You're not seriously considering his request, are you?" She demanded angrily, setting her hands on her hips. "He dumped me and now you're just going to invite him into the house? Why doesn't he just go stay with his girlfriend?"

"Hudson Kent!" Martha snapped at her daughter, pushing her aside to pull the door open further. "I thought I instilled some manners into you, but apparently I was mistaken. If you'd like to go to your room, please be my guest."

"I'm sorry," Lex began softly. "She's right. I shouldn't be here. I'll just – "

"You'll come on inside, Lex," Martha interrupted, taking his arm and tugging him into the house. "Of course you can stay with us. For as long as you need." She shook her head, clucking like a mother hen. "I know it's none of my business, but even with working for your father, I still don't understand him."

"Join the club," Lex commented, his gaze straying to Hudson who was standing off to the side, glaring at them. Knowing he wasn't prepared to face her just yet, Lex instead turned his attention to Jonathan. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Kent, but I didn't really know where else to go. Helen is out of town and… well, there is no one else."

Jonathan watched Lex silently for a tense moment, his gaze obviously uncertain. But Martha was already helping Lex take his coat off, and he really had no intention of setting the boy out on his ass in the middle of the night with no where to go. Lionel Luthor may be that kind of man, but he wasn't.

"It's all right, Lex. You were right to come here. We have plenty of room."

Their daughter made a noise from the corner, but her parents were ignoring her vocal protests. Both of them understood that this would make for an uncomfortable situation but it wasn't enough for them to every consider not opening their home to someone who needed help. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them that it was time Hudson learned this lesson for herself.

"Come on, Lex," Martha called to him with a smile as she started up the stairs. "I'll show you to the guest room."

"This is intolerable," Hudson snorted, stomping past them toward the kitchen. She disappeared, muttering something about doctors.

Lex picked up the small bag he'd packed, glancing after Hudson briefly, wondering if he should just find a place to stay in a local motel. He had a few hundred dollars on him in cash, but he'd been hoping to use what he could to get the information he needed to battle his father in this latest contest. He hated the fact that he'd been so blindsided, that never for a moment he would have considered his father doing this to him. It was further than he'd ever gone before. If there was one thing Lex had ever been certain of, it was his position in his father's life as his heir, the person meant to take the helm of Luthorcorp one day. But then, that was before he'd stupidly invited Lucas into the picture.

"I'm sorry if I've caused problems," Lex told Martha as he followed her down the second floor hall to the small room in the corner. "I didn't really think, and I found myself here."

"It's natural for you to come here, Lex," she replied with a smile as she turned on the overhead light and began shuffling around the room, preparing the bed. "Hudson was your friend, and this place was your refuge long before there was ever more between the two of you."

Lex thought that there'd been something more between from the moment they met, but kept it to himself. Instead, he set his bag to the side of the room and commented, "I never meant to hurt Hudson, Mrs. Kent."

Martha hugged one of the decorative pillows to her and turned to smile slightly at their guest. "Oh, Lex. Jonathan and I don't blame you for the decision you made, or how it's affected Hudson. I know it couldn't have been easy for you, but in the end I'm sure it's the best for you both. Hudson's just so young, and I can't help but think you're at a very important crossroads in your life, where you're attempting to strike out on your own. It's obvious how much you two care about one another, but… this just wasn't the right time, I don't think."

"No. I guess we were trying to force something that neither of us were ready for," Lex replied, though he really wanted to point the blame on Hudson's lies. He doubted that her mother would take that very well from him, especially if his suspicions were true.

That didn't really matter right now, though. He had more important things to deal with.

"Let me get you a set of towels," Martha told him as she turned down the comforter. "Breakfast will be on the table by six-thirty. Please make yourself feel at home, Lex." She reached out to touch his arm as she passed by him. "We're here for you as long as you need us."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent," Lex returned with a half-smile, touched at the easy acceptance with which she took him into her home. Once again, he forced himself to tamp down the jealousy he felt over Hudson's family.

Running his hand over his head, Lex turned to look around the room that was to become his home for the next few days until he got this matter straightened out with his father. It was small – only big enough for a double bed, nightstand, and tall narrow dresser that was tucked in the corner. There was a tiny, paned window that faced the east, covered with white lace curtains, and the furniture was all in light oak, recently dusted and shining from furniture polish. He walked over to the bed, running his fingers over the white eyelet coverlet, embroidered in tiny blue flowers. He knew people that would roll his eyes at the room and it's décor, calling it quaint, wondering if Laura Ingalls and her family lived here. But Lex loved it. He felt comfortable here, welcomed.

"You've got some real nerve, you know that?"

Lex turned at the voice to find Hudson leaning against the doorframe, a pile of light blue towels in her arms, glaring at him. He swallowed, thinking of something to say, finally replying, "What else would you like me to do, Hudson?"

"Actually, I can think of quite a few things I'd like you to do," she quipped, moving forward to deposit the towels on the end of the bed. "But my parents would ground me for years if they heard me."

Jaw flexing, Lex glanced toward his bag. "If you'd prefer I go elsewhere, then simply say so. I'm sure I can find a motel – "

"Oh, stop it with the whole martyr thing, Lex. I'm sick of you trying to make me feel guilty for everything."

Lex's eyes flashed with anger. "Do you think I asked for this, Hudson? Any of it? My life was just fine, and then it all went to Hell, and don't act so damn innocent, either."

Hudson frowned, growing silent as she looked away toward the window. Sighing, she walked over to it, closing the pull-down blind that hid behind the curtains, and then turned her attention to pulling the curtains shut, making certain they were just perfect. The action relaxed Lex somewhat, as he realized that there was one trait in Hudson that would never disappear, no matter what occurred between them – her need to care for others. He wondered if she developed the trait from watching her mother as she grew up, or if it was something inbred from her biological parents. Were they good people, too? If so, why did they give her up? And if he was right about his suspicions, why did they send her here?

Worrying her lip, Hudson turned from the window, leaning back against the wall. "I am sorry about what's happened, Lex. Is this because of Lucas?"

Surprised that talking about his current situation seemed easier than talking about the past, Lex nodded. "Apparently my father feels that having a new heir to take my place is easier than dealing with me. So he's turned Lucas against me, cast me out… I have nothing and no one."

It was on the tip of Hudson's tongue to tell him that he still had her, but she found she wasn't ready to give him that. Not yet. Maybe not ever again. He's the one who walked away, and she didn't want to grovel at his feet, begging him to leave Helen and come back to her. If anyone had to grovel, it would be him.

"Well, mom makes the best pancakes in the county," she told him finally, forcing a smile. "If those can't put a smile on your face, nothing will."

Pushing away from the wall, she started back toward the door, giving him another quick smile as she passed by. "See you in the morning, I guess. The bed's pretty comfortable but just let mom or me know if you need more blankets."

"I'll be fine, Hudson. Thank you."

Nodding briefly, Hudson stared at him a moment longer before exiting the room.

Lex closed the door behind her, and then moved over to the bed to sit down and pull off his shoes. He knew it might have made sense to others if he'd gone to Helen's to stay instead, but that would have been a mistake for the relationship that was developing between them. He certainly couldn't show up at his girlfriend's door, after spending only three weeks together, and ask her if he could move in for a while. It made him look weak, as if he couldn't take care of his own problems, and it gave her far too much insight as to the real problems with his father. She might not want him after that, might not want to take a chance on a man who couldn't keep his own life together, let alone balance a relationship as well. Lex had enough marks against him as far as Helen was concerned when it came to his past with Hudson.

Slipping off his shirt, he laid back against the bed, tucking his arm beneath his head and staring up at the scalloped overhead light. Being on the Kent farm would allow him some time to clear his head, to approach this situation with his father from a different angle. He knew he'd find peace here that he might not elsewhere, even with the complications shared with Hudson. If he could remain focused, and not get sidetracked with other endeavors, then maybe he wouldn't have to rely on the Kent's hospitality for too long.

When he closed his eyes, Lex realized this was the first time in a long time that he knew he could sleep without fear. Here, in the house of his Angel, he was safe.

--------------------------------

"So, guess who's living with us?"

Lana looked up from the stack of applications in front of her and stared at Hudson blankly with her question. "What? Is this a trick question? Hudson, I have no idea who would be living with you."

"Lex."

A blink. "Wha – come again?"

"Lex is living with us," Hudson announced matter-of-factly as she slipped onto one of the stools at the bar and grabbed the stack of applications to flip through as she continued, "In the guest room next to mine. We had breakfast this morning, all four of us, real cozy-like."

Lana shook her head. "How… ?"

"Apparently, with that brother of his risen from the grave or whatever, Lex's father has decided he has no use whatsoever for his rebellious son and has disinherited him, disowned him, kicked him out, stripped him of his money – and anything else you might think of."

"That's just… " Lana shook her head in disbelief. "A little harsh, don't you think? I mean, I can't believe it."

Hudson set the papers back down in front of her friend. "What I can't believe is he had the nerve to just show up on our porch step and ask to move in! Or that my mother was all like 'Oh, poor Lexy poo! Please, come in. Never mind that you ripped out our daughter's heart and stomped all over it in your expensive shoes. I'll feed you and give you a warm bed!'"

Lana didn't even attempt to keep from laughing at Hudson's mimicry. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"Oh no? I thought she was about to give him _my_ room!"

"Well, don't you feel sorry for him?" Lana asked, watching Hudson closely.

Hudson dropped her gaze, as if her fingernails were suddenly the most fascinating thing on earth to her. "Well, yeah. Of course I do. I mean, do you think I didn't want to offer him my room and keep him there, safe and as far away from his father as possible?" She glanced up at Lana, frowning a little. "But that doesn't mean he deserves as much from me. It doesn't mean I'm just going to forgive and forget and pretend like it never happened."

"No. No, you shouldn't," Lana replied, reaching out to touch her hand. "But still, you love him, Hudson. No matter what he's done to you, that hasn't changed. And I don't think you should ignore it. The more you fight it, the worse it's going to hurt you."

"I can't give him that much yet, Lana." Hudson shook her head. "Not when all I want to do every time I see him is scream at him."

"How were things this morning?"

Hudson glanced up at her and smiled a little. "Weird. I mean, Lex was outside doing all of these chores – even mucking out the stalls. AJ was following him around; it was so cute. And Lex – Lex seemed so happy. We talked about his past a little and he was smiling in a way that special way that he so rarely does… "

Trailing off, she sighed and dropped her head once more. "It hurts whenever I look at him," she whispered.

"Oh, sweetie!" Lana squeezed her hand. "I wish I could make it better for you. I wish I could make it all go away."

Nodding, Hudson forced a smile to her face. "I know. Thank you for that."

"Why don't we change the subject to something happier?"

Doubting that there was anything she could talk about that didn't involve thoughts of Lex, Hudson searched her mind for something before her eyes focused on the applications in front of Lana. "I know. Why don't you put me in the position you're looking to fill!"

Lana blinked for a moment, shifting a little under her friend's enthusiastic gaze. Finally, she laughed. "Oh, Hudson. I almost thought you were serious."

Hudson frowned. "I am."

"Oh." Lana looked down at the applicants, wondering what would be the easiest way to tell her friend no. Maybe she should just stick with the truth. "Honey, you know I love you but… you're really not the most reliable person on earth."

Raising her gaze to Hudson's outraged look, she quickly added, "I mean, timing-wise. And it's important to make it here each day in time for your shift. You're always out there doing so much, being drawn into situations where your help is needed… what if one of those times comes up at the last second and you miss your shift? It's not fair to do to the others who work here."

"Oh, come on, Lana," Hudson whined, flashing a quick pout at her. "I need something to do to get my mind off of things, and you know mom and dad won't let me get involved in any physical activities. Please?"

Biting her lip, Lana looked away for a moment, weighing her options. She did want to help her friend out but was it worth putting the business at risk? When she asked herself that question, she found herself nodding. "I remember Lex believed in me when I wanted to start this place and we all need someone to take a chance on us." She brought her gaze back to Hudson and smiled. "When can you start?"

Hudson's eyes lit up instantly, a reaction that to Lana was worth any tardiness her new employee might incur. Just when she was about to answer, a voice cut in:

"Don't you think you should check with the boss first?"

Lana looked quickly at Hudson in confusion as Lucas moved up to the bar. Her friend shrugged in reply before glancing over at Lex's brother with a frown.

"I like the whole Egyptian/Assyrian vibe," he commented as he looked around before returning his gaze to Lana. "It's clear you've put a lot of time and effort into this place."

"Yeah, yeah. So did Lex," Lana replied, wanting to make it clear that she wasn't going to let him ignore the fact that the Talon belonged to his brother as much as her.

"Well, Lex is… uh, he's not exactly in the picture anymore."

"I don't see that there's any need for you to revel in what your father has done to Lex," Hudson snapped.

Lucas turned to her with a grin. "How's he doing down on the farm, Hudson?"

"He's doing great," she replied with a confident nod and a forced smile. "He's a survivor."

"Well, I hope that he can survive on nothing," Lucas smiles, "because anything that was his is now mine, including this place."

Lana glanced quickly at Hudson before informing him, "You should know that Lex wasn't my boss. He was my partner."

"Oh?" Lex's brother raised an eyebrow, leering slightly. "Even better."

Hudson glared as Lucas brushed past her, moving behind the counter to look around, snooping through things like he owned the place. Which, maybe by default he did now, but that didn't make it right. She glanced over to see Lana staring in confusion and disbelief, eyes tearing up, lip trembling. Hudson knew what this place meant to her friend, knew how she didn't handle it when Desiree had convinced Lex to close it down. There was no way Lana would be able to handle another disappointment like that.

Getting up from her seat, Hudson started toward the back to talk to Lucas but Lana grabbed her hand. "Don't," she told her softly.

"What? Lana, I'm not going to let that jerk barge in here and take over the Talon."

"And I appreciate that," Lana whispered, squeezing her fingers. "But it's not going to help Lex if you get involved with this, angering his brother. You can't be in the middle, Hudson."

"I'm already in the middle," Hudson told her. "The moment Lex showed up on our doorstep, he put me there. And now, with Lucas threatening you – "

"He hasn't done anything yet. Hudson, please," Lana pleaded, leaning in to her. "Just go home. I'll be fine."

Sighing, Hudson glanced toward Lucas as he exited the back room, his gaze scanning the coffeehouse before flickering over her. He flashed her a big grin.

"Hudson," Lana prompted, tugging slightly on her arm.

"Fine. But if he gives you any more trouble, you let me know. Promise?"

Lana nodded. "I promise. As long as you promise to be here on time for work tomorrow?"

Hudson smiled. "Done." She glanced over her shoulder, watching as Lucas walked past them. "Could I get two cappuccinos to go?"

"Sure."

Lana hurried back behind the counter to prepare the order while Hudson stared at Lucas as he rounded the room then finally started for the door. He looked back at her briefly, another smile flashing across his face as his eyes purposely roamed over her from head to foot. Hudson had the urge to just give him a quick flash of her heat vision – nothing that would permanently damage him, but certainly enough to cause him a little pain. Unfortunately, having the urge to do something and giving in to it were two different things. She had to be content with the image in her mind as he disappeared out the door and out of sight.

When Hudson returned home, she found her parents waiting for her in the kitchen. She set the cappuccinos down as she slipped off her coat. "What's up?" She asked.

"Harry Sanderson fell from the grain bin today and broke his leg," her dad informed her as he helped Martha into her coat. "Their cattle need to be at auction tomorrow morning, so your mom and I are going to help drive them out to Abilene tonight. We were going to take you with us but… " He trailed off and glanced toward the steps. "Unfortunately our house guest prevents that."

"Are you going to be all right alone?" Martha asked her daughter softly. "I mean, with things are how they are between you and Lex… "

Hudson shrugged, slipping her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "I'm not going to fry him into a crispy critter or anything. Don't worry. I can forget, for the most part, that you're letting the guy who ripped my heart out and stomped on it, sleep in the room next to mine."

Martha glanced at Jonathan worriedly.

Laughing, Hudson reassured them, "Everything will be fine. I promise."

"Don't let him go snooping around, H.C.," her father warned her quietly. "I mean it."

She shook her head. "I won't."

Nodding, Jonathan grabbed the small overnight bag they had packed and pulled open the door for his wife. "There's fried chicken and left over mashed potatoes in the refrigerator," her mom informed her as she started for the door. "There's also a few pieces of pie left over. Be sure to fix a salad or something. Don't just order pizza!"

"Yes, mom." Hudson leaned against the counter, watching as her dad shuffled her mom out the door. It closed behind them and she sighed. "Well, this is unexpected," she muttered, glancing toward the stairs.

Grabbing the hot beverages, she quietly made her way up the stairs, hesitating outside the guest room door only for a moment before peering inside. Lex was seated in a very uncomfortable position on his bed, his laptop in front of him, pecking away almost angrily at the keyboard. If Hudson typed with that kind of force, her fingers would have been through the desk by now.

"What did those keys ever do to you?"

Lex paused a moment, a flicker of a smile crossing his face. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know that computer is never going to piss you off again." She moved inside the room and over to the desk, sitting one of the cappuccinos down in front of him. "Here. Fresh from the Talon."

Raising an eyebrow, Lex picked up the cup, noting that it was as hot as usual, a small clue to give credence to his theories, and one that he never overlooked. "Should I wonder what it is I'm about to drink?"

Hudson shrugged, sitting on the bed. "It's not poisoned, if that's what you think," she replied. "Old habits die hard, I guess."

"Here's to old habits then," Lex remarked, raising his cup for a moment before sipping at the hot beverage. "And thank you." He let the silence continue between them, watching Hudson over the edge of his cappuccino before asking, "Did you see your parents?"

"Yeah. They caught me on their way out. Mom said she left dinner. Are you hungry?"

Lex stared at her silently, causing Hudson to wonder if she had something sticking out of her nose or something. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind something to eat."

"Okay. I'll go get it ready. Just… join me when you feel like it."

Relief washed over her the moment she exited the room into the hallway, and Hudson wondered at it. She'd never once been uncomfortable around Lex in the time they'd known one another, but now she suddenly was. She didn't know what to say or how to behave. And always, deep inside of her, there was this overwhelming urge to scream. She just wanted to stand there in front of him and scream at the top of her lungs, and keep screaming until something changed or he understood or maybe she understood. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Hudson thought that getting older meant she was supposed to gain some divine wisdom or something. But she still felt completely in the dark.

By the time Lex joined her in the kitchen, Hudson had their dinner warmed up and sitting on the table. She focused on the food in front of her, and the rumbling of her stomach, instead of the rightness of Lex sitting across from her. It was entirely too easy to believe that they were still together, that maybe they were living together or married and he'd spent the day at work and she had his dinner waiting for him when he arrived at home. Hudson bit down on her tongue hard, trying to make the thoughts go away. She knew that Lex was occasionally watching her, but refused to meet his gaze. She meticulously pulled apart the chicken, eating the crispy skin with a little added salt first, and then moving on to the meat. She'd tear it off the bone, and eat it, licking her fingers before diving in for another bite. When the meat was gone, she turned her attention to the potatoes, making designs in the mound with her fork before finally adding a little more butter and finishing them off. The silence between them was deafening. Hudson was certain that the sound of a pin dropping would have given them both heart attacks.

Pushing her chair back, Hudson gathered her plates and carried them over to the sink to wash them. Moments later, Lex joined her, setting his dishes on the counter beside her and grabbing the towel to dry the ones she'd finished washing. She clenched her teeth together, hating that he was standing so close to her, hating that he smelled good and actually considered it okay that he was invading her space.

"I can to do this myself, you know," she snapped, refusing to hand him the next plate.

Lex tensed slightly at her words. Apparently deciding to ignore them, he pulled harder at the plate but she wouldn't let go. He threw the dish towel onto the counter in aggravation and turned to face her.

"Dammit, Hudson. I thought you were over this."

"Over it? _Over it_?" She whirled around, arms akimbo as she glared up at him. "You break up with me, swearing it has nothing to do with Helen, then two seconds later you're out flaunting her around the town and at me and you expect me to be _over it_?? Couldn't you have been honest with me and admitted you just wanted to date her?"

"Don't you dare speak to me of honesty, Hudson Kent!" Lex replied, leaning toward her angrily. "You wouldn't know how to be honest if it slapped you in the face."

Hudson swallowed at that, unable to deny it without lying more. And yet, she couldn't just leave it there because she would be admitting that she had been lying.

"I'm sorry you can't accept what happened to me when Chloe and Lana were sick, Lex," she responded, inwardly pleased with her reply. "You're just trying to switch this around, turn the guilt on me!"

"It _is_ on you, Hudson," Lex snapped, waving a hand toward her. "No matter how hard you try to convince yourself that this somehow all comes back to Helen, the fact is that I can't love someone who doesn't trust me."

Wincing at his words, Hudson fought back the tears that burned her eyes. "You've never been fully honest with me, either, Lex!" She accused.

"You want honesty?" Lex yelled, tired of reasoning with the child in front of him. "Fine! I'm with Helen because she's a good person, because she wants me to be a good person. She's honest, she's kind, she's mature and I don't have to deal with any childish tantrums from her!"

Tears falling, Hudson none-too-gently pushed Lex away from her before hurrying past him, desperate to get to her room where she didn't have to see him. His hand reached out to grab her arm before she could get away though, and suddenly his mouth was on hers and his tongue was pushing past her lips and Hudson swore that she hated him, even as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer.

"You're a goddamn spoiled brat," Lex whispered against her mouth, his hands moving beneath her shirt, brushing over the skin of her belly and the underside of her bra.

Hudson whimpered in reply as he pushed her back against the table, fingers working at the buttons on her jeans. She barely had time to kick her shoes off before Lex was pushing them over her hips, panties sliding along her skin. His hands moved away from her for only a moment, tugging at the zipper of his slacks and then she felt the tip of his erection probing her entrance.

"Lex," she gasped, wrapping her legs around his hips and pulling him in. "Oh, Lex…"

"Shhhh."

He nipped at her lower lip as he slowly began thrusting into her. He hated thinking it – this was where he belonged. It's where he dreamed of being on a nightly basis. Buried deep inside of her was much like being home, being safe. It wasn't like this with Helen. Sex with her was pleasurable but more like a business negotiation than love. Impersonal, detached, methodical. At times, Lex found himself preferring it to moments like these with Hudson, when he felt far too raw and open. It was easier to touch someone like this when you only cared for them, as opposed to that one person who reached deep into your soul each and every time you felt their skin against yours. When it came to Hudson, his emotions became mixed up with his desires. He didn't want to think; he only wanted to feel. But with the person who touched him like no other, he wasn't afforded that luxury. And feeling opened him up to hurt.

Hudson gasped as Lex changed his angle and pace, the power of his thrusts increasing. There was something wrong, something that was missing between them but the moment didn't give her a chance to think about it. Not when Lex's teeth clamped down on the skin of her neck, giving her a little tickle that probably should have hurt, and his hands curled around her shoulders, dragging her down to meet his thrusts. Now _those_ she felt, inside and out, making her toes curl and her senses reel. Desperately, she cupped the back of his head and pulled him to her for another kiss, silently attempting to communicate to Lex how much she had missed him, how much it meant to her to have him back again. Surely he understood now how silly he'd been to break up with her and turn to Helen. Yes, they had their problems, and yes, she understood that her lies were unfair. But he had to see that, in the end, this was what it was all about; it was all worth it, every little problem they had. They loved each other.

"Love you," she whispered against his mouth, her hands cradling him against her like something precious and fragile. She felt his fingers curl into her skin again, clasping to her in a way that should have hurt, and then his body shuddered and she felt his warmth spilling into her.

It barely occurred to Hudson that she hadn't reached her own release, that Lex hadn't taken the extra care to touch her, to bring her to orgasm along with him. Not until she felt his body leaving hers, when the cold air reached her and that something that she knew was wrong between them hit her full force. It wasn't right; this wasn't Lex, this wasn't them. Her breath hitched in her throat as she followed him up, searching the gaze that she found herself not recognizing, if only for a moment.

"Is that enough for you?" Lex demanded angrily as he readjusted his clothing. "Is that how you want it?"

"Lex," Hudson gasped, staring at him in confusion.

"I ended it between us, Hudson. For a reason."

"No – "

Running a hand over his face in frustration, Lex shook his head, muttering, "Dammit," before turning and stalking out of the kitchen.

"Lex," Hudson whispered after him, ignoring the tears as they rolled down her cheeks. "No… "

Slipping down from the table, she tried to fight her tears back as she struggled back into her jeans. Once she had her shoes on, Hudson glanced up at the stairs.

Lex was really gone. This had just been a goodbye, and little else.

A sob escaped her at the realization and she sped out of the kitchen into the night.

------------------------

Lana had just fallen asleep when she heard the tapping at her window. She was becoming used to the occasional nightly visit from Hudson, when her friend just seemed to need someone to talk to, and she was instantly awake. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and padded her way quietly over to the window, pulling the curtains aside and opening it.

"Hudson, I know you can't hurt yourself but it doesn't stop the panic whenever I see you on the roof," Lana teased as her friend slipped quietly inside.

Her smile quickly fell away though, when she noticed the streaks of dried tears on her friend's face. "Hudson?" She touched her arm. "What is it?"

Dragging the sleeve of her shirt across her eyes, Hudson sniffled. "I hate him!" She whispered fiercely. "I hate him so much!"

Lana bit her lip, wincing at the sound of pain in Hudson's voice with her words. She turned quickly to shut the window and the curtains before taking her friend's hand and pulling her over to the bed to sit down. Reaching up, she brushed the fresh tears away from Hudson's eyes and then took her hands between her own.

"What happened?"

"I… I don't know," Hudson whispered, shaking her head, her voice sounding helpless and desolate. "My parents had to leave for the night and I warmed up the leftovers and we were eating dinner… and then I was washing dishes and I was so angry that Lex was there, hovering over me, forcing me to notice him and smell him and feel him and… and then…"

"And then what?" She prompted, squeezing Hudson's hand.

"And then we were having sex," Hudson admitted, blinking as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "We were having sex in my parents' kitchen, and I was so certain that everything was going to be all right." She glanced at Lana, eyes wide with confusion. "I thought he loved me… like I love him. But then… then he just got up and he yelled something at me – god, I don't even remember what he said – and he was gone and I realized it was all for nothing!"

Staring helplessly as her friend broke down into sobs, Lana pushed away her anger, for the moment, of Lex's treatment of Hudson, and reached out to pull her friend into her arms. "Oh, sweetie," she whispered, brushing her fingers through the dark strands of Hudson's hair. "I'm so sorry."

"It's over," Hudson bawled against her shoulder. "It's really over. And it's all my fault!"

"No. No, that's not true." Lana pulled back to cup Hudson's face and force her to look at her. "You can't blame yourself for this. Lex made the decision – "

"Because of my lies!"

"Hudson, you have to protect yourself," Lana argued, even knowing that a part of her agreed that Hudson should be honest with Lex. That wasn't the point, at the moment. "Your secret is the biggest secret in the world, do you understand that? If Lex loves you like he has claimed, if he wants to be with you, then he should have trusted you. I truly believe you would have told him when you felt you were ready. He blew this, sweetie. Not you."

Hudson pulled away, shaking her head as she refused to meet Lana's gaze. She got to her feet and walked toward the other side of the room, arms wrapping around her waist to hug herself tightly. Occasionally, her body would tremble from the force of pain she could feel moving through her. She wanted to scream and cry an ocean of tears and run far, far away where no one would ever find her. But she didn't think she had the strength for any of it. Right now, her body just felt like it wanted to collapse beneath her, and maybe she would never have to move again. This was worse than any sickness caused by the meteors. A part of her wished she never had to feel again. A part of her wished she could find a piece of red meteor rock and just… not be herself anymore.

"I feel so foolish," she commented after a few moments of silence. "I really believed that everything was going to be okay. I told him I loved him and… he just left me there."

Sighing, Lana played with the edge of her nightshirt for a moment as she tried to think of something to say. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. What did you say to someone who thought they'd had the world handed to them, only to then have it cruelly ripped away? It was hard for Lana not to harbor very uncharitable thoughts toward Lex and his disinheritance. A part of her wanted to walk up to him and say "Boy, Karma's a bitch, isn't it?" But then, it really wasn't her place to get mixed up in all of this. Whatever her relationship with Hudson might be, it couldn't interfere with her business relationship with Lex – not that they really had a business together anymore.

It was all far too complicated.

"You shouldn't feel foolish," Lana finally replied, even though she doubted her words would make much of an impact at the moment. "If there is anyone who should be feeling foolish, it's Lex. He did a terrible, awful thing, Hudson."

"I hate him."

Lana doubted that. This whole situation would be easier to deal with if she did. But Lana didn't believe Hudson could hate Lex, no matter what he did. As weird as it was considering their differing backgrounds, Hudson and Lex were like two halves of a whole. Everything they did revolved around the other, whether they knew it or not. Which caused Lana to believe that Lex's recent decision to end their relationship would have widespread consequences for everyone involved. She didn't know what would happen, or why, but she was fairly certain their worlds weren't going to continue on business as usual.

Not ready to begin the argument with Hudson as to what her true feelings for Lex were, Lana scooted back on to her bed and patted the extra pillow beside her. "Come on. Stay the night. You look like you could use some rest, and I'm sure things will be a little more clear in the morning."

Hudson shook her head, turning slightly so that the shaft of moonlight through the curtains cast a beam of light across her eyes. "I can't. Mom and dad would kill me if they knew I left Lex there alone… "

"Hudson, I seriously doubt that Lex is out wandering the farm tonight looking for clues to your secrets," Lana replied. "In fact, if I know anything about the man you've talked about non-stop for almost two years, it's that he's probably as upset about what he did tonight as you are."

Her friend snorted in reply.

"Come on," Lana insisted, pulling up the sheet to crawl under it as she waved for Hudson to join her. "Besides, if you go back now, you're liable to castrate Lex with your eyes. And while he may deserve it, you'd probably end up regretting it."

Hudson sniffled, trying not to smile. "At least I'd be the last woman he'd ever have sex with."

Lana laughed softly. "That's a good way to look at it. But really, I think your parents would be very disappointed in you. Now, come lay down. At least for a few hours until you feel a little better."

"I'll never feel better," Hudson whispered, more to herself than Lana, before moving over to the side of the bed where she kicked off her shoes.

Sliding under the covers, Hudson curled up beside her friend, staring into the darkness as she felt Lana's hand move over her arm in a repetitive, soothing motion. Inside, she was still screaming; she thought she probably would be for the rest of her life. But Lana's touch had stilled the tremors, and the warmth of her friend's presence helped her to not feel quite so alone. Sighing, she tucked her head closer to Lana's, and closed her eyes.

"We should run away," she told Lana softly, her voice barely a whisper.

"And where would we go?" Lana asked with a smile.

"Anywhere. It doesn't matter. Just as long as it's far away from here, where no one could find us. I'd take care of us. We'd have everything we'd ever need."

Lana found herself picturing it, a life with no worries, with Hudson by her side, taking care of everything. And she wouldn't have to share her, especially with other people who seemed only to want to hurt her. She could love Hudson without reserve, and help her to grow and feel confident in herself and the world around her. She'd keep her safe from everyone who would judge or use her, and neither of them would ever have to be alone.

"We'd have each other," Lana added after a moment, her fingers picking up a strand of Hudson's hair, threading through it.

"Yes. Each other," Hudson repeated, eyelids burning with of another bout of tears. She remained silent as they trailed down her cheeks, softly hitting the pillow beneath her.

How many times had she pictured running away with Lex in just such a manner? Protecting him from his father, and from the world at large that tried to hurt him. She'd spent so long imaging a future where her purpose would be to take care of and love him, that Hudson doubted she could do anything else. She was supposed to graduate from high school, go to college in Metropolis, move in to Lex's penthouse with him. She'd major in something that would make her parents proud and she'd graduate with honors, and then they would marry and nothing beyond that really mattered.

Except now, all of that had changed. That future was erased, and Hudson really couldn't imagine a tomorrow.

She choked back a sob, telling Lana, "I feel like there's something inside of me being ripped apart."

Lana's arms moved around her and pulled her close, and Hudson found herself crying once more against the shoulder of her nightshirt. She felt Lana's lips brush against her forehead, and her soft breath as she whispered, "Shhhhhh. It'll be okay."

Hudson wanted to argue. She wanted to tell Lana that nothing would ever be okay again but she was tired and everything ached and she hated who she was and what she was. She hated her biological parents for sending her to Smallville and she hated Lionel Luthor for sending Lex to Smallville and she hated her parents for not handing her over to some government laboratory, where she'd never have to _feel_.

Instead, she cried until she thought her eyes would dry out and fall out of their sockets; until her stomach was so twisted in knots and aching that it reminded her of being exposed to the meteor rocks. She knew Lana was holding her; brushing her hair with her fingers, caressing her shoulder and arms, whispering soothing words about how the hurt would go away and things would be better in the morning. She knew her friend was comforting her, but she couldn't really feel it. She didn't want to feel it. Hudson wanted to revel in her pain and never, ever forget that Lex Luthor was a bastard who didn't deserve to be saved that day on the bridge. At the thought, the tears would come again, and she'd silently ask Lex to forgive her for thinking such a thing, and Hudson would wish that he were holding her now, promising that everything would be all right.

Some time later, Hudson fell into an exhausted sleep, dreaming of puppies, and roses, and broken promises of love.

------------------------------

Lana woke Hudson just before dawn, reminding her that she still had chores to get done before school. Hudson didn't really feel like going anywhere; Lana's bed was warm and comforting, and she knew her friend would spend every moment trying to make her feel better. But if she didn't get home before her parents came back, there would be far too much explaining to do. So she hugged Lana, promised to stop by the Talon on her way to school to help open the coffee shop and quietly left, through the door this time, to speed her way back to the farm.

She arrived before Lex was up, before her parents had returned, and was thankful for both. Knowing it would be risky to speed through her chores, Hudson did it anyway, wanting to be done and showered and away from the farm before Lex was up. In minutes she was done with her chores, had hurried through her shower, dressed and grabbed an apple on her way back out the door. She didn't see Lex, though she had heard him moving around in his room. If her parents knew how reckless she'd been, they would have been very upset with her. Actually, if they'd known anything that had happened since last night, they would have been angry.

Racing her way to the Talon, Hudson waited around while Lana opened the shop up and gave a few instructions to the morning shift. She grabbed some coffee and a Danish to go, then followed Lana out to her car and then headed to school. Hudson was grateful that her friend said little during the drive; she didn't bring up the night before, or mention Lex's name. Hudson just wasn't ready to talk about it yet. She didn't even want to think about it. Her hurt was turning to anger again, and she couldn't stop the desire inside of her to inflict the kind of pain on Lex that he'd inflicted on to her.

As Lana pulled into a parking space, she glanced over at Hudson and gave her a half-smile. "Are you going to be okay today?"

Hudson nodded. "Yeah. Class and all. It'll keep my mind off of things."

"I hope so." Lana reached out and touched her hand. "If you want to talk…"

"I know, Lana. Thanks." Leaning across the seat, she hugged her friend before pulling back and opening the door to head into the school.

Glancing at her watch, Hudson was pleased to see she still had enough time to stop by the Torch with her delivery for Chloe. She made her way down the hall, forcing a smile at the few kids who said hello, before finally standing outside the office of the newspaper. Chloe was bustling around the tiny room, flipping through folders and occasionally stopping by the computer to type in a few words. Hudson actually felt a little guilty interrupting her, but she figured her friend could use a little break, especially since class would begin in just a few minutes.

"Ahem."

Hudson smiles as she holds up a large to-go cup of coffee and paper bag containing a cheese danish as Chloe turns around.

"Hey," Chloe greeted her with a smile. "I didn't know the Talon delivered."

"I decided to make an exception," Hudson responded, holding them out to her.

Grinning, Chloe snatched the coffee from her hand, sipping at it as she took the bag and started back across the office. "So, I'd heard rumors of a certain someone deciding to go into the coffee business. But I hadn't really believed it. Guess this means you were serious?"

Hudson shrugged as she moved inside, wandering over to the desk where Chloe took her seat. "Yeah. I was serious."

Chloe set her coffee down then reached into the bag to pull off a piece of the cheese Danish inside and take a bite. "So, how does it feel to be a minimum wage earner?"

"Great," she replied with a smile before a frown appeared to mar her brow. Hudson couldn't help but wonder if she was going to keep her job, with the way Lucas had been behaving the day before. What if he took his vengeance towards Lex out on her? "But there seems to be some personnel changes over at the Talon."

"Are you talking about Lucas Luthor?"

Hudson blinked, her frown deepening. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Her friend laughed. "Are you kidding? The prodigal Luthor son returns, and to top it all off, the new heir has taken over the castle. I mean, that's the story that could land you a byline on the front page of the Daily Planet."

Making a face, Hudson looked away for a moment. She knew she should just stay out of it, ignore Lex's problems and let him deal with his brother on his own. He didn't deserve her loyalty or her protection. But there was something about Lucas she just didn't trust, although she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was just her paranoia when it came to Lex. Again, she shouldn't allow herself to worry about it but she just couldn't help it.

"I just… I don't trust Lucas," she admitted. "I think he's hiding something."

Chloe rolled her eyes as she lifted her feet up on to her desk and leaned back in her chair, enjoying breakfast. "Come on H.C., I know you have this bias when it comes to Lex, but cut the guy a break. He's had a really tough life. He bounced from foster home to foster home. I mean, he never got adopted."

Hudson sighed and shrugged. "Well, when you were looking at his past, you didn't find anything weird at all?"

Licking the icing from her fingers, Chloe leaned forward and hit a few keys on her computer. Behind her, the printer began whirring. "Um, just the source."

Leaning back, Chloe pulled a piece of paper out of the printer and handed it to Hudson, whose eyes widened as she looked at the top of the certificate.

"Metropolis United Charities?" Hudson shook her head in confusion before looking at Chloe. "But I thought you said I was the only adoption through them?"

"You were." Chloe raised her eyebrows, her expression one of untold excitement at discovery such a strange mystery. "Until two weeks ago. That's the date of the database change, when someone went in and added that."

"That makes no sense."

"Well, when you're talking about the Luthor world… " Chloe trailed off and shrugged.

Tapping the paper against her fingers, Hudson wondered what all of this could mean. Did someone want Lex to find Lucas? Was it Lionel? And why? What did Lucas' appearance and Lex being disinherited have to do with anything? She figured Lionel would just have done with Lex once Lucas was in the fold, but now she was beginning to wonder. If there was one thing Lex often reminded her about his father, it was that the man never did anything, said anything, went anywhere without purpose.

The ringing of the class bell startled her from her thoughts as Chloe jumped to her feet and turned off the computer. "US History calls," she told Hudson as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

Frowning, Hudson realized she was going to have to wait until after school to figure out what was going on. She knew she should just let it go, and let Lex fight his own battles. In fact, she should just let him go.

But she couldn't. Or, at least, she wasn't ready just yet.

And a full day at school only heightened her trepidation about facing Lex again. A mixture of anger and hurt had pooled in the bottom of her stomach all day long, leaving Hudson filled with even more dread about returning home. Even with her parents there, she knew she still had to deal with their houseguest – the man who had sex with her right there on the kitchen table and then told her in so many words that she wasn't worth the time of day. Part of her was afraid to speak to him because she might rip his head off, and the other part feared bursting into tears.

To combat both, she went home and immediately threw herself into her chores, speaking to no one. When her mother called out to her, asking what she wanted for dinner, she barely grunted a reply. Her entire focus was on the chores she needed to get done, especially since she couldn't use her abilities to get through them. Hudson was forced to take the same amount of time her dad might have while doing them himself because of Lex's presence on the farm. It was moments like this that made her appreciate her abilities, while at the same time hating them and what she was. It reminded her, all too clearly, that she wasn't like everyone else, that she never could be. She knew she took for granted the fact that she did in a minute what it would take her father two hours to do. Hudson couldn't help feeling that it was both wonderful and horrible to be herself.

Climbing over the fence into Spike's corral, Hudson pulled the hose with her to slip into his tank and fill it. The bull ignored her presence for the most part, snuffling over in the corner through his bucket of grain. As she started back to turn the water, she found Lex watching her silently from just beyond the fence.

Hudson frowned as she dropped her gaze and climbed back over, heading without a word to the pump.

"That probably isn't very safe," Lex commented softly as she walked past him. "Climbing in there with that bull."

Ignoring him, she turned on the water and then spun on her heel, heading back to the barn.

Lex followed, quickening his pace a little to catch up to her as she made her way up to the loft. "Hudson, I want to talk to you about last night."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you so I guess you're up shit creek without a paddle, aren't you?" She snapped, grabbing the pitch fork and contemplating throwing it through the nearest wall. That would take care of a lot of things.

Stopping at the tone of her voice, Lex considered dropping it and heading back into the house, but he just couldn't bring himself to do that. Not when something had to be said. He took a deep breath and continued to follow her.

"Where were you last night? I was worried."

"I'm sure you were," she replied, her voice indicating otherwise. "And I don't think it's really any of your business."

Knowing she was just baiting him, Lex let her reply go. "Hudson, look, I'm sorry for what happened. It was… inexcusable of me."

Hudson slammed the pitch fork into the pile of hay in front of her, her anger growing. She reminded herself to be careful because it would be far too easy to snap the handle into splinters or drive the entire thing far too deeply into the ground. Instead she concentrated on cleaning out the dirty hay and piling it into the wheelbarrow, pointedly ignoring the man behind her.

At her continued silence, Lex tried once more. "Hudson… "

"Can't you just leave me alone?" Hudson demanded, whirling around to face him. "Don't you think you're hurt me enough?"

"Hurt _you_?"

Lex stared at her in disbelief, recalling how he'd spent the night berating himself for every little thing he'd ever done to her, reminding himself that she was better than him, that he was lucky to have even been a part of her life even for a short time, and that he didn't deserve someone like her. He'd gone to her room to see her, to apologize and maybe hold her just one last time like he wanted to. He wanted to kiss her tears away and help her understand how much she would always mean to him, even if they couldn't be together. But she hadn't been there, and she hadn't come back, and Lex knew he'd been the one to chase her away. He spent the night awake, worrying about her, wondering if he'd ever be able to make it up to her. He spent the day waiting for her return, thinking of what to say, knowing that he couldn't let what happened between them destroy whatever might be left of their friendship.

But apparently that wasn't possible.

"_Hurt you_?" He repeated, anger surfacing. "What do you think you've done to me over and over again for months now, Hudson?" He shook his head. "You know, I used to believe I was the most selfish person on Earth, but apparently you're determined to take that title away from me."

Hudson stiffened at his words, wincing slightly because she knew he was right. She knew he could see through her lies, and for so long he just let her continue to tell them, never pushing for more. But somewhere along the way, she supposed it just got to be too much. It seemed, with every passing day, that she had more lies to tell, more truths to hide, more differences separating her from the rest of the world. Maybe promising Lex 'someday' just wasn't good enough anymore. Especially when she didn't know if 'someday' would ever come.

Frustrated by her silence, Lex slipped his hands into his pockets and looked away. "It was a mistake to come here, I know. Tell… tell your parents thank you for taking me in."

Hating that she immediately succumbed to the wave of guilt that engulfed her, Hudson started after Lex the moment he turned to walk away. "Wait. Lex."

He stopped but didn't turn around.

She searched for the right words to say, without apologizing for anything she didn't feel she'd done wrong. How was she supposed to say 'I'm sorry about the lies, but they're not my fault!'?

"You don't have to leave," she began lamely. "I mean, you don't have anywhere to go."

Lex smiled sadly to himself. It wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he knew she was right. "I can take care of myself, Hudson."

No, she didn't think he could, actually. Not that she could say as much to him. "I know you can but… well, my family offered you a place to stay and whatever is going on between us shouldn't interfere with that." She felt so grown up for saying such a thing.

"Can you handle that?" Lex turned to face her, wondering at his ability to push people away so easily. Hudson had been his best friend, she'd loved him. And now, they could barely say two civil words to one another.

She didn't really have a choice. Her parents would be disappointed in her if she let her feelings get in the way of offering help to someone who needed it. "Yes."

Lex didn't believe her, but at the moment, he didn't have very many options. It was true that he felt safe here; something inside of him believed that even if his dad did try to strike at him again, the Kents would protect him. He knew it was wrong to get them involved in his problems, but he really didn't have anyone else. His relationship with Helen just wasn't strong enough to get her involved, even though he knew if he called her at the conference and told her what was happening, she'd let him stay at her place.

And maybe a part of him wanted to hold on to Hudson for as long as he could, no matter how much they continued to hurt one another.

Finally, he shrugged a little and forced a smile. "If you're certain."

She wasn't, but he didn't need to know that. "I am." Hudson returned the smile, eyes widening a moment as she realized she had something to show him. "Oh! You might want to see this!"

Lex watched curiously as Hudson hurried over to her backpack and opened it, digging through her folders for a moment before pulling out a sheet of paper triumphantly. He started over to her, meeting her halfway as she turned around and held it out to him.

"Chloe and I were discussing your brother before school this morning. I thought you might be curious to see what organization arranged the adoption."

Taking the paper, Lex's eyes narrowed as he stared down at it, anger replacing the feelings of distress that were always present when Hudson was near. Suddenly, his focus was no longer on her and them, but on the more important matter of his father and the latest game they were playing.

"Metropolis United Charities," he read aloud, unable to bite back the sarcasm that entered his tone.

"Chloe said Lucas's file didn't even exist two weeks ago," Hudson explained. "Suddenly, there it is."

Lex nodded, mind processing this information and quickly laying out the specific scenarios that would cause his father to make this move. "Like somebody wanted him to be found," he added for her, frown growing. "Of course, the detectives I hired failed to mention where they got their information."

Hudson bit her lip at the familiar darkening of Lex's gaze. She knew that look. "Do you think your father knew about Lucas all along?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Do you even have to ask?" Lex snapped, instantly regretting his tone. This particular fight was with his father, not Hudson. "Lucas was in on this from the beginning."

Spinning on his heel, Lex stalked angrily back to the stairs, determined to find out what was going on between Lucas and his father that had him situated firmly in the middle. He didn't like being made a fool, and that was obviously what both his father and his brother were doing to him at the moment. And probably enjoying every minute of it.

Hudson followed him to the railing, peering over the side as Lex moved down the steps at a quick pace. "If your father was hiding Lucas why would he suddenly let you find him?"

Lex paused at her question, turning to glance back up at her. "Because ever since he took LexCorp, he knows I've been looking for an opportunity to get back at him. He co-opted Lucas before I could." Shaking his head with a half-snarl, he spun back around and continued descending the steps. "While I've been playing checkers, my father's been playing chess."

Sighing, Hudson watched as Lex exited the barn, and wondered if he didn't welcome this game with his father as a good excuse to get away from her.

-------------------

Sometimes Hudson was absent-minded. She really didn't think it was her fault, though. There were just so many things going on in her mind; friends and family to take care of, weird happenings around the town, school work, farm work, and Lex, who really was a classification all unto himself. So she could convince herself that being late for her first shift at the Talon really wasn't her fault, because Hudson was absent-minded and Lana certainly should know this being her friend and all. At least, this was what she told herself over and over again as she sped through town toward the coffeehouse, praying she wasn't fired before she even had the chance to work.

When she rushed in, Lana was hurrying away from Lucas, who was frowning in a manner that was apparently inherent to all Luthors. Hudson decided to ignore him, flashing a quick look of apology at her friend.

"Lana, I'm so sorry I'm late – "she began, only to have a tray covered in mugs of coffee shoved into her hands.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Lana replied, though her tone said anything but.

She gave Hudson one of those looks, the kind that always made her feel like she had messed up big time. She'd seen the look not only from Lana but also Chloe, Lex, occasionally her parents. Hudson wondered if there would ever be a time in her life that she didn't totally screw up.

"You can make it up by taking these lattes to table three," Lana continued, before whirling around to head back to the counter.

And then Lucas' voice rang out across the room, "I want you to fire her."

Hudson glanced up as she set the last latte down, blinking in confusion at Lex's brother. "Fire me?" She repeated, moving toward him. "For what?"

"You were half an hour late to work," Lucas snapped angrily. "What were you doing, helping Lex dig up more dirt about me?"

Hudson's eyebrows raised at his comment. Oh, so apparently Lex had already spoken to him about the information Chloe had discovered regarding Metropolis United Charities. And now he was pissed off at her because of it. She repressed a sigh, knowing that this would be one of those moments where her father would remind her not to get mixed up with the Luthors, to let Lex fight his own battles, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Hudson really didn't think this week could get any worse.

"Lucas, I am not going to fire Hudson," Lana told him as she moved up beside her friend in a welcomed show of solidarity.

Lucas shrugged. "Okay. Then I'll fire you too."

"Check our partnership agreement," Lana argued, her anger flaring. "You can't do that. Lex made sure of it."

Hudson held back a smile, pleased for the first time about Desiree's attempt at destroying all of their lives. If that relationship hadn't happened, Lex would never have looked into securing the Talon for Lana, and Lucas would have an easy task of evicting her. As it was, that was neatly prevented, and Lucas didn't look none too happy about it either, as he continued to glare between Lana and Hudson.

Finally, he replied furiously, "Lex is history, and so is this place. You can count on it."

With that, Lucas turned and headed out the back door. Biting her lip, Hudson glanced down at Lana whose expression wavered between anger and tears. Knowing she wasn't about to let her friend be hurt by her own talent for screwing up, she handed her tray to Lana and then hurried toward the back door to follow Lucas into the alley.

"Lucas wait!" She called out. "You can't do this!"

"Get it through your head, Hudson! I'm a Luthor, I can do anything I want!"

Hudson blinked. That was a display of even greater arrogance than Lex had ever shown. Maybe Lucas' presence could turn out to be a good thing, if the people of Smallville began targeting him instead of Lex.

Shaking her head, Hudson continued down the stairs after him. "Lucas, look, if you want me to quite, I will. Just leave Lana out of this," she begged.

Lucas turned back to her, and for a moment, Hudson felt a sliver of hope within her. He pursed his lips briefly and then replied, "Too late."

Hudson watched in consternation as he continued down the alley. Well, she didn't handle that very well, did she? It really hadn't occurred to her that he might say no; she was used to people typically giving in to her. There wasn't much of a reason for Lucas to despise her so much, beyond the fact that she was close to Lex. In actuality, she wasn't even choosing sides in this battle because she had no real idea what was going on. The Luthors puzzled her, and Lionel Luthor's actions were the most confusing of all. She doubted she would ever understand why he was so hard on Lex when it seemed to her that Lex was constantly doing everything he could to impress his father.

Sighing in resignation, Hudson turned to go back into the Talon when the sound of a motorcycle revving it's engine down at the entrance of the alley distracted her. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lucas freezing in place, staring down in the shadows of the alley with her. Frowning slightly, Hudson leaned to the side, peering into the darkness as the motorcycle appeared. The figure riding it reached into his jacket and pulled a dark object out, aiming it down the alley. Only when the rider kicked the motorcycle into motion, racing past Hudson toward Lucas, did she realize he was holding a gun. Lucas broke into a run away from his attacker just as the gun was fired.

Seeing the bullets headed for Lucas, Hudson launched herself into superspeed. Rushing toward the bike, she gently reached out and knocked the attacker off of it just hard enough to stun him as he hit the wall of the building opposite the Talon. Instantly, she ran for the bullets, hoping that she was fast enough to make it there in time. A year ago, she knew she wouldn't have succeeded; but over time, her speed had increased. She just didn't know if it was enough to reach all of the bullets that had been fired.

Time around her seemed to stop as Hudson raced past a group of bullets, trying to reach those nearest, and most dangerous, to Lucas. Reaching the third closest, she knocked it out of the way with her hand, before batting at the second. Ahead of her, the first bullet fired was nearing Lucas' shoulder, and for a moment, Hudson feared not reaching it in time. She threw herself forward, shoving her hand in the path of the bullet where it hit and harmlessly bounced away. Forcing herself to pull back just a little, Hudson grabbed Lucas to shelter him, the last of the bullets slamming into her back as they fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Hudson asked Lucas, checking him once with her x-ray vision to make certain she didn't miss an injury as they slowly climbed to their feet.

"Uh… yeah." Lucas nodded, staring down the alleyway at his attacker as the man climbed back onto his motorcycle and zoomed away. He didn't bother letting on to Hudson that he recognized him.

Instead, he frowned a little and glanced at the girl beside him, the quaint little farm girl who was completely on his brother's side and yet had just saved his life. His eyes narrowed as he pondered exactly how she'd made it from the door to him in enough time to push him out of the way of the bullets.

"How exactly did you do that?" He asked.

Hudson started at the question. She'd been looking at the bullet holes on the back of her jacket, wondering how exactly she was supposed to hide them, when his voice had startled her. She blinked at Lucas a moment, before asking, "Do what?"

"I was over fifteen feet away from you when those bullets were fired. Yet, you knocked me out of the way."

"Oh, ummm… he wasn't a very good shot," she replied, pointing at the bullets she had knocked away into the buildings and a few pieces of scrap metal around them.

"Hudson? My god, what happened?" Lana hurried out of the back door toward them, eyes wide as she looked around.

"Someone just tried to kill Lucas," Hudson told her. "Call the police."

Nodding, Lana glanced at Hudson's jacket and shot her a quick warning look before turning and running back into the Talon. Hudson slipped her jacket off, casually folding it into her arms and focusing her attention on Lucas once more.

"You sure you're okay?"

He nodded once, his gaze sweeping around the alley at the bullets on the ground, before lifting back to Hudson suspiciously.

"We should probably go inside and wait for the police to make a report," Hudson prodded, stepping aside so that she could follow him.

Lucas hesitated only a moment before finally heading back to the Talon.

"The police are on their way," Lana called out as she approached them. "Are either of you hurt?"

"No," Lucas snapped, on edge. "What kind of town do you live in anyway?"

Hudson ignored his question, slipping into a chair with her back to the wall. She had no idea if her shirt had holes in it too, but she wasn't about to take any chances. She watched quietly as Lucas paced near the front of the coffee shop, while Lana sat down beside her.

"What happened?" She whispered.

"It was an automatic weapon. I stopped the bullets in time, but most of them hit me in the back."

Lana nodded. "Should I call your parents?"

"No. Just… do you have a jacket or sweater I could borrow? I think there are more holes in my back." Hudson looked over at her friend hopefully.

"Yeah." She stood. "I have a spare in the back. Hang on."

Hudson felt a little more relaxed once she Lana's jacket on, even if she didn't wear pink very often. It calmed her enough to get her through the interview with the deputies when they arrived to take statements from her and Lucas. She didn't know if it was a bad thing or not, but lying to the questions posed by the police had gotten easier over the past year. Plausible excuses came more quickly, and Hudson knew she actually sounded confident in her delivery of each answer. Not everything made sense, of course, but if there was one thing she had learned, it was that the police really didn't bother to double check everything. They were either uninterested or unwilling to search for the truth. It caused her to wonder how, exactly, crimes were ever solved.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Kent," Deputy Crowley told her, before flipping the notepad in his hand closed. "We'll be calling you if we have any more questions."

Nodding, Hudson forced a smile before glancing over the deputy's shoulder to see Lex hurry into the building. He stopped short when he saw Lucas, and they exchanged a glare, before he seemed to dismiss him and continue his way across the room to her.

"Hudson, are you and Lana all right?" He demanded. "I saw the police cars outside."

"Someone shot at Lucas in the alley," she replied with a shrug. "We're both okay, though."

Lex examined her face silently for a moment, mouth thinning. Finally, he commented, "Imagine that."

Hudson shifted uncomfortably.

Another moment of silence between them before Lex asked, "Would you like a ride home?"

At least she had an excuse. "No. Thanks. I have to work – "

"Go home, Hudson," Lana interrupted as she passed by them with a tray of cappuccinos. "It's been an insane night, and I already found someone to cover for you anyway. Just be certain to be here tomorrow afternoon – we're going to be short-staffed."

She was tempted to argue and tell Lex no anyway, but he was here and they were both going to the same place, and it would be kind of ridiculous to refuse at this point. Especially with Lana already speeding away from them. Hudson would tell her how unfair it was of her to do that tomorrow, leaving her with little choice after everything had happened. She knew it was probably Lana's way to get them talking again, even if it was a rotten thing to do.

Glancing over at Lex, Hudson found him watching her expectantly and suppressed a sigh at his knowing expression. Without a word of acknowledgement, he stepped to the side, giving her room to maneuver around the table and make her way toward the door, Lex close on her heels. As she passed by, she looked over at Lucas, who was finishing up with the deputies. Their eyes met for just a moment, before his gaze drifted behind her to his brother. Finally he flashed them both a slight frown before returning his attention to the men in front of him.

"I don't think I like your brother," Hudson concluded quietly as they exited the Talon.

Lex kind of shrugged beside her. "He's a Luthor. Through and through."

Hudson wasn't certain how she was supposed to respond to that, or what Lex actually meant by it.

------------------------

Hudson didn't like working, that much she had concluded. It wasn't so much that she minded the work, it was more that there were far more important things to do – such as figure out what game the three Luthors were currently involved in. Having a shift the next afternoon at the Talon interfered with that; and she didn't like that she felt guilty for running out on Lana when Chloe brought her the information regarding the man who attacked Lucas. Hopefully Chloe would cover for her like she asked, then she could apologize to Lana later and all would be well. After all, this was important. Lana would understand that.

Pausing at the gate to the mansion, Hudson noticed that Lex's regular guard Sam, was missing from the guard house. She frowned slightly, wondering if Lionel had fired him. It would be an awful thing to do to the poor old man, and for that reason alone, she feared that's exactly what happened. She would have to mention it to Lex and see if there was something he could do for Sam and his family. Since the post was empty, she reached out and pulled two of the bars apart, allowing herself enough room to squeeze through, before turning and pushing them back into place. She quickly broke into a jog, making her way up the drive and to the back of the mansion where the kitchen door was located. It wasn't until she opened it, that she found herself hoping Dodd hadn't been replaced as well.

Dodd was standing over the sink, frowning deeply as he peeled a potato. He looked up as Hudson entered, frown remaining. "You are lost, Miss Kent. Lex does not live here anymore."

Hudson rolled her eyes and snorted softly. "You think I don't know that? My mother was doing his laundry this morning."

"So, why are you here? This isn't a delivery day."

"No. Actually… well, I'm here to see Lionel. He's around, isn't he?" Hudson made a face. "He seems to be skulking about Smallville a lot these days."

Dodd's expression mirrored her own, like he'd just taken a rather large bite out of a rather bitter lemon. "Yes. _He_ is here. Lording over the estate like some – " He broke off into a barrage of Russian, through which Hudson was only able to catch bits and pieces of the curse words he'd taught her.

She couldn't hold back her smile at Dodd's apparent opinion of Lionel Luthor. "You thought you were rid of him, didn't you?"

"Yes. Him and his foul temper." He pointed the knife in his hand at her as he spoke, "Every meal I make is not good enough for him! Even when I make his requests, he says they are too salty, too bland, too – gah!"

"You sure you're not one of his son's, too?" Hudson couldn't help but ask as she made her way across the kitchen to the doorway.

"I have killed for less, Miss Kent."

She shrugged as she peered down the hall. "I don't doubt that. Where is he now?"

"Probably in the study. Enjoying his victory." Dodd huffed.

"Victory?" Hudson looked back at Dodd. "Don't count Lex out yet. Anyway, the farm isn't big enough for the two of us." She made her way into the hall, calling out, "See ya."

Hudson didn't want to speak to Lionel Luthor. During his stay with Lex, she'd been uncomfortable whenever he was around. She just didn't trust him; she didn't believe a word he said or any action he made. Of course, her distrust was well-founded once they discovered he had not only an entire safe of meteor rock, but also a file on her and the missing key to her ship. More than once, Hudson wished the man would simply take a long walk off of a short pier, no matter how uncharitable the sentiment might be. And now he was messing with his son's life again, and whenever the Luthors had one of their little wars, other people were always affected.

Such as Lucas' hapless attacker, Dirk.

Pushing the doors to the study open, Hudson glanced around until she spied Lionel sitting up on the couch, his head cocked slightly toward the door.

"Who is that?" He called out.

It didn't help that every time she remembered his blindness, she felt guilty for her mean thoughts about him. Surely the man was just acting out even worse lately because of his unexpected disability. Attempting to rein in her aggravation, she replied, "It's Hudson Kent."

Lionel turned toward her, a smile slowly crossing his face. "Hudson," he practically purred. "I'm sorry. I meant to call and thank you for saving Lucas. Your… uh, rescues are becoming a bit of a Luthor family tradition."

Stopping beside the couch, she shifted slightly, almost certain that he was staring right at her – and seeing her. "I understand they caught the shooter in Metropolis," she began, wanting to get this conversation over with as soon as possible.

He reached out toward the table in front of him, feeling around carefully until he found the glass of brandy. Bringing it to his lips, he took a sip before finally replying, "Yes, I heard that."

This wasn't going to be easy, was it? Nothing with the Luthors ever was.

Sighing, Hudson stepped around in front of him, folding her arms over her chest. Which was really kind of silly since he couldn't see the stare she was giving him, and therefore, it was ineffectual. "So I can assume you've also heard that he died while in police custody?"

"Oh?" His eyebrows raised behind the dark glasses, as if this information somehow surprised him. Hudson wondered how surprised he'd be if she suddenly kicked him – and snapped his leg in two. "That's unfortunate. But, it happens."

At least she didn't have to hide rolling her eyes. She always had to do that with Lex when he was less than honest in his reactions to her.

"Just awfully convenient, isn't it?" She pointed out, the idea of really and truly kicking him becoming more appealing by the moment. "Kind of like how Lex was able to track down Lucas."

Lionel chuckled.

She thought she could make it a clean break, right at the knee. Then he'd really be disabled.

"I think you've inherited your father's paranoia, Hudson."

Maybe the knee and the thigh. And the ankle, too. The man would never walk again without an artificial leg.

"We're not talking about my family, Mr. Luthor," she pointed out angrily, dismissing the whole kicking idea, no matter how appealing it was. "We're talking about yours."

Lionel was about to reply when his cell phone began to conveniently ring. As he reached into his pocket, he glanced up toward Hudson, again as if he could actually see her. "Good night, Hudson," he said dismissively.

Stubbornly, she didn't want to leave. She thought if she stood there long enough, he would just tell whoever it was he would call them back and deal with her questions. Unfortunately, Lionel just held the ringing phone in his hand, giving her a slightly perturbed smile. Apparently, this conversation was over.

Letting out a soft huff, Hudson turned and started back to the door, hesitating only when she heard him tell her, "Send my regards to your mother."

It would be a cold day in… Shaking her head, Hudson exited the study, closing the door behind her. She paused for a moment, glancing down the hall in both directions, before leaning her ear against the door. Her mother's words from long ago came back to haunt her '_No one likes an eavesdropper, Hudson Clark Kent_!'. But she quickly pushed the admonishment from her mind, knowing that this could be important, and just this once her mom could forgive her indiscretion.

Lionel's voice was crisp and clear. "Yeah… What?... Lucas, where are you?... All right, all right. I'll take the chopper… I'll be there in half an hour… My office. Don't do anything rash. You understand me?"

_Rash_?

Worrying her lower lip, Hudson hurried back down the hall, toward the French doors that led to the garden. Once she was away from the house, she sped her way home to look for Lex. It might have been unreasonable to jump to conclusions, but if Lucas were calling Lionel, and Lionel was talking about not doing anything rash – especially in the tone of concern his voice had been carrying – then something was probably going on with Lex. And when one knew the trouble Lex Luthor was good at getting himself into, no one could blame her for her conclusions.

Or, she was just as paranoid as Lionel accused her of being.

It was dark in the house, which meant her mom was probably at the PTA meeting being held that night. She scanned through the walls, checking to make certain that is was empty before turning her gaze to the barn. The work light was glowing through the door, so she headed over to find out if her dad had seen Lex recently. When she entered, the last thing Hudson expected to find was her dad passed out on the floor beside his work bench.

"Dad!" She hurried over beside him, touching his shoulder just as he slowly opened his eyes. "Dad, what happened?"

He winced slightly, reaching up to touch his forehead. "I… I was talking to Lex," he replied, struggling to sit up as he frowned. "Then… I don't know. Now you're here."

Hudson bit her lip; Lex was in trouble. "Lucas," she muttered, before reaching out to take her dad's arm and carefully helping him up. "I'd better get you to the hospital."

"No." Her dad shook his head. "I'm fine. Really." He glanced over at her as he rubbed his neck. "Do you think Lex's brother did this?"

She nodded. "I was at the mansion when he called Lionel. I think he might have done something to Lex."

"Hudson, I don't want you getting involved in the Luthor war."

"Too late," she replied. "I'm already involved, dad. I was the moment mom invited Lex to stay with us."

Jonathan frowned at her words, ready to argue but finally seeming to accept the validity of her statement. "You'd better go help him, then."

Smiling, Hudson leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, dad. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Go on."

She gave him a quick nod before superspeeding away toward Metropolis. She knew there would be no trouble in beating Lionel there; the problem would be in finding a way into the building. Lex told her that after the hostage incident with Lionel and her mother, security at LuthorCorp had been tightened. Alarms were everywhere, and twenty-four hour guards patrolled the place with dogs. She was going to have to be especially careful with this particular rescue since she doubted it would be very feasible to knock out a bunch of guards, push her way into the office, stop whatever might be happening and then speed away without expecting to be seen by at least one of the three Luthor men.

Lex's family seriously needed counseling.

When she reached the LuthorCorp building, Hudson carefully made her way down one of the back alleys. Glancing around for a way in, she finally noticed a covered air vent that was small but she knew she could fit through it. Kneeling beside it, she grabbed the edges and pulled it away from the wall, the screws flying out behind her. She nibbled on her lip uncertainly for a moment before climbing inside the confined space and quietly crawling her way through the vent. She only made it about twelve feet in before reaching another grating. Peering through to make certain there was no one around, Hudson pushed the grate away and dropped down into a supply closet. Not bothering to put it back, she focused through the door to make certain the hallway was empty before opening it and making her way down the corridor toward Lionel's office.

Pausing at the corner, Hudson once more focused her gaze through the walls, this time to find the Luthors gathered in the office. Lex was tied to a chair, and both Lionel and Lucas had guns. What the hell was going on? Hudson frowned and glanced around until she noticed another air duct that ran over the ceiling of Lionel's office. Quietly she pulled the grate open and lifted herself up into it. She couldn't help but feel like a mouse, crawling her way through all of these narrow spaces, like she was hunting for the cheese at the end of the maze.

"I'm not the one who deliberately kept you in the foster care system."

Lex's muffled voice rose up to meet her, bringing Hudson to a halt. She leaned forward to look down through the vent in the ceiling. Lucas was positioned just below her, his gun pointed at Lionel, who had his own gun pressed against Lex's head.

"You're not helping things, Lex," Lionel remarked in annoyance.

"Did you ever wonder why you were never adopted... " Lex continued, glancing over at his brother. "If you were in trouble how you always got bailed out at the last minute? Don't tell me you thought you were just lucky?"

Lucas shot a quick look at Lionel, realization crossing his face.

"We're a social experiment. One son gets everything, the other gets nothing," Lex told him.

"That's ludicrous," Lionel argued. "I would never do that."

"Yeah you would. Just like you tipped off the shooter?" Lex turned his gaze back to his brother. "Your friend Dirk was on our father's payroll. Edge City was a setup."

"Shut up!" Lucas shouted. "You wanted to use me too!"

"Yes, I did, and for that I am truly sorry. But trust me, trying to gain his love and respect is not worth it."

Lucas stared at Lex for a long moment before looking at Lionel. "Is it true? Is that what you did to me?"

Lionel reached his free hand out to Lucas. "We've got a lot to talk about, son."

Lucas slapped it away. "After you kill Lex," he replied, wrenching his father's arm around and forcing him to once more aim the gun at Lex. "For once, I want the blood to be on your hands."

Hudson shook her head. Maybe her parents were right; getting mixed up with the Luthors wasn't the brightest thing she could be doing with her life. What kind of man raises his children like this? And wait... since when could Lionel see? Where were his glasses? How long had his sight been back? What was going on?

"Time's up, Dad," Lucas commented with a slight smile as he raised his gun directly at his father.

Lionel slowly shook his head. "No... I can't do it."

"That's just too bad," Lucas snapped.

"Lucas, please, don't. I will not kill my son."

This was insane. Hudson let out a soft breath as she looked around, searching for something she could use to put an end to this madness and find a way to help Lex. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the vicinity that would be available for a distraction. Biting her lip, she glanced down at Lucas and narrowed her gaze. She felt the prickle of her heat vision just behind her eyes as she focused them on his gun. Barely a second later, Lucas cried out, dropping the gun to the floor.

"You psychotic little bastard!"

Hudson's eyes widened in surprise as Lionel spun around and pistol whipped Lucas, knocking him to the ground. Without a moment's hesitation, he fired the gun in his hand twice, directly at his prone son. Panic filled Hudson at the attack that she couldn't stop, until she realized that Lucas wasn't hurt. He was just laying there on the ground, glaring up at his father with a small bit of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He wasn't shot though, and Lionel appeared as surprised by this fact as Hudson felt.

"It must be in the genes.," Lucas panted, wiping at his mouth.

Lex chuckled.

Hudson shook her head. This was insane.

"It's blanks," Lionel muttered in shock.

Lucas sat up and pulled the clip from his gun. "This one too."

Lex looked up at his father, laughing at his expression. "Checkmate."

Biting back a sigh at her own confusion over the entire scenario she'd just witnessed, Hudson quietly pushed herself back along the vent, moving carefully so as not to make a noise. She needed to get out of there before she either got caught, or did something stupid like knock the heads of all three Luthors together. Just what the hell was Lex thinking, trusting this brother he didn't know to play a game like that with his father? What was the point? To prove that his father wouldn't shoot him? Hudson doubted she would ever take a gamble like that when it came to Lionel Luthor. Then again, she figured that was probably why there were blanks in the guns. Lex wasn't stupid, and apparently, neither was Lucas.

With another frown and shake of her head, Hudson dropped down from the air duct and quickly made her way back to Smallville.

--------------------

Hudson hung back as the last of the customers left the Talon before making her way inside where Lana was locking up. Her friend looked up at her, frowned slightly, and quickly went back to her work. Knowing what a cold shoulder was when she saw it, Hudson kicked at the floor with her boot for a moment before following Lana inside.

"Lana, I realize you're locking up, but I just need to explain—"

"It's not necessary." Lana shook her head and forced a smile as she glanced over at Hudson. "I understand."

"You're not mad." Hudson was kind of surprised. It had been a long time since Lana had ever actually been mad at her.

Making a face, Lana met her gaze for a moment and her smile softened just a little. "Somehow, when you let people down, you make it really hard for them to be mad at you."

"Lana, I had to save—"

"Hudson, I know you had to—"

They stopped as they realized they were speaking over one another and laughed, the tension between them quickly dissolving.

Lana shook her head slightly with another smile, dark hair dancing over her shoulders. "So, I guess that's it."

"Yeah." Hudson sighed and shrugged with the slightest disappointment. "Shortest career in the history of the coffee house business."

"Second shortest." Lana laughed and reached out to touch Hudson's arm comfortingly. "Don't forget my one-day at the Beanery."

Giving her another smile, Lana moved past Hudson and began putting the chairs up on the tables. "So, did everything work out? What's going on with Lex and his father?"

Hudson shook her head as she leaned against the wall, crossing her feet at the ankles as she watched Lana work. "I don't know how much I actually helped the situation. The whole thing was pretty messed up. I'm still not really certain what was going on between the three of them. Lex was tied up and there were guns and… " She trailed off and sighed.

"Sounds like a bad eighties action flick."

"It was bizarre, I'll say that much. For the first time ever, I found myself thinking that maybe my dad was right about the Luthors."

Lana stopped what she was doing to stare at Hudson. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

Hudson shrugged. "I don't know. Everything about Lex confuses me anymore."

"Well, that's understandable." She gave her friend another slight smile. "I mean, after everything the two of you have been through, and the past few days. You're so close to everything that goes on with his life, and yet, you're not really a part of it, you know?"

"I guess." Hudson glanced down at the floor, pondering the designs of the tile. "So, umm, I guess I really can't convince you to give me another chance with the job, huh?"

"No, hon. I'm sorry." Slipping her hands into her jeans pockets, Lana moved over to Hudson and looked up at her. "Hudson, you're not meant to be working in a coffee shop. There are bigger and more important things for you to be doing out there. And I know that you wish you could just be like everyone else but… you're not. You're special. You do special things. And the last thing you should be doing is worrying about getting lattes to table number three when there are people in danger that you can save."

Hudson shook her head and looked away. "It's not fair."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Lana reached out and touched her hand, threading their fingers together and squeezing lightly. "But we can't change who we are. All we can do is be our best. And, sadly, your not at your best serving coffee."

They grinned at one another before Lana leaned up to give her friend a hug. "No hard feelings?" She asked.

"Nah." Hudson smiled as she pulled back. "No hard feelings. Look, I'd better get home. I'm a little behind on my chores, and I need to check on my dad."

"Okay. See you tomorrow in class."

Nodding, Hudson made her way outside, and sped back to the farm.

Once she let her parents know she was back, Hudson went outside to finish unloading the feed bags they had picked up earlier that day. Her dad was still slightly dizzy from his concussion the day before, even though he refused to admit, and her mom was forcing him to take it easy. In a bid to help out, Hudson had offered to take on all of the chores that day, and she'd fallen a little behind with her visit to the Talon.

The familiar whine of a sports car distracted her from her work, and Hudson turned to smile slightly as Lex pulled to a stop beside the truck. Setting the bag in her hands down, she pulled off her gloves and leaned against the truck bed, watching as Lex climbed out of the car and walked over to join her.

"My mom told me you were going to come back and get the rest of your stuff," she commented softly, realizing for the first time that as uncomfortable as she'd been with Lex living under the same roof as her, she suddenly didn't want him to go. It was a Catch-22. It hurt to have him so close, but she was worried about how estranged they might become if he left.

"Surprisingly, my dad's had a change of heart." Lex smiled, slipping his hands into the pockets of his coat with a shrug.

Hudson nodded a little, wondering why Lex found that so surprising. After all, there was no telling what Lionel Luthor was going to do from day to day. But apparently, he made the decision that one son was better than the other.

"I'm sorry that Lucas didn't turn out to be the brother you wanted," she offered.

"Considering his father, I'm surprised he's still alive at all."

Hudson nodded, thinking this over and not understanding it one bit. "Where is Lucas now?"

Lex leaned against the pickup truck beside her and glanced out into the darkness. "Safe. But I'm going to have some work to do to regain his trust."

"You will." She was confident of that, no matter what problems might exist between herself and Lex. "You're not your father."

"Sometimes, Hudson, we're all held hostage by the will of our parents. The only difference is, your parents are good people. All my father does is push people away." Lex brought his gaze to Hudson's, giving her a half-smile. "Your parents opened their home to me, no questions asked."

Shaking her head, Hudson couldn't stop herself from commenting, "As long as I live, I don't think I'm ever going to understand your family."

"Neither will I," Lex replied honestly. "But, I hope you never do, Hudson. The last thing I would ever want would be for you to be wrapped up in this life, understanding any part of it. You deserve better than that."

Hudson frowned a little at his words. She didn't like the fact that Lex thought she was so different from him, that she couldn't handle being a part of his life. Especially when she was the one constantly saving his neck, whether he knew of every instance or not. She wished that she could get through to him that she didn't need his protection, she didn't need him to look out for her, she didn't need –

And then it hit her. The reason Lex was pulling away, the reason that he was throwing himself into this relationship with Helen was because he wanted to protect her. He thought she deserved better than him, that she should have more than what he had to offer. All that she needed to do was prove to him how wrong he was. Sure, Lex and his father did come really strange things, and Lionel didn't care about who got hurt along the way. But she couldn't be hurt. She was safe from all of that, and Lex needed her in his life to protect him. Not the other way around.

He couldn't hold out forever. His interest in Helen was just a temporary thing that would fade away, as long as Hudson could convince him that she was all right, that she was strong enough to survive to be a part of his life, that she could understand it if he only gave her a chance. All she had to do was wait this out. Lex wouldn't be with Helen forever. He'd come back to her. She just needed to show him that they belonged together.

Relief flooded her at the thought, and she turned to flash Lex a big smile. "I hope everything works out. I mean, with your dad and brother and stuff."

Lex nodded silently, watching her for a long moment before asking, "And what about us? Are we okay?"

She took a deep breath. He would come back to her. Of that, she was certain. "I think so. I mean, I'd rather have you in my life than not, you know?"

"I'm glad to hear that." He leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. "You'll always be important to me, Angel. Never forget that."

"I won't."

She wouldn't.


	24. Vignette 7 Conception

Vignette 7

**CONCEPTION**

"No. Tell Barnes I'll meet with him tomorrow morning," I snap into the phone, pinching the bridge of my nose in an attempt to stave off my annoyance. "Eight o'clock. My office."

At the sound of footsteps, I glance up, seeing Hudson enter the study, watching me hesitantly. I frown slightly and look at my watch. I'm supposed to meet Helen for a date in an hour; hopefully Hudson isn't here to play pool. I hate telling her no.

"I'll call you later," I tell Gabe before hanging up the phone and standing to greet her. "This is a surprise."

"I'm… I'm not interrupting, am I?"

My frown deepens as I realized Hudson seems hesitant, almost frightened; that isn't like her. Even with the change in our relationship, she stills walks into the mansion like she belongs her, without fear of rejection. Now that I'm looking at her more closely, her skin is paler than usual, eyes wide. I move toward her, taking her hands in mine, surprised at how cold her fingers are.

"Hudson, what is it? Is something wrong?"

"I… " She trails off as she stares up at me, mouth gaping like she can't find the right words. Again, very uncharacteristic of her. Typically, Hudson won't shut up.

"Is it something bad?" I tug on her hands, guiding her over to the couch to sit down beside me. "Tell me, Angel. You know that if I can help, I will."

Hudson sucks in a deep breath and looks away, eyes filling with tears. "Lex, I… Oh, Lex. I'm so scared."

"Hudson Kent? Scared?" I scoff with a soft smile, attempting to lighten the mood. "I don't believe it. What could you possibly be scared of? Besides spiders, that is."

She brings her gaze back to me, her fingers curling against my own in a too-tight grip. "Lex, I… " Her voice drops to a whisper. "I think I'm… pregnant."

I stare at her in shock, unable to adequately process her words. Blinking once, I fight back the immediate rage at the thought of her with another man. Selfish and irrational, I silently tell myself. I'm the one that ended this. I'm the one who told her that we couldn't be together. So who am I to tell her she can't be with anyone else? I've moved, and so should Hudson. Still, to be faced with something like this is almost too much. Shouldn't she have gone to the possible father instead of me?

Knowing she trusts me, and unable to not feel pleasure at the realization she can still come to me, even after all that's happened, I squeeze her hands in support. "It's all right. It'll be okay, Angel. Can you… uh, tell me who the father might be?"

Silence. She stares at me in apparent disbelief before blinking, shaking her head. "Lex… you're the only… I mean, there's never been anyone else."

Overwhelming nausea.

I drop her hands and stand, walking away quickly before I do or say something I'll inevitably regret. Impossible. Completely and utterly… No.

"What the hell, Hudson?" I whirl back around to glare at her. It's hard not to wonder if this is just some pathetic ploy to get me back. "How? We were careful, dammit."

"T-The week you were staying with us," she stammers, seeming small suddenly, shrinking in on herself. "That night… we didn't... it was spontaneous and – "

"You're supposed to be on the Pill!"

Hudson blanches. "My parents… that is, they don't… they didn't want me… they don't believe in the Pill."

It's a lie. It's the most blatant and unimaginative lie I've ever heard her tell. She isn't even trying. I want to throw something at her, and call her out for the liar that she is.

"Goddammit, Hudson!" I yell, my control snapping. "If this is some fucking feeble attempt of yours to get me to leave Helen, then you'd better be honest with me this instant! I've dealt with enough damn false paternity suits over the years – I'm not falling for this one just because it's you!"

She bursts into tears and it hits me that this isn't something she made up; she's truly terrified. And now I am, too. Sure, I've had lovers come to me with the same problem over the years, though a good number of them were usually on purpose. It's far too tempting to give birth to the Luthor heir, to imagine the life of luxury that would be afforded to both mother and child. The easy way to wrangle a marriage proposal, or at least monthly alimony payments. Not surprisingly, each and every one had been an easy pay off – my dad was usually the first to hear of them, to offer the women cash and medical costs in exchange for an abortion and silence. Sometimes, he made me clean up my own messes, and it mattered little when I did so. I hardly knew these women; I certainly didn't plan on spending the rest of my life with them. The only women I ever allowed into my life on more than a one-night stand basis were those I trusted to be smart enough not to attempt to ruin my life or theirs.

Unfortunately, Hudson doesn't fall into any of these categories, and for once, I am completely at a loss for what to do.

Running a hand over my scalp, I remove my handkerchief from my pocket and walk over to give it to her. "Stop crying," I tell her, my voice devoid of emotion.

She shakes her head as she takes the piece of silk from my hand, covering her eyes. "You don't understand," she cries. "You can't."

I know her comment isn't simply teenage dramatics. I assume this is with regards to all of her secrets, and I can admit to myself, if my suspicions are true, the implications of a possible pregnancy are overwhelming. Sighing, I sit on the edge of the coffee table across from her, folding my hands in front of me. It's far too tempting to reach out and take her into my arms, and tell her that everything is going to be all right. But then, I'd be giving in to emotions and hope that I can't allow myself to feel.

"Hudson, calm down. Let's think through this rationally," I begin, waiting until her sobs subside slightly and she raises her red-rimmed eyes to mine. "Good. Now, how can you be certain of this? That night only happened five weeks ago."

Sniffling once, Hudson wipes at her eyes before answering, "I should have had my period that following week. I'm like clockwork. I can almost tell time by it. And it hasn't happened."

I frown. "You've been going through a lot lately, Angel. It's possible that your entire system is off-balance."

"I took five pregnancy tests this afternoon," she tells me in a quick breath. "They all said positive!"

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Dammit, Hudson!" I stand to pace, rubbing the back of my neck. "I can't believe you lied to me about something as important as being on birth control!"

"I didn't!" She argues. "I never said I was! You just took it for granted."

I want to strangle her. I hate how she always excuses her behavior. "You can't take responsibility for any of your actions, can you?" I demand, turning to face her angrily.

"Me?" Her tears are gone for the moment, and I'm more comfortable because of it. "You're the one who started it that night, Lex. You're the one who fucked me through the table, remember?"

I close my eyes. "Don't talk like that," I admonish quietly before turning away once more. I need to get control here. "We need to… have you told your parents?"

"Are you insane?!"

Good. That means we can take care of this, without them ever knowing.

Maybe.

Dammit.

There's this part of me… I mentally shake the thought away before walking back over to the couch, and sitting beside Hudson. I take her hands back in mine and reach up to wipe her tears away.

"It's going to be all right," I assure her with more confidence than I feel. "You're not alone. Whatever happens… well, we'll deal with it together."

Her eyes widen a little as she watches me. "Do you… I mean, what if… what if I am pregnant? What if it's real?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," I respond noncommittally.

Hudson frowns, her gaze dropping to our hands. "Lex, if I am… " She sighs and shakes her head. "I've grown up seeing my mother's sorrow over not being able to have children and I couldn't… you can't ask me – "

"I said we'll make that decision when we have to, Hudson."

Because, for once, I know I wouldn't be able to ask it. To voice it. And I can't even allow myself to contemplate the idea of Hudson carrying my child. Whatever lies might exist between us, however much she might not trust me, I certainly couldn't lay the blame on an innocent child. _Our_ child. She's not even seventeen yet, and I have no idea what my role in this world is supposed to be, but still the thought of spending my life with her, of having a family and a home all my own is… I can't let myself think of it.

"We need to schedule an appointment with a doctor."

Her eyes widen again, slightly panicked. "No! I mean… " She's backed herself into a corner; I can see it. I try not to revel in her desperation to dig her way out of this one. "That is… You're right." Her shoulders slump slightly, and I can see her mind whirling behind her eyes.

Silence stretches between us, neither of us knowing what to say. I'm supposed to meet Helen in another half hour, and yet here I am, sitting with my ex-girlfriend, considering the unthinkable. Life is never what I expect it to be, or what I plan it to be. My father would tell me it's due to my own mistakes, my lack of planning, my inability to not dive head first into all things with my emotions on display and my eyes shut. He'd laugh if he knew about this. He'd shake his head and tell me how he expected it. Another mistake in my long line of never-ending failures.

"I'm scared," Hudson whispers softly.

I want to berate her, to tell her she should be and that this is all her fault. She's destroying her own life, she's ruining my relationship with Helen – the first thing I've felt that I've truly done right in my life. Her parents will be disappointed in her, they'll hate me more than they do, she'll lose friends and have no future and… There's hope in me that I shouldn't be feeling. I tell myself I don't want this, but this wouldn't be the first time I've lied to myself. I wish I could point out to her how wrong this is, that we've both made a huge mistake, and how many lives we'll be ruining if it's true.

But instead of lecturing her in the manner she deserves, I reach out to pull her into my arms, where she belongs. Where I don't want her to be.

"Shhhh." I whisper, petting her silky hair, lingering in her warmth even as she clings to me as if I can somehow make it all go away. "Everything will be all right. We'll face this together. No matter what happens."

--------------

Lunch with Helen. I'm looking forward to it; I need something to get my mind off of everything else. Helen has a way of calming me with just her presence. She's very smart and very honest and grounds me when I find myself drifting away from everything around me. Maybe I use her for that – to try to bring me back to myself, back to someone I can recognize. I care for her. I do. I just don't know if I care for her the way she seems to care for me. I don't know if I'm capable of that, and she deserves so much more from me.

I didn't make our date last night. After the news from Hudson… well, I just couldn't bring myself to face her. I had a lot of thinking to do. I still have a lot of thinking to do. Hudson called last night, but I ignored the phone. She called three times, actually. And then once more this morning. I'm avoiding her like the coward I am because I don't know what else to say. A part of me feels as if I didn't react enough to the news, and the other part feels as if I overreacted. She's young, she's been through a lot lately, and there is plenty about her that is a mystery. This could all be a false alarm, and I don't want to walk away from it looking like a fool. And I don't want to make promises that I'll just break again. I should have been more careful, I should have…

Hindsight is fucking useless.

I stop short in the hospital corridor, my internal thoughts fleeing at the sight of Jonathan Kent pacing worriedly beside the vending machines. For a moment, I feel pure panic at the idea that Hudson gave up on me, told her parents what happened, and they promptly brought her to the hospital for an examination. But I don't see Martha anywhere, and Jonathan appears more concerned to me, than angry.

"Mr. Kent," I greet as I approach him. "Is everything all right?"

He glances up, and for a moment he seems to not even recognize me. Finally a familiar frown crosses his face. "Uh… yeah, Lex. I mean, no. That is, Martha's sick. We brought her in this morning."

"What's wrong?" I ask immediately, prepared to offer anything they might need – be it money for the medical expenses or specialists to treat her.

"We don't know." He shakes his head, glancing down the hallway. "Helen is… she's working on it."

I nod, remembering the last time I offered to fly in specialists to take over for work Helen was doing. I refrain from making the offer. "She's a good doctor, Mr. Kent. If anyone can figure out what's wrong with your wife, she can." Looking around, I can't stop myself from asking, "Where's Hudson?"

"I… sent her home. Her mother was working on the fundraiser and… " Jonathan trails off, sighing. "She wouldn't want Hudson spending her time here, worrying."

"It's probably for the best," I reply automatically, though I find myself wishing I could go to her. Certainly she has enough on her mind at the moment without having to worry about her mother as well.

Jonathan turns away from me, walking up to one of the vending machines and slipping in a few quarter for a can of iced tea. Removing it from the slot, he starts past me before stopping suddenly, as if having forgotten I was there. "I, uh, need to get back to my wife, Lex. I'm sorry."

Shaking my head, I force a hopeful smile. "I understand, Mr. Kent. I'm sure everything will be fine."

He nods quickly before continuing back down the hall toward the ICU.

I don't know if I should consider myself lucky that Hudson won't be telling her parents about her possible pregnancy or not.

Pushing the thoughts aside, I concentrate on the pleasant thought of spending some time with Helen as I continue toward her office. The door is slightly ajar and I watch her for a moment as she works at her desk, looking through a pile of folders. Helen's a beautiful woman, with dark, exotic looks that would send any man to his knees. She has an incredibly sweet smile, and luxurious hair that's almost as soft as Hudson's to touch. I enjoy our conversations best of all; she's very bright, and has had a thorough education. Being raised in the same environment as me with a rich father who had her future planned long before she was walking, I think she understands me as well as anyone since… well, since Victoria. But unlike Victoria, Helen hasn't been tainted by that. She's fought so hard to be her own person, to not be shoe-horned into the life expected of her, and I can't help but admire that. She's an example to me; the person I one day want to be. It just might be too late for me to get that chance now that I've apparently fucked it all up due to a one-night slip with Hudson.

I knock softly, offering Helen a smile as I enter her office. "I saw Mr. Kent in the hall," I tell her as I take a seat in the chair in front of her desk. He didn't tell me much, so maybe she will. Anything to ease my mind regarding everything going on with Hudson. "He looked worried. Is everything all right?"

"We're doing everything we can."

It's all she offers, and I know that means I'm supposed to drop the subject. Helen's very dedicated to her oath as a doctor. It's better that I don't push for the time being.

Nodding slightly in silent acceptance of her reply, my gaze falls to the desk where I spy letterhead from Johns Hopkins. The missive is addressed to Helen. For lack of anything else to say that doesn't begin with 'Hey, guess what? My sixteen-year old ex-girlfriend might be pregnant with my child!', I instead comment, "Johns Hopkins. Good school."

Helen smiled a little and lifts the letter out from under the pile of papers it's tucked beneath. She hands it over to me. "Go ahead. Read it."

Curious, I take it from her, wondering what the mystery is. I glance over the words, surprised at their content. I knew Helen was a good doctor, but I'd never known she had any interest in research. At least, it was something she'd never mentioned to me.

"They're offering you a 3-year research fellowship," I comment, raising my eyebrows as I glance over at her. "I'm impressed."

"It's an opportunity to do pure research at one of the best hospitals in the country," she responds with a smile, though her brow furrows slightly as she says it.

"As opposed to the rural pleasures of Smallville Medical?" I can't help but tease.

I've never understood why a woman of her talent and connections would be practicing medicine here but I suppose I'm jaded in my belief that no one in this world really does anything without money being their main motivator. I know it's a handicap beaten in to me by my father, and one I wish I could rid myself of. It's already endangered my relationship once with Helen when I first questioned her as to both her work and her interest in me. It's a mistake I won't make again.

"Lex, I like my work here," she tells me with another smile. "But research has always been my first love."

Again, I wonder why she's never mentioned it before but, when I think about it, I realize I've never really asked. Little of our time together has been spent discussing our professional lives. I think we both prefer to leave those at the office, and just enjoy one another's company. Helen is an escape for me. And I'm sure that someday I'll hate myself for that.

"So... What do you think?"

I glance up at her, wondering what she means by the question. Of course, she'd be foolish to let this pass her by. I know all about missed opportunities; truckloads of opportunities have sped past Hudson and me. "Trust me," I begin, hoping that I'm giving her the right advice. "There's nothing worse than a missed opportunity."

I should know.

A knock interrupts us, and I glance over my shoulder to see a man wearing a CDC jacket, peering into the office. "Dr. Bryce?" He interrupts. "I'm Dr. Neil Moore. We're here about Martha Kent."

Apparently we won't be having lunch.

I get to my feet and give Helen a quick smile of understanding. "I'll let you get back to work."

She returns my smile before I slip through the door and head back into the hall. Almost immediately, my thoughts return to Hudson, and her visit the day before.

------------------

I move up the steps of the front porch of the Kent house, staring at the door with unfamiliar feelings of trepidation. A part of me wants to run away; I don't want to face any of this. But then, I've never really dealt with a situation like this before, at least not when I was so close to it, when it could mean so much to me. I still haven't sorted through my feelings and now Hudson is sick, and no one will tell me what's wrong with her. Helen is being silent, citing doctor/patient confidentiality, even though she is responsible for both Hudson and Martha. She won't even explain to me why Hudson is still at home, when she should obviously be at the hospital like her mother. Of course, my own suspicions tell me why Jonathan won't allow his daughter to be subjected to medical care. But if Helen isn't pushing for them to hospitalize her then… well, that could mean she knows the truth. That she was told the truth. And that's something I can't accept.

Sucking in a breath of frustration, I reach out and ring the doorbell before pulling my coat around my body a little more tightly, to stave off the early Spring chill in the air. I glance up as Jonathan opens the door, and I'm shocked at how haggard he looks. He's usually such a strong man, vigorous and healthy in appearance. But today he looks exhausted, his skin too pale, eyes too dark. I fear the man could pass out at any moment into a deep sleep.

"Hello, Mr. Kent," I greet with a slight smile. "I'm sorry to bother you but Helen told me what happened. Is Hudson all right?"

Jonathan runs a hand over his face. I can tell he doesn't want me there, but maybe he's too tired to slam the door in my face. "Uh, yeah. She's… um, she's just resting on the… on the couch. I'll be sure and tell her you stopped by to say hello."

"Actually, I'm sorry. I don't mean to behave like a door-to-door salesman, but I was wondering if I could just sit with her for a while," I ask, not really holding out any hope that he'll say yes.

He pauses for a moment, glancing back into the house toward the front room. Finally, his shoulders slump slightly, as if in defeat. "Uh… yeah. Yes. Lex, I'm sorry… uh, sure. Come on in." He steps back into the hall, allowing me entrance. "I'll… I'll just be upstairs."

I wish I could say something that might ease his mind and heart, but there's just too much history between his daughter and me for there to be any comfort in any words I might offer. "All right. Thank you."

I watch as Jonathan heads up the stairs, disappearing out of sight. Glancing toward the front room, I see Hudson stretched out on the couch, an old quilt covering her. It's difficult not to remember countless nights cuddled up on that couch with her, while her parents were out late; innocently holding hands as her father watched us with an Eagle eye more than the football game on TV. It was where we've worked on popcorn strings together, battled one another at the game of 'Life' and fell asleep in one another's arms to the History channel. And now she's laying there, unconscious, horribly sick, instead of grinning up at me with her bright smile, or flashing me a pretty pout because I haven't been by to visit in a while.

And I don't know why or how this has happened.

Eliciting a slight sigh, I make my way over to the rocking chair positioned beside the couch and sit down. I reach out to touch her hand, tracing my fingers over the shape of her delicate bones. At your first sight of Hudson, you can only be amazed by how tiny she is; she seems almost fragile. While she may be tall and fit, her frame is very small, her bones petite. It was one of the things that had shocked me so much when I realized she had pulled me from the river, and saved my life.

"Hello, Angel," I whisper, moving my fingers to touch her cheek. "I would have been over sooner, if I'd known. I… "

I've been hiding away from her, terrified over the possibility of her pregnancy. I'd made an appointment for her, so we could go together to find out if her fears had any founding, but then Martha fell ill, and Hudson never returned my call. She may be avoiding me as well, perhaps hoping that if we never mention it again, it will simply go away. Teenagers tend to do things like that; I know I did. Unfortunately, if she is pregnant, it won't just go away. And we won't be able to hide it. Not from her parents, and not from Helen.

"I've never seen you sick before," I whisper, threading my fingers through hers. "Seeing you like this is… unsettling. Helen says no one knows what it is, and I can tell she's worried. She's a good doctor, Hudson. And I know she's doing everything she can for your mother… and for you, too. But I wish… I know there's something more I could do for you, if you were ever just honest with me. Now more than ever, you need me. And I can't help you."

I sigh in frustration, eyes moving away from her face to drift over the quilt. I reach out and lay my hand over her belly, holding it there for a moment, imaging a future that isn't meant for me. I wanted to tell Helen, to warn her that there was more to concern herself with regarding Hudson's health. But I was too weak, too afraid. I couldn't bring myself to do it. She's been so good to me, so understanding, so patient. If I were to admit what happened between us during my stay at the Kents, I could ruin everything. Especially if the pregnancy isn't real. Of course, it may all be out of my hands anyway. Helen seems excited about the fellowship at Johns Hopkins, and may choose to leave me to follow her dreams. Hudson could very well be carrying my child; and then my desire to have Helen in my life won't matter anyway. Our future will be set.

"I don't know what I want anymore, Angel," I continue softly, rubbing my hand over her stomach. "I know what I don't deserve, and I know what I long for, and I know what I'm probably going to get. But I don't know what I want."

Straightening, I bring my gaze back to her face. Her cheeks are bright with her fever, with circles under her eyes that shouldn't be there. She's still far more beautiful than she should be. It's inhuman.

I shake my head at the thought and brush my fingers through the strands of hair framing her face. "I'm here because… well, I owe you an apology, Hudson. A dozen apologies for some many things. I'm still angry with you. Some days I hate you for the lies, for the hurt you've caused me. I trusted you, I believed in you. I still do. But… it's not your fault. I knew you were young; I knew I was your first experience in love. I should have fought a little harder, and I should have pushed you away while I still had the chance to do so.

"But I was weak, Hudson. From the moment I woke up on the riverbank and looked up into your beautiful face, I became weak. I wanted things I can't have. I wanted you. You reminded me of hope and goodness and love and all of the things I haven't felt in so long. And I should have known not to trust that; I shouldn't have made myself so vulnerable. I ran headlong into this relationship, and every ounce of hurt and disappointment that I'm feeling… is my own fault. I know…"

I pause and take her hand in mine, petting her fingers tenderly. "I know who I am, Hudson. I know where I come from, who my father is. I understand that you have no reason to trust me. Hell, I wouldn't trust me either. But then, I told you that at the beginning, didn't I?"

I turn my eyes back to her face. This is easier because she isn't awake. I don't have to answer questions or argue points; nothing is expected of me.

"I knew we wouldn't last, Angel. I knew that what we had was too good to be true. You're… meant for far greater and brighter things than I have to offer. All I can hope to do is find someone who will love me, trust me, and teach me to trust myself." I feel a half-smile cross my face. "And maybe, someday, I'll be worthy of at least your trust. Maybe someday we can find that friendship again that I know we were meant to have… if only I were a little bit stronger and more deserving."

She stirs slightly in her sleep, mumbling softly. I lean closer to her, listening. "Lex… " Her body stills as unconsciousness seems to consume her once more.

I'm tempted to let her know that I'm here, to promise that I'll take care of her. But I can't give in to that. I need to make a decision about the baby. I need to make a decision in case there is no baby. I need… to be far away from here.

I want to kiss her, but I can't even allow myself that much. Instead, I force myself to my feet and toward the door. I don't look back; I can't look back. She's either my future or my past. And, at the moment, I can barely handle my present.

----------------------------------

_It's for the best._

Those are the words that keep chanting in my mind as I stare across the desk at Hudson. She's standing there, looking healthy and strong and perfect once more, and she seems so relieved that I almost want to laugh. Relieved because she isn't pregnant, because her future is bright once more, because she isn't carrying Lex Luthor's child.

I don't know where this bitterness is coming from. I know that relief for her isn't the case; Hudson probably wishes it were true, that she was going to have my baby, that we would soon be playing house together. But inside I'm laughing with the knowledge that I always knew it would never be possible. That it's a life I'm not meant for; a life of happiness that I have to work for, that certainly isn't going to be handed to me in a silver platter. Especially since that life will never include Hudson Kent.

It can't include her.

"It may have been a false alarm, like you said," she tells me softly. "Or, well, it could have been my sickness. Dad said I had a really high fever."

"You did," I agree. "You and your mother were both very ill. And now… well, now you're all better, aren't you?"

More bitterness. I try not to hate the fact that no one will clue me in on this 'miracle' that occurred to instantly cured both Hudson and her mother. Helen chalks it up to something that science will never be able to explain, but I know she's hiding something. She'd been treating both Hudson and Martha; she had information on them that left her silent and contemplative the other evening at dinner. In the file I secured from Dr. Trenton, Helen's notes mentioned that she drew blood from Hudson but the notes ended there. The lack of an official file on her leaves me with even more questions. I don't blame Helen for her silence; she's dedicated to her job and that's something to be admired. But I'm sick of the Kents' silence, and I'm sick of being regarded as an outsider, as someone who can't be trusted with their secrets.

I'm sick of my emotions for Hudson being bandied about so carelessly.

Hudson shifts under my gaze uncomfortably before flashing me a slight smile. "I… can't believe how scared I was. I mean, I've never contemplated being a mother before, you know? I can't even imagine it. I can barely take care of myself let alone someone else."

"Really? I would think you'd be a natural at it."

At her look of confusion, I clarify, "You're always taking care of everyone around you, Hudson. You've saved half this town by now, I'm sure."

She laughs, the tone too high-pitched with nervousness. "That's an exaggeration, Lex. Besides, it's not really the same thing as caring for a baby, now is it?"

I glance down at my hands, not answering.

"I'm sorry… for panicking and pulling you into this and everything, I mean," she tells me. "It was stupid of me. I was stupid."

"We both were." I raise my eyes back to hers. "You're not the one solely at fault here, Hudson."

She looks ready to argue that but seems to rethink it, and instead falls silent. I know that she probably believes what has occurred over the last week should bring us closer together, and under normal circumstances, I may have allowed it to do so. But whatever exists between the two of us isn't normal. When I ended it between us, I told Hudson I didn't like the person I was becoming with her, and I mean that now more than ever. When I thought she might be carrying my child, I wanted nothing more than a life that I'm not meant for. I found myself hoping for a large, loving family, to know what it's like to go home to the Kent farm for the holidays, to have Hudson sleeping beside me each and every night, our children safe in their rooms down the hall. Hell, I was even imaging white picket fences and a cat named Fluffy.

And when Hudson was sick, when she was laying there before me, unconscious and unmoving and there was nothing I could do, I felt far too hopeless. I didn't want to lose her, I didn't want to lose the dream of having a baby together. I found myself wanting to mend the chasm between us, to assure her that I didn't need to know her secrets as long as she promised to love me and spend the rest of her life at my side. But I have to ask myself, how long would that have lasted? How long until I would have reverted back to my old ways, wanting to know more about her than she was willing to share? And how long would it be before we hated one another for it?

Whatever might have been, it ends now. If I don't do something, if I don't force Hudson to see that it is really and truly over between us, then I might slip again. I might give in to temptation, and ruin her life once and for all. I came so close to destroying everything. I can't allow it to happen again.

"Well, I guess I'd better get home," Hudson comments quietly, disturbing the silence. "Mom's still not very strong, so I need to help dad with dinner."

She turns to go and I don't stop myself from calling out to her. "Hudson?"

"Yeah?" She spins around, looking at me all hope and beauty and light.

I'm a fucking bastard.

"I wanted to ask your opinion."

I pause, reaching in to my pocket to withdraw the loose key to the mansion and hold it in my hand. It's cold to the touch, and heavy against my palm. I stare at it, knowing that once I take this step, there is no going back. But I need to let go, and so does Hudson.

"Do you think, if I asked her, that Helen would move in with me?"

_And that you will, one day, forgive me_?


	25. Vignette 8 HOPE

Vignette 8

HOPE

All of this work for all of these years and now, finally, the answer has been found.

"Hello?"

Her voice echoes through the room, nervous, uncertain. I peer at her through the scattering of book and globe-covered shelves separating us. She's statuesque in appearance, young, extremely beautiful and very different from what I've imagined time and again. I can only attribute my expectations to too much science fiction – the idea that all aliens must be ethereal in appearance. Indeed, Kaela-El is far more earthy than ethereal, with dark hair and dusky skin and eyes the color of spring grass. Amazing.

"Hello, Dr. Swann?" She calls out, voice dropping slightly. Her shoulders slump and she shakes her head as she turns to leave. "What am I doing here?"

"Looking for answers, I assume," I reply, smiling as she jumps slightly at the sound of my voice.

I watch as she cranes her head around the shelves, searching for me. She narrows her eyes almost imperceptibly as she gazes around the room, and she pauses abruptly, as if she can see me through the shelving. For all I know maybe she can, since she starts slowly toward the end of the room, moving purposely toward me. Once around the bookshelves, she stops in front of my desk, staring down at me, gaze wide and hesitant.

"Hello, Hudson," I greet softly, noting the 'fight or flight' stance that she's affected. "I've been expecting you."

I smile and give her a moment to adjust, waiting until she relaxes just a little, as if certain that no one is going to jump out and capture her. "You're probably wondering why a billionaire scientist works in the backroom of the planetarium."

Hudson blinks at me, face spreading into an almost smile. "The thought had crossed my mind."

"Well, I find it peaceful," I tell her before smirking. "Besides, I own the building."

"How very billionaire-like of you," she responds, lips twitching as if she's deciding whether or not she should laugh.

I regard her for a moment, remembering what I read regarding her association with Lex Luthor. "I forget that you are familiar with the eccentricities of billionaires."

Hudson straightens a little at that, once more adopting a defensive posture. She frowns. "Why do you say that?"

"Relax, Hudson," I reply, my tone lowering once more so as not to scare her off. "I'm no threat to you. I'm not going to hurt you. Since I read the article regarding the symbol on your barn, I've done a little studying. I know that you're… close with Lex Luthor."

"He's a friend." She glances at the floor, scuffing her toe along the wood. "Nothing more."

Interesting.

"I never meant to imply otherwise," I assure her before focusing my attention to the microphone in front of me. "Activate screen."

Hudson's gaze swings upwards as the screen along the wall begins to light up with rows of the Kryptonian symbols that I've spent the past thirteen years studying. She stares hard at it, as if memorizing each and every line, lips quivering slightly. It's impossible not to see that she can read and understand the symbols, and how very much their words mean to her.

"Does any of that look familiar?" I ask, testing her.

She starts, as if having forgotten I was here, and then she shrugs disinterestedly. "What is it?"

I hide my smile at her deception. "It's a message from the stars, Hudson," I reply, regarding her thoughtfully as I speak. "All my life, I've been staring out into space wondering. Wondering is anybody else out there? And then 13 years ago, I got an answer."

"The day of the meteor shower," Hudson supplies, eyeing me closely for a moment before returning her gaze to the screen.

"One of my receiving stations picked up a faint signal," I explain. "It took me years to decrypt it. And finally, I discovered a mathematical key that was built into the transmission."

There was a moment of silence before Hudson took a step closer to the screen. "Can you read it?"

"Yes," I admit, hoping that by doing so, she will be more honest with me. I Have no need to look at it, as I've had it memorized for years now. "It says "_This is Kaela-El of Krypton. Our infant daughter, our last hope. Please protect her and deliver her from evil_"."

Hudson reaches out suddenly, her fingers skimming lightly over the symbols before her. "Kaela-El," she whispers softly. "Krypton."

I can't begin to imagine what this means to her; to finally learn who she is and where she came from. I remain silent, allowing her time to adjust before I continue, "I've always wondered what happened to that child, if she survived the journey, if she lived among us." I pause, waiting for Hudson to return her attention to me. "And then three days ago, I saw the symbol for _Hope_ burned onto the side of a barn in Smallville, and I found that the farmer and his wife had an adopted daughter."

Panic flashes across her face and she quickly tells me, in a very bad lie, "So you think I'm Kaela-El? I'm just Hudson Kent."

"No, no, no, no, no. I'm not trying to expose you, Hudson," I assure her gently in an attempt to gain her trust. "I'm just... I'm just seeking the truth."

She stares at me silently, as if processing my words. Finally, she shakes her head, in what seems to be an automatic motion. "I'm sorry, Doctor. The truth is, I'm not who you think I am," she denies softly, and turns to go.

I fear she's been taught this response over and over again throughout her life. She carries around with her a secret that no one on this earth can imagine being responsible for keeping. And she's only a child. For these reasons, I understand her distrust. I've given her all she believes she needs to hear, and maybe that's enough for her, enough to give her reason to leave.

"If you can live with that decision, Hudson, so can I. But if you walk out that door, it'll never be open to you again." I allow her to process that before I add, "And you'll never know the second part of the message."

Her eyes widen slightly and she glances toward the screen again. Her fists clench at her sides and she licks her lips before returning her attention to me. There's anger in her eyes, a flicker of frustration.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She demands.

"We all have our windmills, Hudson," I respond. "I need to know I'm right. Once I do, it'll never leave this room."

Hudson remains silent, staring at me, evidently weighing the truth of my words. She takes a breath and I see the answer in her eyes. "Show me."

"Second screen," I command.

The first symbols on the screen disappear, and a second set lights up in their place, moving in alternating directions from row to row. Hudson glances down at me quickly before returning her gaze and reading aloud:

"_We will be with you, Kaela-El, for all the days of your life_." She swallows, blinking as she turns back to me. "What does this mean?"

"I'm not sure," I reply honestly. "But one thing I've learned about science is the value of patience."

And if there is one thing I can read on Hudson's face, it's the youthful presence of impatience. She makes a noise of consideration in her throat before her attention wanders to the wall behind me, where I have a picture of the known charted galaxy. Moving over to it, she brushes a finger across the area that is circled and there's a distinct catch in her breath.

"Is that where Krypton is?" She asks softly.

"No, that's where Krypton was." At her look of confusion, I clarify, "I followed the signal's path billions of miles out into space. I was hoping to discover its origin but instead, I found nothing."

She flashes me a look of frustration. "Planets just don't disappear," she points out before looking back at the map. She touches the empty space again. "What do you think happened to it?"

"Oh, it could be any one of a million different scenarios. War, famine, disease. I mean, look at the world around us. Is it really that hard to believe?"

Hudson frowns, turning away from the map and taking a few steps past the desk. "Well, I can't be the only one," she mutters before looking over her shoulder at me hopefully. "There must be others like me."

"There was only one message," I tell her quietly.

She shakes her head and turns away to face the map of the galaxy once more, her body trembling slightly. "Why me?" She asks, voice wavering. "There must be a reason why I was sent to this planet." Hudson looks back at me, her expression filled with desperation.

I offer her an understanding smile, wishing I could give her everything she is searching for. There is something about her that speaks of hope, something that touches me. It is far beyond the simple fact that she is an alien, and the importance of her existence. It's in her eyes and her voice and the way she carries herself as she moves. It's not blindingly evident, but it can be seen by those who choose to look for it. Hudson Kent is more than what she seems; she carries within her a destiny that is likely far greater than anyone, including myself, could realize. I see now just how important that symbol on the Kent barn was.

"You won't find the answers by looking to the stars," I respond to her, knowing it isn't what she wants to hear. "It's a journey you'll have to take by looking inside yourself. You must write your own destiny... Kaela-El."


	26. Vignette 9 Let Them Eat Cake

Hudson took another bite of the wedding cake on her plate before glancing across the room where Lex was milling around the many tables that were set up for his perusal. There were varying shades of tablecloths, napkins, bouquets, more cakes than even she could possibly scarf down. Earlier she had commented that it was nice to see how rich people went about planning their weddings. When she had added that her 'people' just called up the family on the phone, dressed the cows in their best brass bells and had a ho-down in the wheat field, Lex had appeared more than ready to strangle her with the taffeta that decorated one of the tables.

"So what flavor does Helen hate the most?" She called out, tapping her fork against the china plate in contemplation.

Lex shrugged. "I've never asked. Why?"

Hudson was willing to bet he knew that _she_ hated lemon, were she to ask. What kind of relationship did these two have anyway? Maybe that was the difference between a best friend and a spouse. Or maybe it was just more proof that the entire relationship was total and complete bullshit. Hudson wouldn't accept it; even when they walked down the aisle together, and said 'I do', she would never believe that he loved Helen.

She still refused to believe that he didn't love her any longer.

"Because I think that is the one you should go with."

Lex glanced up from the fabrics the wedding planner was going on and on about and frowned at his friend. "The snide remarks aren't appreciated, Hudson."

"She started it," Hudson muttered, returning to her cake.

Helen hated Hudson, no matter what Lex said to the contrary. Maybe he was just too blinded by the idea of love or whatever to see it. Helen was far too nice to her, always trying to be her best friend, always wanting to get her to talk to her about her problems and school and everything else. Lex would come to Hudson with invitations to dinner that were obviously conceived by Helen, where the three of them would sit in total silence until Helen would try to talk to her about things like boyfriends.

Boyfriends. The bitch just really knew how to rub it in, didn't she?

Lex always excused it, saying she was just trying to be friendly, she was just trying to help Hudson get past the awkwardness of their relationship. Awkward. That was an interesting word choice. She swore Lex had to be one of the most dense individuals she'd ever met, and she wondered how she never saw it while they were dating. How did he not see it? How could he ignore the truth that was right in front of him?

She knew the truth, and the obvious reason why Lex's fiancée didn't like her.

Helen was scared.

Scared because she knew, as certainly as Hudson did, who Lex truly belonged to. Who, in the end, he really loved. And it wasn't Dr. Helen Bryce. The only reason he asked her to marry him was because he almost lost her when her psycho ex tried to kill her. And Lex doesn't like to lose. So naturally, his only response was to secure Helen to his life. But he was deluding himself into believing he loved her, burying his true emotions deep inside where Hudson figured they best remain.

It had been a difficult decision for her to come to. Her mother had convinced her of it when she had explained that Lex needed more in his life than a sixteen-year old girl who had both a lot of growing up to do, and too many secrets to share. Hudson hadn't wanted to give up – she loved Lex so much it hurt – but she understood what her mother was telling her. The time just wasn't right.

Right now, Lex needed someone like Helen. In order to gain the respect of the people around him, to appear stable and strong, to further his business and political aspirations, Lex needed a wife who would create a good match. While Hudson held the personal belief that Helen Bryce was lacking in many ways with regards to what Lex truly needed emotionally, she could accept that the woman held a respectable job, had an impeccable past and would likely never be wrapped up in some sex scandal. After all, she'd seen them exchange a few kisses – the woman was a cold fish. When she was around, it was like having a nun nearby. Hudson had never thought a lack of desire for Lex could be possible, but seeing him with his future wife caused even her to lose interest. Of course, that usually faded the moment Helen left. Take now for instance. Hudson could think of a dozen interesting ways to sample the various cakes – and tables – and make the planning of this wedding a hell of a lot more fun.

C'est la vie. The fact that Hudson and Lex were still best friends after the love and the sex and the accusations and the fights, seemed to say a lot for their future, in her opinion. She gave his marriage to Helen five years tops; at which point she would be in college and hopefully mature enough to engage in a full-blown relationship with the love of her life. It was a little unfair that Lex had initiated her into the wonders and delights that were wrapped up in sex – especially with him – and then subjected her to his relationship with Helen, but when it came to the workings of Lex Luthor's mind, Hudson knew there wasn't a really good answer for anything he did.

"I think I like this vanilla with the strawberry filling best so far," she commented.

"Great," Lex replied blandly. "I'll be certain to remember that information for the caterer when you get married." His tone dripped with sarcasm.

"So does Helen actually know the Assiness which is Lex?"

Lex flashed her a glare.

Hudson shrugged. "I'm just saying…" Licking the rest of the frosting off of her fork, she hopped up from the couch to walk over to the table and toss the empty plate down, lifting up another, this one chocolate layered with cherries. "Explain to me again why your fiancée isn't interested in planning her own wedding?"

Lex glanced over as she devoured her fourth piece of cake. He considered for a moment that LexCorp's next study should be into Hudson's metabolism. If he could replicate it, he would make billions. Trillions, even. "She has more important things that require her attention at the moment."

"Oh. Right. Because there are things out there more important than the intricacies of the ceremony which is binding you for life to the man you supposedly love. I got it."

"I'm not in the mood for this, Hudson," Lex snapped, returning his attention to the four cakes in front of him.

Having grown accustomed to his moods, and knowing that Lex truly deserved every bit of ribbing she dolled out to him, Hudson shrugged at his tone and reached out to scrape some frosting off of the cake in front of him with her finger. "Let me know when you are. It could make for an interesting discussion."

"Don't you have homework or something to do?" He asked as he pushed her hand away.

"Hey, you're the one who invited me over here, pal."

Lex winced at her use of 'pal' and cast her another glare. His glares were usually enough to cause the recipient to cower fearfully. Unfortunately, Hudson seemed to have grown immune to them long ago. "That was when I thought you would be of some help."

"Lex Luthor – Wedding Planner. Never thought I would see the day," Hudson commented with a shake of her head.

There was a long-suffering sigh from the man beside her. "How did I put up with you? You weren't this mouthy when we were dating, were you?"

Hudson shook her head with the last bite of cake. "I developed the ability when I noticed my best friend was ruining his life."

"Hudson, go home."

"I'm just teasing." She wasn't. "Geez."

"Well, there's a lovely face I haven't seen in awhile."

Lex and Hudson glanced at one another as Lionel's voice echoed through the room.

"I think that's my cue to leave," Hudson whispered.

"No. Stay. There's more cake," Lex whispered back.

Rolling her eyes, Hudson turned and forced a smile for Lex's father as he moved towards her. "Mr. Luthor. How are you?"

"I can't complain, Miss Kent," Lionel replied with a smile, stopping entirely too close. "I suppose that I can't dare to hope that my son has changed his mind and is marrying the 'right' woman, can I?" He nodded towards the array of wedding cakes.

"Hardly." Hudson flashed a look at Lex who was already scowling at both of them. "I think my father's shotgun would have something to say about my marrying into the Luthor family… No offense, of course."

Lionel smiled. "None taken. I can understand your father's objections to your marrying at such a young age."

That wasn't what she meant and they both knew it. Hudson forced another smile.

"Well, I'm going to be late for dinner if I don't head home. Have fun, Lex," she told him with a quick wink. She noticed the deadpan expression he returned and tried very hard not to laugh.

"Pity you can't stay longer," Lionel remarked as she walked past him, his gaze moving over her in silent regard.

Hudson turned to walk backwards as she headed towards the door. "Yeah. Pity."

She noticed the way he was looking at her; he always looked at her like he was thinking things about her that maybe he shouldn't be. It gave her the creeps.

Smiling a little, she told him, "You should try the amaretto cake over there, Mr. Luthor. Bye, Lex."

Lex could barely contain the smirk that threatened at her parting words as he turned to his father. She had earlier commented that the amaretto was 'the driest piece of crap' she had 'ever had the misfortune of consuming'. As he watched his father choke on the bite he had taken, Lex's gaze flickered to the smaller cake at the very end of the table.

When Helen asked why he chose the vanilla and strawberry, he would tell her that he thought it would please the woman he loved.


	27. Vignette 10 Toxic

**TOXIC**

_You're toxic  
I'm slipping under  
With a taste of poison paradise  
I'm addicted to you_

_**'Toxic', Britney Spears**_

Metropolis.

It could have been my city. Should still be my city, if it weren't for my father, out there lurking, waiting for me to show my face in just the right place so he can get rid of me once and for all. I saw it in his eyes when he pulled the trigger – thank god for the blanks. That was Lex's idea. He said that when it came to our father, we couldn't take any chances. I sure as hell learned what he meant. Although, he should have said when it comes to _Luthors_, you can't take any chances. It's in our blood – survival of the fittest and all of that shit. And by the end of all of this, I plan on being the last Luthor standing.

Unfortunately, I'd pictured my rise a little differently. I admit that Lex has been responsible for my safety the last few months. I always thought we would one day trust one another just enough to join together and take our father down; then I could deal with Lex. But now that he is gone, I'm left to take Lionel on by myself, and I'm not certain I'm ready for that yet. Especially when it comes to a lack of funds. According to Lex's attorneys, my brother left me a nice sum of money in his Will, but Lionel is, of course, contesting it.

The bastard.

I'm sure it's only for the fact that he's still dealing with the ongoing search for my brother that Lionel hasn't realized I'm in town. When he finally hears about my presence, I wonder if he'll send his goons after me or if I'll just suffer some unfortunate slip in front of a Mack truck?

This is bullshit. I'm a Luthor; I should, by rights, be allowed to share in the rewards that name provides. Instead, I'm forced to pay out money just to get into a stupid club when I should simply be recognized, with a standing invitation to every exclusive nightclub in the city. Even if I did use the Luthor name, no one would believe it. That's what you get for not being acknowledged by your own father. Maybe I should just shave my head and change my name to Lex.

Pushing through the throng of beautiful, scantily dressed people, I glance at my watch just as I reach the bar. My contact told me the poker game would be starting after midnight in the back. The money my brother gave me is just about gone and I'm due for a big win. Not to mention I still I owe Desmond on the loan from the high stakes game two months ago. His goons have already tracked me down once.

I order a Sapporo beer from the bartender, who looks like a throw-back to the seventies, before turning and surveying the crowd. It's good to know the people surrounding you, just as it's important to know where all of the nearest exits are. Especially when you're really talented at pissing people off, which is apparently an inherited genetic trait I obtained from my father's side of the family. I pick up my beer when the bartender slides it beside me, and take a swallow as I continue to watch the dancers. My gaze slides to a cage to my right, where some long-legged beauty has the undivided attention of at least a dozen admirers, both male and female. It almost looks like a cult, the way her devotees can't seem to look away from her, swaying in time to her unique rhythm, as if the music doesn't matter. Curiously enough, none of them seem brave enough to actually approach her, as if they're content to simply watch from afar. I'll admit, her legs are pretty fucking spectacular but I'm not really into women who tower over me like I'm fairly certain she would.

Can't help but admire her figure, though. Nice hips that she knows how to shake effectually, a tiny little waist that I could probably wrap my hands around, long dark hair. She hasn't turned around yet, so it's very possible she could have one of those horrid faces like in the cartoons. But still, the package from what I can see is damn hot.

My brow furrows slightly as I continue to stare. Besides being hot, there's also something unsettling familiar about her as well. I can't really say from where – I'm sure I wouldn't forget a body like that – but the legs, the hair, the general length of her registers in my memory like some indelible imprint. I continue to watch a few moments longer before I decide to get a closer look. I still have a half hour before the game, and I sure as hell don't want to spend it just hanging out at the bar like a sitting duck. Who knows? 'Legs' might be impressed with my family name and treat me to a quick blow job in the back alley.

Pushing my way through the throng of dancers, I finally reach the side of the cage, where I'm eye-level with a red stiletto. If I look straight up, I can see the rounded edge of a perfect ass cheek peering from beneath the too short light denim skirt. Fuck. No wonder she has a gathering of fans. I take a step back to get a better look at her when 'Legs' suddenly spins around, bending over and tossing her head back to the music. Our gazes lock and I feel the world tilt out of control.

"Mother of fuck!" I stammer, staring aghast at the half-smile that stretches over her face. "Hudson! Hudson Kent?"

The smile disappears instantly, and a look akin to pure hatred glimmers in her eyes. She turns her back to me and returns to her dance, ignoring me as if I'm not even there. Determined to get down to the mystery as to why my brother's hick ex-girlfriend is practically baring all in the hottest nightclub in Metropolis, I slap my beer down on the nearest table and scramble up the ladder into the cage.

"It is you!" I gasp as I'm suddenly hip to hip with her, staring up at the angry green eyes that are, as predicted, looking down at me. "Hudson, what are you doing here?"

"Stop calling me that," she growls. "That name is dead to me."

Huh. Okay. "S'cool," I reply, holding up my hands as she looks at me as if preparing to toss me off the platform. "I get it. I'm just… shocked as hell to see you here, is all. So, um, what _should_ I call you?"

A slow smile, and then her hand is pressing against the front of my jeans, fingers splayed and probing. "Depends on what you're packing."

I blink. Maybe I'm confused. I'm sure as hell surprised. "Uh… well?"

She shrugs. "Call me… interested." And then she turns and jumps down from the cage and I'm left standing there with a hard-on from hell.

What the fuck!

Shaking myself out of the sudden bewilderment, I make my off the platform and follow her over to the bar where she's chatting it up with the bartender like they're old friends or something. Frankly, I couldn't be more confused at the moment if my mom were to walk in and tell me that her and my father were getting married and we're all going to live together in suburbia with a white picket fence and a dog named Spot. I stop beside Hudson, considering what to do next, when she turns and leans against the bar to face me.

"You look lost, Lucas."

"That's a good description for me at the moment," I reply with a nod as I stare at the dark makeup around her eyes that only seems to add to their exotic shape and color. Her hair is a little lighter now that I look at it, like she added highlights to it or something. The more I look at her, the more I realize it's kind of surprising I even recognized her.

She shakes her head and laughs. "No. I meant, you don't belong here. Aren't you supposed to be sequestered away in Gotham or something?"

"I got bored. Thought I'd give Metropolis a try." I grin. "Looks like I'm not the only one who needed a change in their surroundings."

Another shrug and then her eyes are traveling over me and I can't help but feel as if I'm being considered for purchase or something. I can't say anyone has ever looked at me exactly like that before. It's a little unnerving… and really fucking hot.

"Here you go, Kaela," the bartender says, handing her a shot glass. "Can I get something for your friend?"

Hudson's gaze meets mine again and she smiles. "Why not? Another shot."

"Kaela?" I ask as the bartender moves away to fill her request. "Is that what you're going by now?"

"It's my real name," she tells me, dipping a finger into her glass and sucking on the tip for a moment. "It's the real me."

"Hudson was a little too 'Bobby Sue' for you, huh?"

Another smile. "Something like that."

Picking up my glass as the bartender slides it to me, I sniff at the liquid; tequila. Hudson clinks her glass to mine before I can drink it.

"Here's to new beginnings," she salutes before tipping the glass back and emptying in one quick swallow. I notice she doesn't even flinch.

"New beginnings," I mutter in reply, tossing the liquid back into my throat. It burns all of the way down, but if Hudson or Kaela or whoever the hell she is tonight doesn't show it, then neither will I.

Glancing up, I catch her watching me again, a glimmer of something in her green eyes. I frown slightly. "What?"

"What brings you to Atlantis, Lucas?" She asks, reaching out for another shot of the Tequila. She dips her finger into it and sucks on it for a moment, smiling at me as she nibbles the tip lightly. "I would think this place was a little to… hmm… _classy_ for you."

My gaze narrows. "Fuck you, Hudson."

"It's Kaela," she informs me angrily. "Get it right… or I won't take you up on your quaint little offer."

I choke on my next shot, wondering if she's serious or just screwing with me. Looking up, I find her watching me again, contemplating me as if I'm some interesting specimen pinned to a Petri dish. There's this weird vibe I keep getting from her, like she's not the girl I met back on the farm, and maybe there's something going on here I should stay the hell away from. Growing up the way I did, you start to get a sense of things like that. Unfortunately, I love challenges and I love the idea of taking control of everything my brother once had. I may not be able to rub it in Lex's face again, but I sure as hell can flaunt my spoils to Lionel. I wonder what he'd think if I showed up with Hudson Kent on my arm?

"Why do you keep looking at your watch?"

I blink, not realizing I'd been doing so. "No reason."

Hudson laughs. "Really? I hope you don't think I'm that stupid. You're walking around with five thousand dollars burning a hole through your jacket pocket, and you're as antsy as a coke dealer in a donut shop. Tell me another fairy tale."

"Five – " I stop myself and frown at her. "How did you know that?"

She shrugs. "Lucky guess, I guess."

Damn lucky. Does she know what I had for dinner, too?

Shifting uncomfortably, I glance around before ducking my head closer to her and answering, "There's a poker game schedule for midnight in the back. Real high stakes. I've got someone on the inside – "

I break off when she starts laughing. "What?" I demand.

"Do you have a death wish?" She asks, shaking her head, laughing as her eyes glitter at me through dark lashes. "It must be a defect in your genetic code."

"I happen to be damn good at what I do," I respond.

"Hmmm." She picks up my wrist to glance at my watch. "Well, it's five to midnight. Where is this game of yours? Maybe I'll play, too."

"I doubt they'll let you in," I tell her, frowning as she pushes away from the bar and starts toward the back. Tossing some money onto the counter, I turn to hurry after her. "Hey, Huds – Kaela, I'm serious. They're not going to let you in."

Hudson looks over her shoulder at me and flashes a quicksilver smile. "Oh. They'll let me in, Lucas. They'll let me in."

* * *

"How did you do that? Do you have someone on the inside?" I whisper fiercely as we make our way out the back door and into the alley separating Atlantis from the apartment building next door.

Hudson is counting the cash in her hand before she wads up the stack and begins shoving it into my pockets. "I'm special," she tells me with a shark-toothed smile and a wink before pushing me back against the wall. "And you almost got yourself killed in there. You aren't very bright, are you, Lucas?"

I make a face. It's true, I'd almost been caught in my cheating. But then Hudson had pulled attention away from me when she began cleaning me out of every cent I'd won, along with everyone else. It was amazing to watch, actually, because I couldn't see how she was doing it. She seemed to be able to read every card of every hand that every player had. She knew when she couldn't win and withdrew before losing too much; and she always knew when she would win, and at those times would bet higher and higher stakes. At first, I thought she was counting cards but as the dealer began adding more decks – obviously thinking along the same lines – Hudson continued to win. When a few of the players began questioning her methods, their anger growing more and more obvious, she'd laughed and flirted and blamed Beginner's Luck so charmingly, that they had little recourse but to accept her word.

"So what are we going to do with all of this cash, Lucas?" Hudson asks, mouth close to my ear, warm breath fanning across my skin. Her fingers slide into my front pocket.

"We?" I ask, wondering why in the hell I'm letting this farm girl get the better of me. Her leg slips between mine, thigh pushing upwards, rubbing against the crotch of my slacks. Fuck. Is she teasing or is this for real?

"I'm certainly not going to let my partner-in-crime wander this big city on his own. You need looking after."

"Partner?" I breathe as her tongue swipes over the shell of my ear. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't belong here, Lucas," she whispers, making quick work of the zipper on my pants, and then her hand is on me, fingers wrapping around my cock. She strokes me gently, slowly. "If your daddy knew… you'd be in trouble, wouldn't you?"

I glare at her as I suck in a deep breath, her touch distracting me. "I can take care of myself."

"Can you?" She smiles, grip tightening.

And then her mouth is on mine, tongue pushing easily past my lips to devour me. I can't keep up. Her taste is intoxicating, and her hand owns me, alternately tugging almost too hard, stroking, teasing, caressing in a mind-numbing manner that makes my knees shake. I hear myself whimper, wanting more, dying to feel her lips on my cock, to throw her down on the dirty asphalt and shove myself deep inside of her, fuck her until I'm the only Luthor she ever remembers.

The euphoric haze shatters as her teeth clamp down on my lower lip, biting hard, biting deep enough to draw blood. I cry out, the sound muffled against her mouth as she doesn't move, as she suckles the wound, drawing in my blood, licking at it. And then I'm coming in her hand, body shuddering from a mixture of surprise and release, senses overwhelmed by the surrealism of the night's events.

This isn't Hudson Kent. She must be someone else. She's –

"I'll take care of you, Lucas," she whispers, kissing my injured lip as she zips up my slacks. "Don't be afraid. I'll take care of everything."

I don't know who she is.

* * *

I open the door to the apartment to find a man in a suit standing there, frowning down at me. There's something familiar about him that I can't quite pinpoint. His looks are nondescript – nothing that would make him stand out, everything about him speaks of just some average guy you'd meet on the street. And yet, I can't shake the feeling that I've seen him or met him somewhere before.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," he begins, reaching into his pocket and flashing a badge at me. "Detective John Jones of the Metropolis PD."

This is the moment when I'm expecting him to ask me to follow him down to the morgue and identify the body of one Hudson Kent. Only, I don't really believe that anything like that would happen. Just as I'm certain this has nothing to do with a warrant for her arrest because I doubt she'll ever be caught. I can't say why I know this; it's just a feeling that I have. She's done too many thing, for too long, without getting caught for there to be any reason to believe her luck has run out.

Luck, or whatever it is.

So maybe this has to do with me. Maybe Lionel has finally caught up with me, after all.

"Is there a problem, Detective?" I ask, attempting to appear nonchalant, bored even, as I lean against the doorframe.

John Jones shakes his head, regarding me thoughtfully for a long moment before replying, "No problem, sir. I'm here on a missing person's case. Just going door-to-door through the neighborhood." He reaches into the inside of his jacket, withdrawing a 5X7 photograph and holding it out to me. "Have you seen this young woman?"

I take the picture, glancing down at the smiling face of Hudson. The Hudson I remember. Wide, laughing green eyes. That corn-fed grin. She's even wearing a flannel shirt. The background of the photograph looks familiar – I think it's from the gardens at the mansion. Did Lex take this picture? It's easy to imagine. I can see him collecting her in the same manner he did everything else. Maybe she was particularly enchanting that day, or maybe she'd just given him a great blowjob. Either way, Lex wanted to remember it, so he had someone on the staff bring him the camera and he snapped the photo, probably against her wishes.

God, I hate my brother. I hope the fish are feeding off of that bald head of his.

"Never seen her," I reply with a shrug, handing the photograph back to the detective. "Sorry."

"Are you certain?" He persists, shoving the picture back toward me. "We've had reports of sightings of a girl who looks just like this in the city – specifically in this area. She's from a town called Smallville. She's only seventeen and her parents are worried about her."

I wish I could ask about the circumstances revolving around her disappearance, but that would be too risky. "I'm sure. I doubt I'd forget someone who looked like that, if you know what I mean."

Strangely enough, the detective looks angered by my comment. I shrug it off and go to shut the door.

"If you do see her, could you contact me?" He pushes the door back open, handing me a business card. "Or have her contact me?"

It's a simple card, plain white except for the text: Detective John Jones, 913-555-9758. I'd think the Metropolis PD business cards would be a little flashier than this. Something isn't quite right.

"Sure. Whatever," I reply, closing the door this time.

Tossing the card onto the table, I glance out the window to see the detective still hovering outside the apartment. I wish I could place where I've seen him before.

* * *

I've never had it so good.

Life in the Luthor mansion wasn't quite this carefree. There was the worry of which of my family members was going to try to knock me off first, and how I was going to beat them at their own game. There were strategies to plan and moves to counteract and innuendos to heed or ignore. Here, in this penthouse that Hudson shouldn't be able to afford, I make a wish and it's granted. The most expensive boos and drugs are at my disposal, I'm wearing Armani and Hugo Boss – clothes that would make my brother weep with appreciation. And all that's expected of me is that I be here, waiting, when she is bored, and that I never ever, under any circumstances, ask questions.

But questions are all I have.

There are rumors going around the city; rumors about a being who bullets can't hurt, who moves faster than the eye can see, who can punch through a brick wall with their fist. They're just rumors, stories that might have been founded on truth but they've been passed along by so many, and embellished on each and every time, that there's very little left that isn't fantasy.

And yet, when Hudson comes home with wads of money stuffed in one of her purses or flashing diamonds the size of walnuts on her neck, when hands me a new leather coat or the keys to a shiny red Ferrari, I want to ask: How? Where does she get this stuff from? And how? The cops have never shown up on our doorstep, I've never seen her walk out the door with any trace of fear on her face. No one's ever stopped us on the street to point at her and say 'Hey, didn't I see you robbing Kay Jeweler's last night?' I asked her once how she paid for all of this, where did she get the money and she replied that if I ever asked again, I would be back on the street and maybe my father would find out where to look for me. Bitch.

I'm not afraid of my father. I can damn well take care of myself, too. I don't need Hudson's – or Kaela's – money or protection.

And then there's the scar. It stretches across her chest, roaming over a perfect pair of breasts, down to her belly like some kind of shield. It looks like an 8 inside an upside-down circle. I don't know how it got there; she won't speak of it. Sometimes she'll let me touch it, when she's feeling particularly solicitous, and I run my fingers over it, wondering what kind of pain she must have felt when it was inflicted on her. Did her parents know about it? Lex? I don't know because she won't tell me. A part of me wonders if this was the catalyst – if the moment she received this scar was when she ceased wanting to be Hudson Kent and became… Kaela. Sometimes, she wears it like a badge of honor. Others, one of shame.

The problem is, she's like a fucking drug. I get a taste of her, and all I want is more. She teases me and laughs at me and treats me like dirt eighty percent of the time but I swear I'd walk through the fires of Hell for her. It's difficult to explain but it's like I'm the one that she chose, out of everyone else, and yeah, maybe there are reasons behind that I'd rather not explore. But I'm here, and no one else is, and that's got to mean something, right?

Right.

I don't look too deeply into the fact that she won't allow me to mention Lex's name, that she flies into a rage if I do. She refuses to speak of him and yet… well, I've seen her stare so intently at the magazines and newspapers when they run stories on him; her silence when they talk about him on TV. And sometimes, when she grows silent and sullen and her mood does a complete 180 from the confident, aggressive little bitch I've come to know, there's this empty look in her eyes. Haunted, desolate.

Those are the moments when I believe Hudson is at her most dangerous because I think the world around her could explode in a ball of flame and it might be the only thing that would cheer her up. She would laugh and roast marshmallows or some fucked up shit, and somehow she'd survive it all, sitting there on her thrown of flame, flipping off the rest of our scorched corpses because we had the gall to leave her behind.

That's what I see, and that's what I love. Hudson is pissed off at the world because she's as alone as I am, and she hates it and she's railing against it.

And I'd rather be beside her than in front of her when the shit finally hits the fucking fan.


	28. My First Taste: Stigmata

**STIGMATA**

**EPISODE EIGHTEEN**

_No virgin me  
For I have sinned  
I sold my soul  
For sex and gin  
Go call a priest  
All meek and mild  
And tell him, "Mary  
Is no more a child."_

_Mary, Mary (Chumbawumba)_

"_We wanted to tell you, together. We're getting married."_

_No…_

"_I know how much you mean to Lex, and well, I'm hoping that we can be friends, Hudson. I know how important it is to him that he can keep us both in his life."_

_No…_

"_I want you to be there, Angel. This is an important day for me, and I want to share it with you. Please?..."_

_No… Yes…_

"_I'm sorry, Mr. Kent. But there was nothing we could do to save the baby…"_

_No…_

"Fuck!"

Hudson bolted upright, the pain searing through her chest, ripping through the very core of her. She clawed at the burning mark as it flared across her skin, but to no avail. It wouldn't go away; it wouldn't leave her in peace. Stumbling from the bed, she crawled into the corner of the room, silently chanting to ignore it, that it would just go away if she waited, but it never worked. The pain grew worse and she was forced to do the one thing she didn't want to do – remove the ring.

The moment she ripped it off her finger, the flare diminished, the pain subsiding along with it. At least, the physical pain. What took its place was possibly worse. Hudson cringed as she glanced at her surroundings, not wanting to know where she was or how she got here. The memories were always vague – simple flashes of doing things she shouldn't have done, a lack of feeling, a depth of anger that was foreign to her.

She dropped the ring to the floor as she struggled to her feet, staring over at the two men who were passed out on the bed, sheets twisted around their naked forms. She didn't know who they were; Tony somebody or other. Gary? Bile rose in her throat as she remembered what she'd done with them and she spun around quickly, diving for the ring.

It was too late; the memories came flooding back to her…

_She hurried down the hall, desperate to get away from the scene in the study, to forget about what Lex had just asked of her. Helen had sat there, looking so smug, so sure of herself, so… triumphant. And then she'd had the gall to make some comment about being friends – for Lex! _

"_Hudson. Wait."_

_She didn't want to. She wanted to run. But the near plea in Lex's voice brought her to a halt. She didn't meet his gaze as she turned to him._

"_Hudson, please." She felt his fingers ghost over her arm, plucking at her sleeve. He was too close, he smelled too good. And now, he belonged to Helen. "I want you to be a part of this. I need you to…"_

"_Why?" She finally lifted her gaze to his, searching his eyes. She missed him. She missed the way he used to look at her, blue orbs darkening as he touched her body. "Why are you doing this to me?"_

"_Dammit." He looked away and let out a breath, anger flushing his skin. "Not everything is about you. Why can't you understand that?" He turned back to her. "Can't this be about me for once? Can't you just… stop being so selfish and be there for me?"_

"_I'm being selfish?" She stared up at him in shock. "You dumped me, Lex. And it hurt – it hurt like nothing I've ever felt before. And now you want me to somehow… bless this wedding of yours to the woman you left me for?"_

"_Helen had nothing to do with –"_

"_Bullshit!" She snapped. "She had everything to do with it, and you know that!"_

"_Fine." Lex shrugged as if it meant little to him and spun around to head back down the hall. "I'll find someone else to stand beside me."_

"_You do that," she muttered, heart breaking when he didn't turn back..._

"No!"

It was better this way. Safer. Calmer. Fire was better than suffocation. Burn out like a bright flame, instead of smoldering like a dying ember.

She took a breath and slipped the ring back on. Elation flowed through her. Power. Invulnerability. She could do anything, be anyone she wanted to be, own the world if she wanted. And all of the past… it was gone in a red-filled haze. Forgotten.

Bearable.

Rising back to her feet, Hudson looked over at the bed with a sneer. She still didn't recall their names, but she did remember that they were far more entertaining fucking each other than they were fucking her. She liked making people do what she wanted. At first, they'd balked at the idea, but then they'd gotten into it with quite a bit of zeal. Hudson doubted either of them would acknowledge it by the light of day. Men were like that; cowards. They didn't know how to delight in the simple pleasures of life. They cared too much about what everyone else thought of them – her father, her grandfather, Pete, Whitney, Lucas, Le –

No. Not him. Never him.

Angry at the turns her mind was taking, Hudson sped through dressing and made her way out of the room. A cheap hotel; pay by the hour. One of many. This life had become boring and routine.

She needed to find something to do.

* * *

Martha Kent stared down at the picture frame in her hands, eyes glued to the snapshot of her daughter – laughing, eyes bright and full of life, and the tell-tale tilt to her head that said she really didn't want her picture taken. It had been her fifteenth birthday, when times seemed simpler for their family. They'd had a picnic by the lake, with Chloe and Pete in attendance, and the kids had spent the afternoon swimming and playing Frisbee. Hudson was looking forward to high school then; she wanted to go to a dance and had a crush on the quarterback of the Crows football team, Whitney Fordman. 

Unfortunately, nothing had gone as planned.

Blinking back the tears that stung her eyes, Martha set the picture down into the box, reminding herself that she couldn't concentrate on the past anymore. The future was all that mattered. Finding Hudson, bringing her home, putting the family back together that was what mattered. Everything around her was in pieces, and if she thought too long and hard about what they used to have… she just didn't know if she could take much more of that.

She heard Jonathan shuffling around above her in the attic, packing up their mementos collected over the years for storage elsewhere. He hadn't been the same since that night he'd come to her in the hospital, telling her that their daughter was missing, that something had driven her away. At first, Martha had been so angry; mad that her daughter had chosen to escape from her problems as opposed to facing them and letting her parents help. She wanted Hudson to be there for her; she wanted to hold the child she still had, the one who was living and breathing and so full of love. The dead baby in her womb had been a wish granted, a miracle given and then cruelly snatched away. Martha didn't know if she'd ever truly believed in the baby, if she'd ever even allowed herself to love it the way she should have, knowing as she did that at any moment, it would all be over.

And it was, and it practically killed her inside, but she knew she still had Hudson, still had that beautiful girl who was theirs and only theirs and to Hell with whatever Dr. Swann had to say.

_She's gone, Martha. Hudson ran away._

At first she thought the pain and disappointment would be too much. But then she'd seen the fear in her husband's eyes – regret, too, that she didn't quite understand – and she knew she had to be strong. For him, for Hudson, and for their family. They'd find their little girl and they'd bring her home, where she would be safe and loved. There'd be no recriminations because there wasn't time for that; there wasn't a need for it. For whatever reasons Hudson chose to run away, to forget her problems through the meteor rock, Martha only knew that her baby was hurting and she couldn't stand that thought. She wished she could just speak to her daughter, tell her that it's okay to hurt, to regret, to make mistakes, as long as you own up to it. She wished she could hug her and make all of the pain inflicted on her the past year go away. She wished she could tell her, make her understand that she wasn't alone. And she never would be.

A tentative knock on the screen door pulled Martha from her thoughts, and she glanced up to see Lana peering her head inside. "Lana." She forced a smile. "Come in."

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" She asked, stepping into the kitchen, clutching a stack of paper to her chest.

"No. I'm just… packing some things together."

Lana nodded, approaching slowly, eyes drifting over the stacks of boxes. She brought her gaze back to Martha and held out her hand. "I… uh, I brought the key to apartment," she began quietly. "It's all cleaned out, so you're free to… to move in whenever."

"Thank you, Lana." Martha took the key quietly, staring at it, trying not to think about everything they were losing, before slipping it into her pocket. She focused her attention on Lana, on the paper she was holding close. "What do you have there?"

"I was hoping to go to Metropolis when I had a chance, and hang these up." She held up a flyer with Hudson's picture on it and bold font across the top: MISSING.

Expression tightening, Martha reached out for it, gazing down at the photo. It was her class picture from the past school year. Lex had driven her to school that morning; Martha remembered because Hudson's hair had been perfect when she left the house, but in the picture it was obviously disheveled. Her daughter had turned two shades of brilliant red when that fact had been pointed out to her.

"This is… " Martha shook her head and sighed. "You know this won't help, Lana. Even if someone knows where she is, it isn't going to bring her home."

"But maybe if we can go to her, talk to her, that would make a difference," Lana offered hopefully. Her shoulders slumped slightly as she stared down at the stack of fliers in her hands. "I should have gone with her, Mrs. Kent. When she asked, I should have said yes."

Immediately, Martha shook her head. "You know how dangerous she is when she's affected by the red Kryptonite, Lana. It wouldn't have been safe. You were right to stay behind – "

"H.C. wouldn't have hurt me," Lana denied quickly. "I know she wouldn't."

"Lana." Martha sighed and smiled sadly. "She isn't H.C. right now. There's no telling what she'd do if provoked."

Reaching out to touch her shoulder in consolation, Martha moved past Lana to the refrigerator to pull out the pitcher of lemonade. "Would you like something to drink, Lana?"

"Oh. Please. Thank you." Lana set the fliers down and peered into the box in front of her.

"Jonathan and I really appreciate your offer of the apartment, Lana," Martha commented as she pulled out some glasses and began filling them with the cool beverage. "Time's like these it's nice to know we have friends." She glanced back up to see Lana nodding in reply, her gaze fixed on a photo she'd pulled out of the box.

Picking up the glasses, Martha walked back across the kitchen, eyes moving over the photo that the girl was holding. It was of Hudson and Lex, taken last summer. They were sitting at the picnic table in the backyard, Hudson on his lap, his arms draped loosely around her waist. She was dressed for the heat – shorts, tank top, bare feet curling in the grass. He was dressed as only Lex would in ninety-five degree weather – black slacks, long-sleeved blue shirt, 500 perfectly shined shoes and not a drop of perspiration on his skin. Hudson was saying something to him, and he was smiling; that rare smile that Martha only ever saw him give to her daughter. They were both so young, so unaware of what life had in store for them.

"Do you think she knows?" Lana whispered, a catch in her voice.

"I don't see how she couldn't," Martha replied. "A day doesn't go by that the news doesn't report on the plane crash."

"Do you think she knows that Lionel has called the search off?" Lana blinked up at her, eyes huge with worry. "Do you… do you think she cares?"

Martha considered the question as she took the picture from Lana's fingers and slipped it back into the box. "A part of me hopes she doesn't, Lana – I can't imagine my baby in that kind of pain. And yet, the other part of me knows that she does."

* * *

"Where have you been?"

Hudson flickered a quick gaze over Lucas before slamming the door behind her and tossing her glasses on the table. "Out. Who are you, my mother?"

The man in front of her frowned, looked like he wanted to say something but then refrained from doing so. He was sulking and Hudson found it boring. There was a time, two months ago, that she thought it was kind of cute. She was drawn to his arrogance, his lack of common sense, his obvious need for someone to look after him. Walking into Metropolis as if he owned the place, Lucas appeared completely clueless to the fact that without protection, his father would have him killed, disposed of, never to be heard from or bothered with again. She had found him cheating at gambling to some big time mobsters, and losing badly. Hudson had to save his ass, while alternately walking away with a pretty heavy purse in winnings. Playing cards was something she was very, very good at, and no one could prove she was cheating. Lucas had been amazed to see her there, had made snide comments regarding her hick status. She'd ignored him, regarded him thoughtfully, decided he needed some looking after. So she took him under her wing, brought him into her world, spoiled him. And the perks hadn't been so bad, either. He was good in the sack, he learned quickly and he never pulled any of that moral bullshit on her.

But she was bored now. It was time to move on.

Moving toward the bedroom, she peeled off her shirt, tossing it to the ground, flinching slightly as the cool air brushed over the enormous scar that stretched across her chest, over-lapping her breasts and down to the dip in her belly. Lucas' gaze moved away from it, focusing on the ground, a hard lesson learned. Hudson hated it when he stared at it, when he asked about it. She hated being reminded of it, of the bastard who gave it to her in an attempt to control her life.

They all just wanted to control her life.

"Kaela," Lucas began, following her toward the bathroom. "We have to talk."

She shimmied out of the leather pants and kicked them to the corner, thinking that she was certain she'd worn a thong yesterday, but had no idea where it had disappeared to. "I'm not in the mood to talk, Lucas."

He leaned against the doorframe as she turned on the shower and stepped under the water. "That detective came by again last night. Asking again if I had seen or heard of Hudson Kent."

He paused, as if meaning to let that sink in. Hudson Kent. For the first few days after they'd met up in the city, he couldn't get it through his head that she didn't want to hear that name anymore. Finally, after enough threats, he got used to calling her Kaela – her true name. Sometimes he still slipped, though she was certain he did it purposefully.

"He said he was going door-to-door in the neighborhood, checking to see if anyone had heard anything."

"Yay for him."

"John Jones. He looks familiar. I think he might be tailing you," he continued, ignoring her. "He gave me his card again… to call him."

Hudson rubbed a palm full of shampoo into her head, scrubbing out the smell of cigarette smoke. She peered through the suds that were dripping down her face. "Plan on making a phone call, do you, Lucas?"

Lucas kicked at the door. "Dammit, Kaela, you know I won't. But it's getting dangerous; you're getting dangerous. What if he'd insisted on searching the place? What if he found all of the money and jewels and clothing that you've stolen?"

She laughed at that. "Guess you would've been in trouble. After all, you were here. I wasn't."

"And you wouldn't have given a fuck, would you?"

Washing the shampoo from her hair, she shrugged. "I wouldn't have given a fuck, Lucas. Maybe you should learn when not to answer the door."

"Look, I think I've been pretty goddamn patience, Kaela," Lucas snapped, moving in to lean against the counter. "I don't ask questions, I've never asked you to explain yourself and how you allude the cops time and again, where you get the money, nothing! You never seem to realize that all I have to do is walk down to Luthorcorp, ask to see my father and – "

She was out of the shower and had him pinned to the wall in the blink of an eye. Lucas struggled in her grip, gasping for breath, tugging at her hand where it closed slowly over his windpipe.

"All I have to do is squeeze my fingers," Hudson told him quietly. "Just a pinch, and you're dead, Lucas. Your neck will snap in two, and I don't have to stop there. I can rip your head from your shoulders, and send it to your father through the mail. Think you could tell him much then?"

"K-Kae… please… " He gasped.

Hudson stared at him silently for a moment, curious, examining the change in color over his complexion, the paling, the blue tint slowly creeping into his lips. It always amazed her, how fragile human lives were. She could take them so easily, and no one would be the wiser. No one could stop her. And really, who would care? Of the people she'd met through her life, most seemed determined to get themselves killed anyway.

"K-Kae-la…"

Sighing, she let go, stepping back as Lucas slid to the floor to grab a towel and dry her skin. "I want you gone when I get back," she told him, drying her hair. "If I hear you've gone to your father or find you following me? I won't be responsible for my actions."

Lucas glared at her, rubbing his throat. "I thought I meant something to you," he ground out, voice hoarse. "I thought – "

"You were a distraction, Lucas. You were fun. Now, you're not." Leaning over, she kissed the top of his head. "Look at it this way – you lasted longer than the others."

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Chloe made her way into the caves, attempting to ignore the figures on the walls, pushing back the memories of coming here with her friend. She didn't want to think about what she was doing; she always tried not to think about it. At first, it had seemed like a good idea. All she wanted was to hurt H.C. as much as she'd been hurt. She thought that maybe betrayal called for betrayal, but it didn't take her long to realize how wrong she'd been. No matter what might have disappeared in their friendship, she still loved her. She missed her. She missed the person she used to go shopping in Metropolis with or to the movies to squeal together over Orlando Bloom. Sometimes she believes she would do anything to get that person back.

"Mr. Luthor?" She called out once she reached the deepest section of the cave. "Mr. Luthor?"

She turned, searching the darkness around her only to suddenly find Lionel Luthor standing beside her. Pleased with herself that she didn't jump, she swallowed back the fear she always felt come over her in his presence.

"Mr. Luthor," she began in her best professional voice. "I got your message. I admit I was surprised to hear that you wanted to meet today considering the fact that tomorrow is Lex's— "

"My son is gone, Miss Sullivan," he interrupted blandly. "And there is nothing I can do now but put his memory to rest and get on with the business of living."

Chloe hid her surprise at his words, wondering not for the first time at the nature of the relationship shared between father and son. H.C. used to mention that it was weird, but Chloe had never really appreciated how right she was.

Lionel walked away from her, over to the cave wall opposite them. "You remember there used to be an octagonal keyhole here."

Chloe searched her memory for it, a quick flash of something like he mentioned appearing. "Vaguely. I didn't spend much time in this cave."

_H.C. never wanted me here_, she thought to herself. _She brought Lana here all of the time. Lex. But never me_. The familiar feeling of hurt rose within her.

"Trust me, it was right here," he told her, petting the rock with his fingers. Stroking it almost sensuously. Chloe shook that image from her head quickly.

"It disappeared the same day as that ... inexplicable explosion on the Kent farm. The same day that our young friend Hudson went into exile. You haven't seen her ... have you?" He glanced back at her.

"After the fight that H.C. and I had, I'd be the last person she'd call," Chloe told him, knowing that her gaze was relaxed and casual. She was good at this. Good at pretending she didn't know… anything.

"Mmm," came the reply.

As if switching gears, Lionel suddenly held up a newspaper. "I've enjoyed reading your column, Miss Sullivan. You're a good writer." He began to read: "_The worst sin of age is to forget the trials of youth_."

Chloe smiled a little as the man in front of her began to chuckle. She didn't know where he was going with this.

"I just wish that report you did for me on Hudson Kent had the same kind of insight."

Oh, that's what this was about. "Well, I gave you everything I had," she informed him.

Lionel shook his head, as if disappointed. "But you came to me with such vigor, and now it seems your enthusiasm for our arrangement is… uh, waning." He frowned slightly as he looked over at her.

Chloe didn't blink. "It's kind of hard to find information when the subject is M.I.A."

"It might help you to view that as a test of your reporter's mettle," he suggested. "You're such a promising young talent, I'd hate to see an opportunity like this vanish like the keyhole on this wall here." He flicked his hand toward it.

She bristled slightly with his words. "Threatening me, Mr. Luthor, isn't gonna make Hudson magically reappear."

Raising an eyebrow at that, Lionel turned his attention back to the paper and read: "_All decisions have consequences_." He glanced back over to her, his hand that held the paper falling back to his side. "Hudson chose to run away from hers. Are you going run away from yours too, Miss Sullivan?"

She wasn't afraid of him. Chloe didn't know how many times she recited that to herself, but she said it again: She wasn't afraid of him. Swallowing back any desire she had to tell him where to stick his threats and warning, she simply stood there and watched as the man turned and exited the cave.

_H.C_., she thought. _Why are you making me do this_?

* * *

Hudson wasn't worried about Lucas.

Though he'd left before she finished dressing for her night out, she knew he'd be back. He'd show up on the doorstep, probably with a black eye or something from his latest scuffle, and he'd give her some crap about love and lust and knowing the difference between the two. And then she'd let him in. She would feel just the tiniest pang of regret for setting him out on his own in the first place – some misguided duty to protect him – and she'd make it up to him. It always happened that way, every few weeks, a fun little game to keep her world from getting too boring.

Pulling open the doors to the car dealership, Hudson glanced around until she spied the man she'd been flirting with yesterday across the hood of the shiny red Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. He'd told her she didn't have enough money to afford such a cherry of a car, and she was here to prove him wrong. It was the car she wanted; the car she had to have. And, after all, there was nothing stopping her from making it hers.

"You're back." He slid a smile at her as she walked up to him. The badge on his jacket said his name was Bryan. His head was shaved and his eyes were gray and he really wasn't bad looking as he teased, "Find a Sugar Daddy to buy you that car?"

Hudson returned his smile. "Why bother? When I can get it for myself." She lifted up the bag of money she'd put together on the way over – ripping open the ATM's so quickly the cameras couldn't catch what had happened. "This should be enough."

Bryan raised an eyebrow at her, impressed though obviously suspicious. "That's a… uh, lot of cash."

She shrugged. "I don't want to sit around and wait for my bank to wire the money. So, where're the keys? Wanna go for a ride?"

An hour later, Hudson was tearing through the streets of Metropolis in her new ride. It didn't feel as personal to her as the bike did – there was something about having all of that power between her legs that just about got her off every time she rode it. But still, the car was nice. It smelled of leather and oil and the engine purred as she shifted gears, rounding corners in a smooth slide. She ran five lights and almost caused a major accident at Main and Broadway before the man sitting beside her suggested she might want to ease off of it a bit. With a smile Hudson told him to fuck off, and ran another light.

By the time she pulled to a stop in front of the nightclub, Bryan practically crawled out of the car. He obviously didn't appreciate what a good car could really be capable of.

Grabbing his arm, she tugged him with her through the line outside the door, ignoring the protests from those around her at their cutting in line. Like she didn't have more of a right to be here than any of these wanna-be-city boys and girls who looked like they bought their clothes from WalMart. The guy at the door, Mitch, gave her a smile and waved her forward the minute he saw her, opening the rope.

"Nice ride, Kaela," he told her as she moved past him.

"You like it?" She glanced over her shoulder at the Aston Martin. She'd never drive it again; she already hated the sight of it. Tossing him the keys, she said, "It's yours. I sure as hell don't wanna pay insurance on it."

Having no idea what his response was, she pulled her date for the evening into the club with her.

"You must come here a lot," Bryan shouted into her ear as they pushed their way through the crowd.

Hudson shrugged. "Yeah. I guess."

"Aren't you a little young to be wandering in and out of nightclubs?"

She shot him a quick look. "You think I'm too young for a club. But not too young for you to fuck my brains out before the night is over, right?"

Bryan frowned. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"No." She was bored now. "And I won't be kissing you or your cock with it, either. C'est la vie."

She left him with a shocked expression on his face as she headed back out the door.

Bastard. All men were bastards. They only wanted one thing and then they wanted to control you once they got it. They were shocked when you wanted it as badly as they did, and disappointed when you didn't. She'd stick to her own team if it wasn't for the fact every female she'd taken home for the night the past few months didn't turn out to be as psychotic as the men.

The whole human race was worthless. They didn't know what they had in her; they didn't know what she was capable of. But god, she could show them, she could –

Pain ribbed across her chest, causing her to stumble slightly in the street. Gasping, she clutched at the front of the black corset she wore, laying her palm between her breasts, feeling the heated skin. She fell forward toward the telephone booth in her path, yanking open the door to pull herself inside, using the glass walls to hold her up as the pain grew, tearing through her skin, into her body…

"_Fear not, Kaela-El."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_I am Jor-El... your father."_

"_You're supposed to be dead!" She shouted at the ship, watching in disbelief as it rose up before her._

"_I am his memory, his will. I am to fulfill his promise and guide you all the days of your life. You are the last child of Krypton. When you traveled through the cosmos, you carried the hopes and dreams of your people. They now live through you, Kaela-El. It is time."_

"_Time for what?"_

"_Time to accept your destiny." _

_She shook her head. "I don't know what you have in mind for me, but I—"_

"_By the setting of the sun Sol, you will return to me. Your destiny will be fulfilled." _

_Turning, she found herself facing Lex, hands in the pockets of his long coat, smiling softly at her. Behind him stood her parents, watching them, almost approving. It was like she could feel their love for her emanating outward._

"_Your thoughts are not a mystery to me, Kaela-El. These people have served their purpose. It is time to leave them." _

_Panic filled her at the voice. She shook her head slightly, knowing the voice that claimed to be her father was mistaken. In desperation, she reached out to touch Lex's face, but the moment her fingers brushed over the faint tint of his skin, the image began to flicker and disintegrate. Lex and her parents were gone. _

"_Please!" She spun around toward the ship. "Everything and everyone I love is here! In Smallville!" _

"_You must let go of your past. I will guide you to your future." _

"_No, I don't want your guidance!" She yelled, tears hovering at the corners of her eyes. "I want to create my own future!" _

"_You have no choice, Kaela-El…"_

_I have a choice_! her mind screamed, even as she bit her lip to refrain from doing so out loud. Scratching at her hand, she ripped the ring from her finger, shuddering with relief as the pain receded and she sank to the floor, catching her breath, fingernails curled into her palms. Pain was replaced with pain. Hudson sobbed suddenly, terror washing over her. She was so alone and so afraid and all she wanted to do was crawl into her dad's lap and let him chase all of the demon's away.

Desperately, Hudson ripped open the black satin clutch at her feet, digging deeply into it for change. Finding it, she stood and pulled the receiver off of it's cradle, slipping the money into the slot and dialing the number. The number to the farm. Home.

She gripped the receiver tightly in her hands as she held it to her ear, whispering softly, "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can – "

"Hello?"

Her heart wrenched at the sound of her mother's voice, twisting and jumping inside of her until she was certain it would simply crawl out through her throat. The sting of tears burned her cheeks as she fought for her voice – something to say, an apology, anything. But no words came.

There was a long pause on the other end, and then, in a soft, hopeful voice she heard her mother ask, "Hudson? Honey, is that you?"

Mom. She mouthed the word, but there was no strength behind it. What was she supposed to say? '_Mom, wait until you hear the stories I have to tell you_!'?

"Please, come home," her mother pleaded gently.

Hudson's forehead pressed against the glass. All she had to do was say a few words. _I'm sorry_. Something. Anything. Her mother was waiting for her; she was there on the other end, waiting patiently, letting her know that she still had a home to come back to, that somehow everything was going to be all right, even if it didn't feel that way.

She could do this. She could…

Hudson's gaze drifted over the paper that the wind had pressed against the outside of the telephone booth. Beloved blue eyes stared at her from the picture, above which the caption read: R.I.P. Lex.

Shudders racked her. Hudson dropped the phone into the cradle, barely pushing open the door before she dropped to her knees and vomited into the gutter. Her stomach continued to empty it's contents until she was left with only racking heaves and a haunting voice in her head, repeating over and over:

_Hesgonehesgonehesgonehesgonehesgonehesgone_.

Stomach still roiling, Hudson pushed herself back, searched for the ring - her salvation, her damnation - and slipped it back onto her finger.

Oblivion.

* * *

Hudson's dreams were filled with glimmering white beaches and rolling waves. Sometimes it was all she saw, all she heard. Like a bird sailing on the ocean breeze, searching for a safe place to land. Often, she was on the beach herself, peaceful, content, away from everything and everyone. She fancied that every oyster she dug up from the sand was filled with a world – her world, the one that belonged to her. She could set the order of it, give it her own ending, god-like and untouchable.

But she wasn't always alone.

Sometimes she felt him there beside her, drawing their initials in the warm sand, reaching out to snatch her fingers into his, bringing them to his lips. Kissing them. His breath fanning over her cheek, gentle kisses; butterfly kisses with his lashes against her skin, her temple. He'd push her hair back, tuck it behind her ear, nuzzle his nose into her neck, hands drifting over her body, caressing and stroking and bringing her back to life.

"_You left me," she'd whisper._

"_Never," came the reply. "I've always been here…"_

Her eyes flew open at a faint sound from the front room. The door. She could feel footsteps reverberating against the carpet – two sets moving toward the room. Remaining motionless, only darkness behind her closed lids, she lay there in waiting, curious as to who was invading her home, who had the nerve to do such a thing.

The footsteps stopped, and she chanced the slightest slitting of her eyes, quick to take in the glint of her intruders' guns as they whisked out from under their coats. Ah, so they wanted to play, did they? She laid there in anticipation, suppressing the desire to laugh as the bullets began raining over her body and into the mattress. They tickled, which was a lot different than the last time someone had pelted her with a steady stream of shots from an automatic weapon. Once the weapons finished discharging, and the man closer to the bed – one who looked familiar, with a smattering of tattoos over his face – stepped forward to poke at the sheets with his gun.

Hudson pushed the blankets away as she jumped up, grabbing both men by the neck as they cried out in shock, and tossing them across the room. As they slammed into the wall on the other side, slipping to the floor, she stood and moved toward them, fingering the ring on her hand.

"Who sent you?" She questioned, peering at them as they glared up at her.

"I did."

Hudson turned to see a middle-aged man with white hair, dressed in an expensive suit, moving toward her.

"Morgan Edge," he introduced himself, holding out his hand.

Rolling her eyes, Hudson grabbed a t-shirt to throw on over her bra.

"That's a hell of a scar," Morgan commented conversationally. "How'd you get it?"

Hudson grinned. "My dad's a real bastard." She wandered into the front room and sat down on the couch, stretching her legs out in front of her. "What do you want?"

"You came to my club flashing money, and then you interrupt my guys at the bank. I take it that was not coincidence." He raised an eyebrow at her.

Hudson howled with laughter. "Those clowns? They work for you?"

Morgan made a face at her reaction, frowning, expression slowly growing thoughtful. "You've made quite a reputation for yourself. I set up this test so I could see with my own eyes if you were man or myth. Apparently, you're neither."

"I'm a legend in my own mind," Hudson replied with a grin. "I'm glad I could clear it up for you, Mr. _Edge_." She said his name like it was a joke.

Ignoring her jab, he told her, "I'd like to talk about a job opportunity."

Of course you would, Hudson thought, perturbed. He was a man; he couldn't stand that a woman was out there making more money than him, pulling off miraculous heists, and all without some man's help. He just wanted a piece of the action. Feeble, weak, pathetic human being that he was.

She propped her feet up on the table. "Thanks. But I'm really not looking for work right now. I like to fly solo."

Chuckling, Morgan sat down in the chair across from her and leaned forward, looking for all the world like he was about to launch into some lecture. "No matter how many bullets bounce off you, Kaela, you're still just a girl, and I'm the biggest crime boss in Metropolis."

Bingo! She was psychic, too.

Smirking at the arrogance in his voice, Hudson nodded toward the two men that were finally pulling themselves up off the floor. "Well, I would think you could afford better help."

Morgan smiled at that; nodded. "That's why we're talking," he admitted. "I got this one job. It'll make you Midas rich. So when you are tired of playing the little league, you know where to find me."

He got to his feet, nodding toward his men as he adjusted his jacket before turning and heading for the door.

Sighing, laughing softly, Hudson laid her head back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, pondering his offer.

Midas rich. Hell, she could be that way without his help. Still, it would be nice to get it all in one lump sum and then… well, she could do whatever she wanted. Go wherever she wanted. Hide away forever and ever. Where no one could find her.

They all wanted her. They all needed her.

What they failed to take into consideration was that she didn't need any of them.

* * *

Lana stood tensely beside her aunt, squeezing her hand gently as she listened to Nell's quiet sobbing.

She hated funerals. They always seemed so selfish and self-serving. People gathered around and wailed and cried and expressed false grief over someone they hardly knew, someone they only realized was a presence in their lives when they were gone. She loved her aunt, but she knew that Nell and Lex had never been very close; she was here because Lionel was here and she had a show to put on for him. It was nothing more than that. And there were others, people from Luthorcorp who wanted to look good to their boss, acquaintances, associates, business partners. All with fake crocodile tears or blank expressions.

The people that really mattered, the people to whom Lex's death should actually mean something… they were missing. His mother, though her presence might be there, looking on from her own immaculate grave that stood behind them, wondering what tragedy had brought her son home to her so soon. Pamela, the nanny who loved him as a child, who was buried in another section of Metropolis cemetery because Lionel wouldn't allow her body near that of his sainted family. Hudson… Lana didn't know where she was, or how she was, or if she cared that Lex Luthor was gone from their lives. Maybe, maybe she had moved on the day he got married.

"I think the cruelest fate that a parent can suffer is to lose a child."

Lana blinked at the words that Lionel spoke, a memory of one of her last conversation with Hudson flitting through her mind…

"_My mom's pregnant."_

_Lana had stared over at her friend, a huge smile breaking across her face. "Oh, H.C.! That's wonderful!" She paused, noting the forced smile directed back to her. "Isn't it?"_

"_Yes." Hudson nodded. "It's all my parents have ever wanted. Mom's… I've never seen her so excited. So nervous. Dad's already building a crib…"_

_Considering everything Hudson wasn't telling her, Lana walked over to sit beside her. "And you? How are you taking it?"_

"_I'll have a little brother or sister to look after. To have look up to me. It… it will be great."_

_Lana sighed. "H.C., why don't you tell me the truth? I can see that something is upsetting you?" She waited, receiving only silence from her friend. Shaking her head, she guessed, "You're afraid that your parents won't have any need for you once they have their own child, aren't you?"_

_Hudson glanced over at her quickly, expression clearly registering surprise._

"_Trust me, I've had those feelings myself," Lana admitted. "Sometimes I think about how it would feel if Nell got married and had a family of her own, where does that place me?"_

"_Yes." Hudson nodded. "That's it, exactly. I… I know they love me, Lana. I do. But… I've always been trouble for them – what I am, my secret. I'm a danger to this family. And now they get to have a normal child, a child of their own blood and… Dammit, Lana. I put my parents in danger every day I'm here. I can't do the same to a little baby, too!"_

_Lana threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. "You aren't a danger to anyone, so stop saying something so ridiculous!" She sat back and smiled. "Don't be afraid, Hudson. You're right. Your parents love you; a baby isn't going to change that. And you'll all be stronger for it. I just know you will! Think about it! You're going to have this little person looking up to you, imitating your every action, wanting to be you. How exciting is that?"…_

…_My mom lost the baby…_

"Lex was… touched with greatness. We'd only just begun to see that potential. I-I can only imagine the heights he would have soared to if his life ... hadn't been ... cut short so tragically."

Lana sighed softly, glancing to her left where Martha and Jonathan Kent stood stoically, staring ahead at the elaborate tombstone. Representatives for Hudson in her absence? Or maybe they were mourning someone else who had unwittingly become a child to them. Lana knew that Hudson wanted nothing more than for her parents to accept Lex into their lives, to give him the home he was denied from his own father. But sometimes she wondered if Hudson wanted it so badly that she never realized they had already done so just by letting him be a part of her life? Martha's red-rimmed eyes were proof of that. Proof that Lex was simply another loss for the Kents in a long line of heartache over the last few months.

_At least we're here for you, Lex_, Lana thought quietly, knowing that he would probably scoff at the entire service anyway. He and Hudson would be laughing at Lionel, whispering to one another. Hudson would probably make a face at him and Lex would poke her, tell her to behave herself and then flash her one of those expressions that clearly expressed how proud he was to have her as a friend.

Shivering slightly, Lana dropped her aunt's hand to rub her hands over her arms as she felt something prickle the hairs at the back of her neck. It was strange, but she could swear that she was being watched.

Twitching her shoulders slightly to shrug the sensation away, Lana began to surreptitiously glance around her, gaze flitting over the mourners who stood quietly in groups on every side of her. She took a tiny step back, craning her head over her shoulder, peering between the heads of those behind her.

And then she saw her.

Tucked away behind one of the columns that led to the mausoleum, Hudson was standing there, watching the proceedings. Dressed sedately in black skirt and blouse, her expression pinched, skin pale as she looked on. Lana's heart raced at the sight of her; she was alive, she was okay. And she knew. She was here, even under the influence of the red Kryptonite, to say goodbye to Lex. Lana swallowed at the thought, unable to imagine what kind of hurt her friend must be feeling, when their eyes met. It was brief, but she saw the anguish.

Desperate to reach her, to hug her and kiss her and berate her for disappearing on them like that, Lana moved away from her aunt and started toward the back. She pushed her way through one couple that wouldn't move…

And Hudson was gone.

Behind her, Lionel continued, "These rituals are meant to bring closure, but there are so many unanswered questions about Lex's disappearance. Questions I hope that will someday be answered, but those answers won't bring him back. I would've searched for a thousand years if I thought he could be found. We can't hold onto the past. In my heart, I will be searching for my son forever."

Searching. _We're all searching_, Lana thought. For friends, lovers, answers, an end to the pain.

"So will I."

Knowing she couldn't go chasing after Hudson when she had no idea where she'd disappeared to, Lana turned her attention back toward Lionel at the familiar voice. Murmurs ran through the crowd as Lex's widow, Helen Bryce-Luthor, walked up to her father-in-law. Lana moved back to her aunt, taking her hand once more, nodding slightly as Nell whispered into her ear how the papers were going to have a 'field day' with this one. Feeling sorry for Lex, that the most talked about aspect of the service in honor of his life would be the appearance of his reclusive widow and the obvious argument that occurred between her and his father.

Unable to hear what was said, Lana watched with those around her as Lionel stalked off, away from his son's memorial.

It was becoming a bit of a ritual, Lana thought. The abandonment that littered the lives around her.

* * *

_I'll be uncareful  
I'll cause such scenes  
And I'll never talk  
Of used-to-be's _

Tattoo my face  
I won't go grey  
Be a dancing queen  
I'm growing old disgracefully

_Mary, Mary (Chumbawamba) _

She didn't know why she'd gone to the memorial service – it hadn't been planned. She'd just been sitting there in the penthouse, staring at her ring, when she'd suddenly gotten up, dressed and headed out to the cemetery. Sighing, she laid her forehead against the glass of the elevator, closing her eyes against the quick flare of pain that flashed through her head. There had been no point in her going; nothing to see, nothing to change. Such human rituals were ridiculous and pointless and… she'd known she'd be seen.

It had been a surprise to her that the Kents were present. The only reason she could come up with as to why Jonathan Kent had gone was to make certain for himself that Lex Luthor was, in fact, dead. He was probably planning some celebratory party afterwards. The ass. He never had seen the potential in Lex. If the man hadn't gotten himself killed… well, it didn't matter. He hadn't seen the potential in _her_; he'd chosen that bitch, Helen. They would have been such a powerful pair, if he hadn't thrown it all away. Unfortunately, Lex wasn't as bright as she'd once thought. In fact, Lucas seemed to have more sense than his half-brother.

As the elevator stopped, she shook the thoughts from her head, figuring they were the reason for her headache. Any contemplation of her former life ended badly. She hated the memories.

Stepping out onto the walkway, Hudson glanced ahead to see Chloe Sullivan peering through the window into her penthouse. She glowered darkly as she moved toward her, the blonde turning to see her as she approached the door.

"H.C., I need to talk to you about— "

Hudson veered into Chloe suddenly, backing her toward the railing. "Chloe, I told you to never come back here again." She told her angrily, voice deadly soft. "Who else knows I'm here?"

"No one." Chloe shook her head, chin raising slightly. "Your secret's safe with me, but we need to talk."

Shaking her head, Hudson spun around and moved toward the door. "I'm busy."

She could hear Chloe following behind her, short quick steps on top of hers. "Well, I'm coming in." She pushed her way purposely through the door. "Now what's your deal? You come to Metropolis and you're a completely different person."

"Maybe it's the real me," Hudson replied with a shrug.

"Well, if it is then I definitely prefer the country Hudson. Now... " She paused, eyes going wide as she looked around the dwelling. "How did you afford all this?"

"Why, Chloe? So you can put me in your column and write a big story about me? Maybe that's why you kept my secret."

Chloe's mouth tightened as she glared up at Hudson. "I kept your secret because you asked me to. I was hoping that if I left you alone you'd get a grip and come home. Now, there are people in Smallville that still haven't given up on the search."

"I've erased Smallville from my past," Hudson informed her as she moved over to a chair to sit down.

"Really?" Chloe asked, waving a hand toward Hudson as she played with the ring on her finger. "Is that why you're still wearing your school ring?"

Hudson's eyes followed her gaze, and she smirked slightly.

"You know, sooner or later someone else is gonna find you."

"You were lucky." Hudson glanced back up at her.

"Maybe so. But what are you gonna do if one day Lana shows up on your doorstep, or your parents? How are you gonna explain this to them?" Chloe demanded.

Hudson's gaze darkened. "I'm through explaining myself to anyone!"

"H.C., your parents are losing the farm!"

Hudson stood and paced across the room, headache worsening, a brief flicker of pain moving across her chest. She rubbed at it, willing it away…

"_Hey, H.C., I'm glad I caught you before the wedding."_

_She stopped short, impatient to get one with what she needed – no, had to do. "Chloe, what are you doing here?"_

"_Is everything okay? I mean, it seems you've been avoiding me lately…"  
_

_Only because she asked so many questions and there just wasn't time for that… "No. I mean… look, I can't talk to you right now." She grabbed Chloe's arm and tugged her back toward her car._

"_What are you doing?"_

"_Look, I promise I'll find you later and… we'll talk."  
_

"_H.C., I—"  
_

"_Don't worry. I'll find you, okay?"_

_She turned to move away when she heard Chloe call out:_

"_So how'd you decide? Rock-paper-scissors, coin toss, or Eenie Meenie Minie Moe?"_

_She stopped and glanced back, frowning. "What? Decide?"_

"_Who was worthy of being your best friend?"_

"_Chloe." She sighed. "What are you talking about?"_

_Chloe walked toward her. "You tell her everything, H.C. – everything that you refuse to tell me."_

"_I don't – "_

"_What about your mother's pregnancy?"_

"_You know?"  
_

"_Yeah." Chloe nodded, eyes softening just a moment as she told her, "I came over to the barn the other night to warn you about something."_

"_About what?"_

_Chloe shook her head, gaze darkening suddenly. "You know, it doesn't matter now. The point is I heard you confiding in her, telling her not to tell anyone else because you trusted her. Even though the two of you have hardly been friends for more than a year, even after everything she's done to you, she's the one you trust. Not me. And I've shared everything with you, H.C. Everything."_

"_I-I didn't mean—"  
_

"_Didn't what, H.C.? Didn't mean to cut me totally out of your life? Didn't mean to leave me hanging around, foolishly thinking that we were actually still friends while behind my back you told Lana how untrustworthy I was?" _

"_Chloe, please. You don't know everything –"_

"_No!" Chloe shouted. "And that's the problem. You don't trust me, no matter how much I've apologized to you when I've made a mistake, no matter how good of a friend I've tried to be. Because Lana is more popular, more well-liked, friends with the Luthors – she's suddenly your best friend. She's suddenly more important, worthy of being a part of your life!"_

"_Chloe—"_

"_No." She cut her off, turning to head back to the car. "I deserve better than that. Have a nice life, H.C."_

"H.C. – "

"What do I care?" She snapped, the pain in her chest growing. "I'm never going to go back there anyway."

"H.C., you were not forced into exile," Chloe told her. "You ran away from your problems. You are not being noble, you're being a coward!"

Spinning around, Hudson stalked toward Chloe, grabbing her by the shoulder and pushing her roughly toward the door. The pain was flaring now, near unbearable.

"Chloe, get out!" She growled, voice like sharpened steel. "If you tell anyone where I am, I'll go so far away from Metropolis that no one will ever find me!"

Chloe yanked out of her grip, stumbling back slightly as Hudson pulled the door open. "I don't even know who you are anymore."

"Get out!" Hudson shouted.

Staring at her in shock, Chloe finally turned and raced down the walkway. Slamming the door behind her, Hudson leaned against it, gasping as her skin burned, the ripping, tearing sensation echoing through her chest. She pulled her blouse open, staring down at the symbol that was burnt into her skin where it flared and glowed. Shaking her head, unable to accept which pain was worse, she slid to the floor and quickly yanked the ring off of her finger. The pain flickered, and finally died, a choked sob of relief escaping her.

Her parents were losing the farm. Why? How? Had they been searching for her so much that they'd let the farm go? It wasn't possible! The farm meant everything to her dad; he'd never let it be taken from him. No, Chloe had to be mistaken. She was lying. It was just a ruse to get Hudson home. It was –

She closed her eyes. She had to see for herself.

* * *

She shouldn't be here. The smell of the hay, the weathered, treated wood, dust and… memories. They threatened to smother her, overwhelm her, send her spiraling backwards into a descent she might not be able to climb out of. It was a bad idea, she should have turned back, could still turn back if…

Hudson took a deep breath and quietly made her way up the steps to the loft. She knew where to step so they wouldn't creak; she knew this path better than the back of her hands. But everything looked so different now. Boxes were stacked around her, the farm equipment was put up, signs hanging from them proclaiming they were for auction. The cattle were gone, their bull, Spike, their mare, Lady. Even AJ hadn't come running and barking when Hudson made her way onto the farm. She didn't know what they'd done with her dog – she didn't want to think about it.

There are more boxes in the loft. Boxes marked with the words 'H.C.'s Loft'. She stopped beside the first, her fingers drifting over the cardboard. She reached in to withdraw a picture frame, inside which was a photo of her and her parents sitting on the porch together. She wondered if this stuff hadn't been packed first; packed even before the farm was lost to her parents. And why not? Surely they wouldn't want her back, not when she was the cause of all of their trouble. Not when she was responsible for taking away the one thing in the world they'd wanted more than anything…

"_How is she?"_

_Her father didn't answer at first. Then, "Doctors don't know yet." He paused, gaze focused on the activities of the medical personnel gathered around his wife on the other side of the window. "What did you do, Hudson?"_

_She swallowed. "I… I stole Lionel's Kryptonite key. I put it in the ship."_

"_And why did you do that?"_

"_Dad, I lied about the voice." She turned to her father, but he wouldn't look at her. "It did come back. It told me I had to leave by noon. I didn't have a choice, Dad. I had to destroy the ship."_

"_Why didn't you tell us?" His voice broke slightly, choked on tears. _

_She'd never seen her dad cry before. It made her ache inside. "I… I knew you wouldn't agree with what I did. Dad, I didn't want it to take me away from you." She bit her lip and gazed at him hopefully. "I'm so sorry for what I did."_

_He turned to her then, looked at her, and the tears were replaced with anger. "Your actions have consequences, Hudson. Didn't your mother and I ever teach you that?"_

"_Yes, but—"_

"_There's no time for excuses, Hudson. It's too late." His shoulders slumped, and the anger gave way to bitter disappointment. When he spoke, his voice was desolate. "You didn't think this thing through. You had no idea what was going to happen, and now... Now your mother is lying in a hospital bed."_

_She sucked in a sharp breath at that. His words were clear: It was all her fault._

"_Mr. Kent?" The doctor was standing in the hall, waiting for him._

_Giving her a long look, Jonathan finally turned and walked away. "Doctor, how is my wife?"_

"_She has a mild concussion, but she'll be fine."_

"_And how is our baby?"_

_There was a brief moment of silence before the doctor replied regretfully, "I'm sorry." _

_Her father remained motionless, silent, as the doctor walked away._

_She took a step toward him, reaching out to him, wanting to comfort him and be comforted. "Dad..." She began._

_But he shook his head slightly, back straightening from her touch. And then he made his way inside Martha's room._

_The door slammed shut behind him, leaving her standing there all alone…_

"I spoke to the bank. They still want us out before the auction."

Snapping out of the memory at the sound of her mother's voice, Hudson quietly slid back into the shadows out of sight. She stared down into the barn from her vantage point tucked among the boxes, where her parents stood behind the truck.

"You know, it's amazing how you can fit your whole life into the back of a pickup truck," Jonathan commented softly, an attempt at humor that fell flat.

"Is…uh… Bill Ross still okay with us storing our stuff in his garage?" Her mother's voice cracked slightly, her speech hesitant.

"Yeah, he said as long as we need it, it's fine with him."

"Oh, Lana gave me the keys to the apartment over the Talon." She pulled the set of keys out from her pocket and slipped them into Jonathan's hand.

His reply was forced, quiet, "Great."

"Yeah, it… it's small… " She broke off, sobbing suddenly.

Hudson stepped closer to the railing, peering down to see her father pull her mother into his arms, holding and consoling her gently. Biting her lip until she tasted blood, Hudson did her best to block out the sound of her mother's tears but nothing worked. She shouldn't have come back here, but she had to see. And now, she wished she hadn't.

"It's okay, Martha..."

"It's just not fair," she cried. "This farm has been in your family for three generations, four counting Hudson."

"It's sad."

Her fault.

Jonathan continued, "Since when have our lives been fair anyway, huh?"

Pulling her back with him, they sat on the tailgate of the truck. "You remember the day we found out we couldn't have children? You grabbed my hand and you told me not to worry. You said that we would have happy days again, and you were right. We have had happy days with Hudson. But even though she's not here with us anymore, Martha Kent, I am here to tell you that we will have happy days again."

All her fault.

Hudson fought back the nausea flowing over her, reaching into the pocket of her skirt to clasp the red Kryptonite ring in her hand, fingers smoothing over it lightly. She felt a flicker of it's affects, the grief subsiding just a moment, making it bearable. She needed to get out of there; there was no purpose in staying any longer. She'd already taken everything from her parents – the child they always wanted, their home, their hope. If ever she wanted to make all of her wrongs up to them, then it would be best if she never came back, if she simply disappeared for ever. Just like Chloe, they deserved better than what she had to give them.

Stepping back, she bumped the box she had been glancing through, knocking the picture of her and her parents off the top, watching in shock as it clattered loudly to the floor.

"Hudson!" Her mother cried out, footsteps scrambling up the stairs.

Hudson hovered there in momentary indecision before collecting her senses and speeding out of the barn window.

"Hudson! Hudson!... Hudson!"

Her mother's hopeful cries echoed behind her as she ran.

* * *

"Well, you're certainly the last person I expected to see… alive."

Helen tapped the pen in her fingers against the glass of the desk as she watched Lucas Luthor hovering in the doorway to the study. He regarded her for only a moment before his gaze moved over the room, hovering at the piano and the vases of fresh flowers she had set out. She could tell he didn't really like her decorating changes, but she really didn't gave a damn. This place was like living in a mausoleum; it needed some serious remodeling done to it. But that was going to have to wait at least a year – she needed to allow herself a mourning period, after all.

"I could say the same for you," he replied finally, taking a few steps further inside, obviously wondering if his father might be lurking somewhere to drive a knife into his back. "Not many people walk away from a plane crash in such perfect health."

Helen shrugged, leaning back in the chair and smiling. "Lex sacrificed himself for me. That's what people who love one another do."

Lucas chuckled at that. "Lex sacrificed himself? Please. He's a Luthor. I have yet to see any of us pull such a noble act." He dropped onto the couch, kicking his feet up on the table. "C'mon. We're family; you can be honest with me. You set this whole thing up so you didn't have to deal with his pathetic ass, didn't you? All of the perks, none of the bullshit."

She pursed her lips. She'd already had to deflect Lionel's accusations earlier that day. Not that he had any proof, but the man was even more of a nuisance than Lex had been. Of course, dispatching of Lionel Luthor wouldn't be quite as easy. He was a wily and dangerous man, who always seemed to be two steps ahead of every one else. Until she could truly protect herself, there was nothing she could do about him but avoid him.

"Maybe you don't understand what love is, Lucas. Lex loved me. He gave his life so that I might live. It was a beautiful moment. And, even though you and your father might be doing a little dance at his death? I'm still coming apart at the seems over his loss." She tried to call up some tears but was fresh out of them at the moment. The memorial service had been… trying.

"Yeah." Lucas grinned, glancing around the room. "I can see that."

"Is there a point to this… visit?" Helen demanded as she came to her feet, moving around the desk. "Because if not, then you can show yourself to the door."

"Easy, _sis_," he told her, taking great relish at referring to her with such familiarity. "I happen to be in possession of some information that I think more than a few people would actually kill for."

Helen glanced over at him, keeping her expression carefully neutral. Maybe _he_ had an idea of how to get rid of his father? "Lucas, I really doubt you could have anything that would hold any interest to me."

"Oh? You so certain about that." He looked inordinately pleased with himself. "Not even if it has to do with the perpetrator of all of the recent robberies in Metropolis?"

"Not for one moment will you convince me that you are capable of pulling off such heists, Lucas."

He grinned broadly and shook his head. "No. But I've been living for the past three months with the person who did."

Sighing with aggravation, Helen leaned back against the desk, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at Lex's half-brother. "Cut the crap, Lucas. Either tell me something of interest or get the hell out of my house."

"Very well. Does the name Hudson Kent ring a bell?"

"_You're still in love with her, Lex. Don't deny it. You're obsessed with her."_

"_Maybe." Lex nodded. "But maybe not for the reasons you might think…"_

"What are you saying, Lucas?"

"I'm saying that Hudson Kent isn't what she appears to be. And I've been party to that fact for the past three months."

_Montaigne said obsession was the wellspring of genius and madness. This is my obsession_.

_Like you said, Doc. It's a miracle. _

_Not what she appears to be_.

Helen knew it better than most; she'd seen the blood firsthand, knew the impossibilities of what she'd seen. She'd combed through Lex's secret room before handing the key over to Lionel. It was why she couldn't have pulled off Lex's death in any other way than how it'd happened – otherwise, instinctually she knew that Hudson would have saved him. Somehow.

"Do you know where she is?" She asked quietly.

Lucas' grin grew. "I told you, I've been living with her for the past three months. I know where she lives, what she's been up to and what name she goes by at the moment. The girl is out of her mind. I think my brother's death must have knocked a few screws loose or something." He watched Helen silently for a long moment before asking, "You, uh, knew they were an item, right?"

"Yes. Of course."

"_You know it's kind of odd to have a female best man, right, Lex?"_

"_I'm rich, and allowed to be eccentric. Besides, Hudson is my best friend, Helen. You might think it's a little weird but, I'm sorry. Other than you, she's all I have…_"

"Anyway, you probably wouldn't recognize her now if you saw her," Lucas continued, stretching out on the couch. "She's been doing all kinds of things with her hair, dresses like a high class whore and has this ugly ass scar across her chest –"

"Scar?"

"Yeah. Looks like it was burnt into her skin or something. Some weird-shaped eight or something. I didn't know the Kents were those kinds of people."

"They aren't," Helen answered automatically. For all of the secrets that family was obviously hiding, they were good people. At least, she could always count on them for supporting her against the Luthors. "Why would she do it to herself, I wonder?"

"Who knows? She's into some kinky shit, lately."

Helen stared over at her brother-in-law, contemplating. "Why are you telling me all of this, Lucas?"

Sitting up, he leaned forward, elbows rested on his knees. "I figure you and I only have one more person left in our way before we're home-free. Once he's eliminated, we don't have to look over our shoulders anymore. Everything is ours for the taking."

"Your father." Helen frowned. "And how, exactly, is your knowledge of Hudson's whereabouts supposed to help with that?"

"Look, she doesn't like my old man any more than the rest of us. If we could convince her that he was responsible for Lex's death, then she'd take care of him for us."

"You want her to kill him."

"She's more than capable of it." Lucas touched his throat, frowning a little before continuing, "And it leaves our hands completely clean."

"And what if she comes after us next?"

"Hey." He held up his hands. "I'm the innocent one, here."

Helen shook her head. "None of us are exactly innocent in our dealings with Lex, Lucas," she pointed out. "If you trust her to kill Lionel, then you can't truly trust her in anything. Be it for you putting him out onto the street for a short time to me stealing him away from her? She has reason to hate all of us."

Lucas smiled. "Ah. But we have something on her. I mean, I know what she's been up to. And I have a fairly good idea how she's done it."

"No. It won't work," Helen told him suddenly, her thoughts taking a different direction.

She could still use the information to her benefit, but the point was not to focus Hudson's attention on her. Lex's death could work to her advantage, gaining Hudson's sympathy for her plight. She had to be careful, though; if Lucas was right, then dealing with the teenager would be touchy at best. Imagine if she could convince Hudson to come home? The town would love her even more than they already did, and the Kents would be indebted to her. After everything was set to rights, no one could deny her help in her fight against Lionel.

And no one would believe his accusations.

Sitting down on the chair across from her brother-in-law, she told him, "Give me everything you know. You're obviously too dangerous to approach her at this point; if she catches on to your true intentions, she could run. Or worse. For now, I want you to go to a place I have up in Maine. You'll be safe there, from both Hudson and your father, until I can get things sorted out."

Lucas stared at her, obviously not trusting a word out of her mouth. "Why should I believe anything you say? I'm not an idiot, Helen. I know damn well you took my brother out, though god only knows how. You've got balls, I'll give you that."

"I didn't kill Lex," she reiterated, wondering if saying it enough would completely exonerate her. One day, she might actually believe her own lie. "Is life easier without him? Yes, I can admit to that honestly. But that doesn't mean this was the way I wanted it. Do you think I really want to go up against Lionel Luthor on my own?"

"Helen, at this point in time, I think you'd take on all of Hell by yourself."

She smiled slightly, pleased at the compliment. "I'm not quite so ambitious. One step at a time, Lucas. And right now, I'd rather have Hudson with us, as opposed to against us."

"You have a plan?"

Helen smiled. "Yes. But first, tell me what you know."

* * *

Feeling the need for an outlet to release the rage burning within her, Hudson made her way to Atlantis for the evening. Sex sounded like an option – hard, fast, dirty. She didn't want to know names or bother with flirtation. Just a pretty face, maybe two. Or three.

God, she just wanted the stink of that horrid farm off of her skin.

Making her way toward the front door, Hudson stopped suddenly, staring ahead at the woman climbing out of the limousine at the curb.

Helen.

Slipping back to the corner of the building, Hudson watched as she spoke to the driver, then made her way toward the door. She was dressed in a slinky, silky black dress, hugging every curve. Hudson twitched slightly, unable to deny that the woman was definitely hot. Too bad she was one of the last people she felt like dealing with at the moment, otherwise, she might find out for herself what it was that had drawn Lex to the woman.

Well, Atlantis was obviously out, she thought angrily before turning and stepping back into the alley behind her. Now she had to find something else to do.

Hudson stopped short in her progress down the alleyway. She heard something, directly in front of her. Cocking her head slightly to the left, she stared into the darkness, tensing slightly, noting a familiar scent in the air.

"Who is there?" She called out. "Show yourself."

A shadow moved out of the darkness. It seemed to waver and then slowly take form as it walked toward her.

Hudson glared. "Dodd."

"Miss Kent." He nodded toward her. "I think you should come home."

She snorted indelicately. "Did my parents send you?"

"No." He took a few steps closer. "I have been watching you, Hudson Kent. I have allowed you to carry on in this manner far too long. It is time for you to return to where you belong."

"You know nothing about me," she snarled. "And you have no right to demand that I do anything. You're just a cook!" She laughed suddenly. "An out-of-work cook, come to think of it."

"Hudson – "

"Stop calling me that!" She yelled. "That's not my name anymore. It's Kaela."

"Hudson," Dodd began again, side-stepping slightly to the right to walk around her. "You are not doing yourself any favors by hiding away. I understand that you are hurting, but you will only hurt yourself further if you do not let go and force yourself to face that pain. There are people at home who need you; they can help you."

"I don't need help." Hudson raised her chin arrogantly. "And I sure as hell don't need my old, pathetic life back. I'm free here – to do what I want, and _who_ I want. I can be anyone I choose to be. I don't have limits now."

Dodd nodded in reply to her remarks, his expression assessing as he continued to move around her, like stalking his prey. "You are right. You are without limits. And it is exactly for this reason that you will only end up bringing about your own destruction. Limits keep fear at bay; without them, there is no control, and the people will see that. You must be contained, Hudson Kent, or I will no longer be able to protect you."

"Protect me?" Hudson rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Good luck with that. I mean, you did such a great job protecting your employer and all."

"His death is unfortunate and sad. But the assurance of his well-being has never been my purpose." Dodd stopped beside her. "You are the reason I came to Smallville. And you are the reason I am here now."

"Careful, Dodd," she whispered, eyes narrowing dangerously. "You're coming awfully close to sounding like my father. And I don't really like him."

The man before her regarded her thoughtfully, silently, for a long moment. There was something different about him from the man that Hudson knew in Smallville, something that made him appear even more mysterious and out-of-touch with the rest of the world around him. Her gaze swept over him in the same manner he seemed to be assessing her; he wore dark clothing, drab clothing, the type of outfit one wore to blend in and not be noticed. She wondered how long he'd been tailing her and what all he knew. If he had any information on the robberies, he might try to use that against her to bring her back. She doubted that anyone who worked for the Luthor family would be above a little blackmail. The easiest way to protect herself would be to dispose of him – as quickly and painlessly as possible. After all, he'd kept her secret. He deserved some kind of thanks in return.

"I do not wish to force you to return, Hudson Kent," Dodd told her, as if reading her mind. "I only want you to understand that you are hurting yourself, as well as those who care about you. You are stronger and braver than that."

Hudson glared. "I already told you, I don't care!"

Bored with the discussion, Hudson lunged forward to grab him – only to find herself flailing with empty air and slamming into the wall behind him. She grappled at the bricks she had loosened and turned to stare at Dodd. She was certain he'd been right in front of her. How had he possibly moved out of the way that quickly?

Frown deepening, Hudson attacked him at full speed this time, knowing she could catch him even if he tried to move out of the way. Except, he didn't move. As Hudson dove for him, he simply seemed to dematerialize right in front of her, and she swept through him, stopping herself before she hit the opposite wall. Spinning around, she stared in shock at the man as his form became solid once more.

"How… how did you do that?" She demanded, knowing that if Kryptonite were involved, she would have felt it's affects.

"You are not the only one on this planet who is special," he informed her matter-of-factly. "Perhaps it is time that you grew up, and accepted that fact."

She gaped at him, not fully comprehending his meaning. "Who are you?" She whispered, and a part of her couldn't help but wonder if her father had sent someone after her.

"I am your friend, Kaela-El." He nodded to her briefly, and then flew upwards, out of the alley and away.

* * *

Lana stared at the stack of fliers in her hands as she moved down the steps into the Talon. The coffeehouse was packed, and she should have been pleased about that, but none of it seemed to matter anymore. She didn't have a partner to congratulate her on how well she was doing; and she'd fired her best friend from working there before she'd really given her a chance. A part of her wanted to sell the place – it brought back too many memories. But, at times, those memories were a comfort, and she couldn't give it up if only for that. Besides, Lex would give her hell for giving up like that, and Hudson wouldn't want whatever happened between them to color her decisions.

So she was left with this place.

Lifting her head at the sound of laughter across the room, she mentally made a note that not every sound had to be Hudson. Not every opening of the door meant that Hudson or Lex, or maybe even both together, would come walking into the main room, drawing the attention of everyone around them. They both had that quality, though Hudson would never accept it and certainly didn't know how to cultivate it. The moment people paid too much attention to her, she would instantly withdraw into herself, subliminally convincing them that she wasn't of much interest. Unlike Lex, of course, who made commanding a room into an art form. He knew people watched him, and he seemed to relish in that knowledge, either speaking so softly that the room was forced to hush to hear him or acting out in a behavior meant to shock. Only when he was with Hudson did he ever seem to be on his best behavior, and Lana always figured it was because his own attention was far too focused on her to care about anyone else.

Damn. She had to stop thinking about it.

"Hey, Lana."

Glancing up at the sound of her name, Lana forced a half-smile to her face as Chloe approached her. Ever since it became apparent that their opinion of Hudson's disappearance varied, they had been doing their level best to avoid one another. It wasn't what Lana wanted; they should have been commiserating in their grief over the loss of their friend together. But then, she knew that Chloe felt Lana had taken Hudson's friendship away from her, and there really wasn't a way to prove otherwise without Hudson there.

"Hi, Chloe." She set the fliers on the counter before moving behind the register.

"I'm, uh… sorry I didn't attend the memorial service with you," Chloe began, slipping on to one of the stools. "I mean, I know you wanted to go look for Hudson and all, and I'm sorry I bailed like that. I guess my easiest way to deal with problems like this is to deny them."

Lana glanced up at her friend and smiled in sympathy. "It's okay, Chloe. We're all dealing with Hudson leaving in our own way."

"Yeah," Chloe snorted lightly in a way that was all too reminiscent of their missing friend. "And my way is to pull the emotional ripcord and pretend like it didn't happen. It's a force of habit when people walk out of my life."

Biting her lip, Lana nodded slightly, knowing what Chloe meant by that. They'd both had their share of losses in their life, and maybe that helped her understand Hudson's refusal to come home, to keep that ring on her finger and forget about who she was. She'd never dealt with loss before; maybe she wasn't handling Lex's death very well at all. If only she'd come home, they'd all be able to help her, to make the pain easier to deal with. She knew her friend was dealing with so much pain…

_The area behind the barn looked like a missile had struck it. Lana had known that trying to destroy the ship had been a bad idea, but she never really considered how dangerous it could be until she saw the crater where the storm cellar should have been. When she found Hudson standing in the middle of it, eyes slightly glazed over, skin pale, she immediately knew that nothing had gone as her friend had hoped it would either._

"_Hudson, did it work? Are you okay? My god, look at this place!" She moved over to her friend, reaching out to touch her arm. "Where are your parents?"_

"_Hospital," came the deadpan reply. " They're fine. Mom lost the baby."_

_It wasn't so much the information given as the way it was spoken that caused Lana to gasp. Hudson's voice was emotionless, like she'd already given up all hope. "Oh, Hudson. Honey, I'm so sorry."_

"_This is all my fault, Lana. I did this."_

"_No," she replied instantly. "You were trying to protect your family, yourself. This isn't your fault. If you want to blame anyone, blame Jor-El!"_

_Hudson shook her head slightly. "I bring pain and suffering to everyone's lives."_

"_Hudson, that's not true –" _

"_Yes, Lana, it is." She finally turned to face her, and there was so much anguish there it actually caused Lana to take a step back. "I've lied to my parents about this and look what happened? I took away the one thing they wanted most in this world. And Lex… " She stopped and looked away. "I've lied to him for so long that I… I pushed him away. I thought that I was protecting him but now… I've realized all I did was hurt us both." _

_Lana moved closer to her, took her hand in hers. "You can't always be expected to make the right choices. You did what you thought was best, and I'm sorry it's ended like this, I'm sorry that Lex couldn't wait for you. But it's nothing that you should fault yourself for, Hudson."_

_Silent tears fell. "I tried to cover up my past and push it away. I-I couldn't." She pulled her hand from Lana's, moved away, pacing almost restlessly within the confines of the crater. "Jor-El said if I didn't go, everyone I love would be hurt. He was right." _

"_Hudson, you're in shock," Lana told her softly. "Let's get you to the hospital and – "_

"_No!" She shouted, pulling back and stumbling away from Lana. "Stay away from me. Stay away from me before I hurt you too!" _

_Hudson sped away then, leaving Lana alone and terrified, and wondering what her friend was going to do…_

"I can't just forget about her," Lana said finally, returning her attention to the present, and Chloe. "I can't let her go like that. I already screwed up once."

Chloe's brow furrowed at her words. "Screwed up? How?"

Lana sighed. "When Hudson was leaving she asked me to go with her. I said no, but I can't help thinking that if I had gone, I could have convinced her to come home by now." She shrugged. "At least, I could have been there for her, helped her through whatever she is dealing with. Made certain she was safe."

"Lana." Chloe reached out and touched her hand. It felt strange, not like Hudson's touch which was always warm, always overwhelming. "You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved."

Lana glanced up at her, biting back the impulse to tell her the truth, to tell her how she really felt about Hudson. But then, she didn't think Chloe would handle that very well. It was enough that she believed Lana had stolen her best friend away; she didn't think Chloe wanted to hear that her feelings went even deeper than that. No one needed to hear it, really. Those kind of things were safer to keep bottled up deep inside.

"I saw her yesterday," she finally confided. "Just for a second at Lex's funeral."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." She couldn't help but smile a little, gaze dropping to the counter as she drew her finger over it in the shape of a flower. "She took off right away, but just seeing her there… I had a feeling she wouldn't be able to stay away. I mean, this is Lex, you know? I just hate the idea of her facing such things alone."

Moving back around to the front of the bar, Lana grabbed the stack of fliers and showed them to Chloe. "Seeing her renewed my determination to find her. I'm going to go back and post these around the area. Maybe someone else has seen her, or knows her." She brought her gaze back to Chloe's, hopeful. "Think you could give me a lift? We could put them up together."

There was hesitation in Chloe's gaze as she worried her lower lip quietly. Finally, she replied softly, "Sure. But you don't need the fliers." At Lana's quick glance, she admitted, "I know where she is."

Lana stared at her in shocked silence, unable to believe what she'd just told her. "What?" She demanded.

"Yeah." Chloe sighed and looked to Lana nervously. "Okay, you're going to totally hate me for this, but I found her two months ago. Some friends of mine from the Planet snuck me into this club and there she was, and I couldn't believe it was her. She seemed so different and wrong and… Well, I followed her back to her apartment."

Lana couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You've known where she's been this entire time and you haven't _said anything to anybody_?"

"Lana, look, I didn't have a choice," Chloe defended quickly. "She said if anyone else found out, she'd run away to somewhere no one would find her!"

Shaking her head, Lana snatched the fliers into her hands and glared a person she thought was her friend, was Hudson's friend. "I can't believe you've been telling me to give up on her, to forget about her."

Chloe tried once more to explain. "Lana, she's not acting like herself. She could be dangerous."

She knew exactly how dangerous Hudson could be with that ring on her finger. She knew the robberies the past few months in Metropolis were due to her, she remembered her behavior when they first learned about the affects of the red Kryptonite, and she had a feeling there was more that Hudson hadn't shared with her. If anyone should be handing out a warning here, it was Lana to Chloe. Unfortunately, without Chloe knowing the truth about Hudson, there was nothing much that she really could say. At this point, though, she understood why Hudson had never told Chloe the truth: she'd just proven that she couldn't be trusted.

"Just give me the address," she told her.

"Wait. I'll take you," Chloe offered.

Lana bit back everything she really wanted to say to her, how angry and hurt she really was that Chloe would hide this information not only from her, but from the Kents as well. "I think you've done enough already, Chloe."

Silence followed for the next moment, before Chloe finally reached into her purse for a pen and grabbed one of the fliers to scribble down the address.

* * *

After getting a ride to the station from her aunt, and a promise that she would call the moment she made it to Metropolis, Lana took the first train out to the city that was available. She had enough money with her to grab a cab six hours later, when the train finally reached it's destination. With the address of Hudson's whereabouts firmly clutched in her hand, Lana paid the cabbie and then climbed out of the car and made her way up to the apartment building.

The robberies made more sense as she looked over the landscape; Hudson wouldn't have been able to afford this place otherwise. Lana couldn't help but wonder if living in the richest neighborhood was Hudson's silent tribute to Lex, an attempt to live the kind of life he had, or the life they should have shared together. When first infected by the red Kryptonite the year before, Hudson had almost immediately developed a taste for 'the finer things in life' beyond any other change in her behavior. It was so very unlike her. Hudson was the kind of person who found immense pleasure in something as simple as a nice space of cool grass to lay on, and an expanse of fluffy white clouds to stare up at. Just as long as the people she loved were safe and nearby.

"This isn't the same person," Lana softly reminded herself as she exited the elevator and moved along the walkway toward the penthouse door. She had to be careful of what she said, and how she said it.

She knocked three times before realizing Hudson was likely out somewhere, maybe even now committing one of her infamous robberies. She considered just camping outside her front door, but decided it would be safer, and easier, to find Hudson first. If Hudson saw her on the way up, she might leave before Lana had a chance to say two words. Confident in her decision, Lana made her way back down to the street.

It was the sound of an approaching motorcycle that caused Lana to peer over the railing to the parking lot beneath her. There, riding up on her dad's bike, was Hudson. She wore a short leather skirt that was hitched indecently up around her hips, thigh-high boots, a leather jacket over what might have simply been a black bra. Lana tried not to stare. Her hair was lighter, with blonde highlights shot haphazardly throughout, and cut at jagged angles. It was pulled up in an uneven and severe ponytail, drawing focus to her eyes which were heavily laden in black eyeliner and mascara. She'd be considered exotically beautiful, if Lana didn't know that she wasn't herself. Hudson had changed so much in the last three months; her face was thinner, all sharp angels, and she seemed older. Certainly not seventeen, not the sweet, well-meaning farm girl.

The bike pulled to a stop beneath her, and Hudson was looking up, watching her as Lana descended the short stair case. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," she replied determinedly. "Hudson, you need to come home."

"Smallville's not my home anymore," Hudson answered, grinning slightly as her gaze roamed over Lana.

Lana knew how easy it would be for Hudson to just disappear again. She couldn't let that happen. She remembered standing there on the Kent's driveway, watching helplessly as her friend slipped that ring onto her finger and became… someone else. She'd been so scared, uncertain of what to do, crying as Hudson rode away from her and her home.

It wouldn't be the same this time. They'd once vowed to take care of one another, and that was exactly what Lana planned to do.

"I am not letting leave without me again," she told Hudson resolutely as she moved up beside the motorcycle.

Hudson smiled and slid forward on the seat. "Then get on."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Lana quickly slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder then climbed on to the bike. She wrapped her arms around her friend's waist as they pulled away, and burrowed her face against the shoulder of her jacket. There was no turning back now. She had to trust that Hudson – the real Hudson, the one hiding behind the Kryptonite – would look out for her, protect her. It was true that after three months of being affected by the meteor, it could very well be that Hudson was too far gone to reach. But Lana wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"I've missed you," she shouted above the wind, head ducking slightly not to be hit by Hudson's hair as it whipped around her shoulders.

"Really?" She could hear the laughter in her friend's tone. "I never once thought about you."

Lana pursed her lips stubbornly. "I don't believe that. I… I think I mean more to you than that."

"Then you think an awful lot of yourself, Miss Lang," Hudson replied. But she dropped one hand from the handlebars, and her fingers brushed against Lana's.

"I saw you the other day… at Lex's funeral."

"How much do you think Lionel spent on the fucking memorial?" Hudson's laughter drifted back to her. "Think it's an expression of overwhelming guilt? The man is such an ass. Going on and on about what a great man his son _would_ have become… all posthumously, of course."

Lana noted that Hudson was careful not to say Lex's name. "Hudson, how are you dealing – "

Fingers closed painfully around her hands. Lana bit off her question with a quick gasp of pain.

"Why don't I show you my new home?" Hudson suggested, patting the fingers she had just squeezed almost to the breaking point.

"O… Okay."

She had to be more discreet than that. Taking a deep breath, wondering if she'd done the right thing, Lana dipped her head once more against Hudson's shoulder and tightened the hold around her waist.

* * *

Jonathan taped the top of the last box form the attic before gingerly lifting it and carrying it over to the stack beside the kitchen door. Three days. It was all the time they had left to pack up everything they owned and move it off of the farm. To say goodbye to the only home he had ever known – the only home his father had ever known, his grandfather. What would they think of him, if they'd known that he had given up, that this land meant nothing to him now?

With Hudson's absence, there was a void in their lives that Jonathan couldn't seem to replace. And he knew he didn't want to. There was no reason to keep the farm going if he had no one who loved it as much as he did to leave it to. Every day, Martha lost more and more of the light to her eyes that he thought could never be extinguished; she laughed less, dark circles were constantly present beneath her eyes, her beautiful red hair had lost it's luster. Day in and day out, Jonathan mentally replayed the things he'd said to Hudson during their last conversation, changing the wording, trying to be more sympathetic and understanding to the choices he'd made. If he'd listened, if he'd held her, if he'd simply reached out and touched her, maybe then their daughter would still be there; an excitable maelstrom of hyperactivity that was missed in their lives.

She'd been so afraid of Jor-El, afraid of the ship, of the things he told her, of a destiny she feared might be inescapable. Jonathan had been foolish enough to believe that the voice in the ship couldn't touch them, had told his daughter to ignore it and let it go, when he should have been more vigilant. He, as much as Jorl-El, was responsible for pushing her toward a future not meant for her…

"_H.C., what is it?"  
_

_She frowned as she stared down into the ship. "It's a message from my biological father." Hudson shook her head, shifting closer to him. "I'm sure I'm reading it wrong…"_

"_Why? What does it say?"  
_

_"On this third planet from this star Sol, you will be a goddess among men. They are a flawed race. Rule them with strength, my daughter. That is where your greatness lies." _

_She gasped softly, stepping back from the ship, turning away as terror swept over her gaze. "I… I think I was sent here to conquer." She spun around to stare at him. "What kind of planet am I from?"_

"_Maybe you did misread it, H.C.," he reasoned. "But even if you didn't, it's you who decides what kind of a life you're gonna lead. Not me, not your mother, not your... biological parents." _

"_What if it's part of who I am?" She asked. "Is… is that the kind of person I will become?"_

"_Hudson Kent, you're here to be a force for good," her dad assured her quietly. "Not a force of evil."_

_She shook her head, bit her lip. "How can you be so sure?" _

_Smiling, Jonathan moved toward her, placed his hands on her arms. "Because I am your father. I raised you, and I know you better than anyone."_

_She trembled and her dad pulled her against him, holding her tight. How did you tell the most powerful being on Earth that you would protect them? How could you possibly assure them of that?..._

The ringing of the phone pulled Jonathan from his reverie. Rubbing a hand over his face in weariness, he moved over and picked up the receiver from it's cradle.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Kent, I found Hudson."

"Lana." He frowned, hand moving through his hair to tug on the back of it in concern. "Where are you?"

"A nightclub in Metropolis called Atlantis. I found her a few hours ago."

"Lana, you shouldn't be there alone," he admonished her. "You should have told us. Hudson is too dangerous like this."

Behind him, he heard the startled gasp of his wife, and then she was quickly beside him. He gave her a small smile before reaching out to squeeze her hand in a silent offer of strength.

"I want you to be very careful," he continued. "Don't provoke her. I'm on my way there, but if she wants to leave, don't try to stop her. You hear me Lana? We both know what she's capable of like this, and no matter what you might think, this _isn't _Hudson. I don't want you caught in the crossfire."

"Okay," the voice replied, then suddenly another voice could be heard nearby.

"Who you talking to?" There was silence, then, "Who's this?"

Jonathan felt his heartbeat quicken painfully at the sound of his daughter's voice. She was safe, and right now that was all that mattered. "H.C., it's me."

Beside him, Martha grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him down to her height so that they could both hear the phone.

"Jonathan," Hudson intoned on the other end, obviously bored. "How's the farm?"

Jonathan ignored the pointed barb; it wasn't his daughter that was speaking. "H.C… honey, your mother and I love you very much and we want you to come home."

"Is that right? Hey, what about not dwelling on the past and making a fresh new start? Come on, you can admit it. You're happier I'm gone."

Jonathan blanched, his words from the other night coming back to him. She'd obviously heard everything said between them before accidentally revealing her presence. How much more could he say to involuntarily hurt his child? She didn't deserve this from him. He had to make it up to her.

"Hudson… " Martha whispered softly, voice filled with regret.

"Honey, that's not true," he began, hoping to convince her. "You're our daughter. You – "

"I'm not your daughter!" She shouted over the phone. "And you're not my parents. You never have been and you never will be!"

"Hudson!" Martha called out but it was too late. The phone went dead in his hand.

Silence followed as Jonathan stood there, holding the receiver in his hand, staring down at it. Resolution and strength that he hadn't felt in ages rushed through him. He slammed the phone back into it's cradle and turned to his wife.

"I've got to go get her," he announced.

"How, Jonathan?" Martha's brow creased as she stared up at him in dismay. She reached out, clutching the front of his shirt in her hand. "If she sees you she could either run, or if she's angry enough, she could hurt you. You can't stop her."

She was simply stating what they both already knew, what he had already warned Lana about.

"Martha," he replied softly, his hand moving over hers to hold it. "If I don't go and get her now, we may lose her forever."

Jonathan watched her, waiting, knowing this was a difficult decision for her. If she let him go and he didn't come back, then she would be forced to suffer another loss. But he really didn't believe either of them could continue on like this. They needed closure; they needed their daughter back.

"All right," she whispered finally, nodding her head in agreement.

"I'm going to bring our little girl home," he told her confidently before leaning down to kiss her cheek, and then headed out of the house.

There was only one person that Jonathan knew of who was capable of bringing Hudson home, and no matter what it took, he would make the necessary sacrifices to gain the help he needed.

* * *

Luthorcorp.

Hudson stared up at the building with a sneer. All roads led here, it seemed. Sometimes she wondered if the Luthors weren't trying to control her life as much as that bastard father of hers was. Well, this was the last of it. Once she finished this job and got the merchandise back to Morgan Edge, she would be free. There was a whole world out there just waiting for her to make her mark; she'd already remained in Metropolis long enough. It was time to move on. Tearing off the metal grating around one the air vents, Hudson made her way inside and from there used her X-ray vision to find her way to Lionel's office.

Of course, she didn't trust Morgan Edge, she mused as she crawled her way through the confined space. Once he saw how easily she obtained the package for him, he would undoubtedly want more. Hopefully it wouldn't take much to convince him that honoring the bargain would be much easier, and less dangerous, for him without complicating matters. She didn't really have time to fool around. Now that Lana and her parents knew how to find her, they would certainly be calling in the Calvary – which likely included a hefty load of Kryptonite to make certain she didn't get away.

She kicked at the panel just beneath her when she reached the right spot, following it down to the floor as it fell. In front of her were the double doors that led into Lionel Luthor's office. Hudson knew the place all too well.

Stepping inside, she didn't stop to admire the office as she made her way over to the titanium-reinforced steel safe. It was completely new, a replacement of the previous model that simple thieves had been able to break into. Hudson crumbled the top and bottom hinges from the door in her hand, hesitating only a moment as she wondered if the refined Kryptonite that used to lay within the safe was still there. Surely Lionel wouldn't be so stupid as to leave that stuff on the premises any longer. Lifting the door completely off the safe, she set it to the side, against the wall, then walked over to the shelf inside. Laying on it was a metal box, just as Morgan had described to her, slim and long, almost like a jewelry box. Not bothering to check it's contents, she slipped it into her pocket, then turned to leave.

"Hello, Hudson."

She stopped short, an amused smile breaking across her face at the sight of her unexpected company. "Jonathan Kent. Isn't it a little past your bedtime? How'd you find me?"

"Your biological father."

Instantly, the smile disappeared from her face. Eyes narrowing with anger, she stepped forward, stalking toward him menacingly. "You two are working together now, huh? That's cute. But I didn't listen to him and I'm certainly not gonna listen to you."

With a derisive shake of her head, Hudson moved to sweep past him only to find his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Hudson. I know you're hurting. We have a lot to talk about – "

"Oh, yes. That we do." She nodded in agreement. "Should I tell you about the guy I sucked off this morning behind the mall? He buried his fingers in my hair and fucked my throat hard. Come to think of it, he kind of looked like you. Now there's a nightmare that will live with me forever."

Jonathan blanched at her words, the determination in his gaze wavering for just a moment. "That… that doesn't matter now," he told her. "Come on home to the people who love you."

Hudson smiled, her gaze almost warm, and reached up to brush her fingers over the hand on her shoulder. Suddenly she grabbed it forcibly and lifted Jonathan up off the ground, sending him flying across the office, into the wall beside the door. The drywall caved inward with the force of the impact of his body, and she watched in immeasurable satisfaction as Jonathan slid to the floor.

Quirking her head to the side, she grinned. "Guess you should've stayed in Smallville, Johnny-boy."

Jonathan lifted his head then, fixing her with a determined and steely gaze as he slowly rose to his feet. "Hudson Clark Kent, you're coming home with me. Now."

Hudson stared at him in reply, fascinated by the beating his body was suddenly able to take. Just what had he and Jor-El been up to? Lifting an eyebrow slightly in anticipation as she watched him, she waited, gaze challenging, to see what he would do next.

Without warning, Jonathan rushed her, superspeeding toward her until his body crashed into hers and they both went flying, sailing into the window behind them and then falling.

Instinctually, Hudson fought against the fall, anger flowing through her as she attempted to stop the descent. Jonathan's body had hers trapped though, his arms tightly wound around her as if purposely preventing escape from the fall. Snarling like a trapped animal, she moved to slam her head into his, no longer paying attention to the rushing air around them or the ground that was fast approaching. Before she could hit him, he grabbed hold of her hair behind her back, pulling her neck backwards, securing her inability to free herself.

Then suddenly they were crashing through more glass – a ceiling held together by steel girders and plating and then into the electrical machinery that lay beneath it. Hudson felt the metal claw across her back, a series of sparks and explosions lighting up the area around them. She threw her body heavily to the right, rolling them through the debris in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Once in position, she kneed Jonathan hard in the groin, flinging her arms outward to loosen his hold and quickly jump to her feet. Before she could escape, he grabbed hold of her jacket, spinning her backwards, into a concrete pillar behind her that instantly shattered and crumbled down around them at the impact. Surprised by the attack, Hudson pushed the blocks off of her, planning her retaliation just as Jonathan grabbed hold of her again, dragging her to her feet and throwing them both across the open space into a stack of two-by-fours.

Hudson couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. "Looks like the old man's been working out!" She drawled, realizing she hadn't had this much fun in years. She wasn't used to someone who could match her in strength.

"Jor-El and I have an understanding," he told her. "I'm taking you home."

"I don't care what he's done to you." The amusement fled as quickly as it arrived. "You're not taking me anywhere."

Determination obviously resurfacing, Jonathan reached for Hudson's hand, attempting to grab the ring and pull it off of her finger. With a cry of rage, Hudson shoved him hard, sending him flying backwards into a set of pipes against the far wall. Getting to her feet, Hudson brushed at the dust gathered on her skirt, cursing soundly when she realized one of the heels on her boots was broken. Apparently they just didn't make clothing up to Kryptonian standards.

"Hudson!"

Glancing up, Hudson was chagrined to see Jonathan pushing away from the pipes that were bent inward, the steam that shot around him leaving him untouched. She made a face, wondering exactly what it was going to take to get rid of the man.

"You don't realize how dangerous you are when you're wearing that ring!"

She laughed and waved her hand at him. "It's not the ring. I was born this way. You just can't accept it!"

Born strong. Fierce. Dangerous. For so long, she'd allowed them to all take advantage of her, hurt her, always telling herself that it was her fault, that she should be the one to suffer for what she was. But that wasn't the truth. She didn't ask to be here, she didn't ask to be a part of any of the lives around her. If they suffered for wanting to touch her, to hurt her, to love her even, then that was their problem. She was tired of playing martyr.

Superspeeding forward, she grabbed hold of Jonathan, physically lifting his body as she spun him around and threw him into a tower of scaffolding. It rained down around them, heavy pipes and dust scattering as it crashed into the concrete beneath their feet. Hudson lost her balance, falling with it, closing her eyes until the dust slowly settled around her before she shrugged the scaffolding off of her shoulders and back, climbing to her feet. The leather jacket she wore was in tatters, hanging awkwardly from her shoulders and arms. Frowning in displeasure, she ripped what remained of it from her body, glancing up at the shocked gasp heard a few feet away from her.

Jonathan was staring in disbelief at the Kryptonian symbol that was etched into her skin, just visible beneath the black bra top that she wore, like some tribal tattoo.

"What in the hell did Jor-El do to you, H.C.?" He asked, voice edged with anger.

_This is the mark of your ancestors. You cannot fight it, Kaela-El. _

Her eyes narrowed. "He made sure I'd never forget who my real father is."

Grabbing one of the steel pipes at her feet, Hudson hurled it toward Jonathan. The moment he ducked to avoid being hit by the missile, she sped out of sight, moving up behind him to catch him off-guard. Just as he seemed to realize what had happened and turned to find her, it was too late. Hudson had him pinned against the pillar, hand against his throat, holding him up off the ground where he couldn't fight her. Eyes glittering with her upcoming victory, she raised her fist, preparing for the blow she knew it would take to end this. No longer would she allow these people to rule her, to destroy her, to try to take from her everything that she was. She had her own destiny to write, one that no one understood – not her biological father or her adopted father or Lucas Luthor or Morgan Edge.

"_H.C., you choose your own destiny. Nobody can decide that for you, honey."_

"_This is my home. And you're my parents. It's where I belong, and I'm not going anywhere." _

Her fist wavered in the air as the memories began to assail her.

"_H.C.? How's it going today?"_

"_Good." _

"_No voice?"_

_She forced a smile. "No voice."_

"_Looks like you're just going have to face the future the old-fashioned way."_

"_I guess so. It's pretty scary."_

_He chuckled. "Yeah." _

The pain in her chest began to flare. _No, I'm so close_.

"Go on. Do it," Jonathan taunted. "If I could raise a daughter that could kill, then kill!" He demanded.

"_Mom?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_You look beautiful today."_

"_Thank you, sweetheart."_

She stared at Jonathan, eyes wide with anger. It would be so easy…

_You will obey me, Kaela-El_.

Screaming her rage, Hudson pulled her fist back and slammed it forward into the pillar, missing Jonathan's head by mere inches. On impact, the red meteor within the ring shattered, falling away from its setting which bent and buckled against the concrete. Her knees collapsing beneath her, Hudson sank to the ground, a feeling of exhaustion sweeping over her. The pain in her chest continued to flare and burn, causing her to cry out, curse it. Slowly, it dwindled and dissipated until she lay there, breathing hard, blinking back tears, a belated realization that the scar was gone from her chest. She ran her fingers over the smooth skin, wondering for a moment if she had simply dreamed every moment of the past few months.

Then she looked up and saw her dad laying, unconscious, a few feet away from her.

Not a dream.

"Dad."

Picking herself up from the ground, Hudson crawled her way over to him, lifting him up against her and quickly checking his pulse. It seemed right, but she couldn't be certain. "Dad?" She called to him again. "Daddy?"

"Hudson." His eyes fluttered and he looked up at her, a small smile touching his face.

"I need to get you to a hospital," she told him, moving to gather him into her arms.

"N-no." He touched her arm, halting her. "Home. Your mother… she's expecting us."

"But you're – "

"I'm fine, honey." His eyes drifted closed once more and Hudson thought he'd lost consciousness again until he whispered, "Just tired."

And then she felt his body go limp against her. "Daddy?"

Nothing.

Struggling against the voice that was telling her to take him to the hospital, Hudson climbed to her feet and gathered her father into her arms to take him home.

To take them both home.


	29. My First Taste: Rebirth

**REBIRTH**

**EPISODE NINETEEN**

I may have made it rain  
Please forgive me  
My weakness caused you pain  
And this song's my sorry

**_Every Time (Britney Spears)_**

Hudson dashed at the silent tears that continued to fall nonstop down her cheeks. She was trying not to think, to just concentrate on driving and getting her dad home. But even blocking out the thoughts and memories, pushing them back into a dark corner of her mind where she didn't have to deal with them, the tears still came. She couldn't make them stop.

Her dad slept beside her. Going on three hours now. She didn't know if he was unconscious or simply in a very deep sleep, and it scared her. The human body wasn't meant to take the beating that she'd given him, no matter what Jor-El might have done for him, and if only she hadn't been wearing that damn ring, then –

"Don't think about it," she whispered, forcing her hands to relax against the steering wheel before she inadvertently crushed it. "Don't think. Don't… Just drive."

She turned the music on softly, concentrating on the rhythm and ignoring the words of the songs that played. The countryside around her was encased in darkness, the last lights from Salina having faded long ago. Sometimes she enjoyed simply driving, taking her time getting from one place to another, actually noticing the scenery as opposed to zipping past it. And tonight… well, it gave her something to occupy her mind. Open spaces, rolling hills, the dark shapes of cattle dotting the little valleys, hovering near fences. This was home for her, for so long it had been all she'd known but now… now she couldn't help but feel like an intruder. Like maybe she didn't belong or fit in any longer, too tainted, stained –

"Stop it!" She whispered angrily to herself.

"H.C.?"

Hudson turned at her dad's voice to see him waking, struggling to sit up straighter in the seat. "H-how do you feel?"

"Tired." He ran a hand over his face slowly before giving her a small smile. "But I'm all right. Don't worry about me, honey."

She tried to nod in response but it didn't come out right. More tears fell because she knew very well who's fault this was. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered. "I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused and… the baby."

Sighing softly, he turned to face her. "H.C., this isn't your fault. None of this is. Not the past three months, not what happened to the baby – "

Her vision was getting blurry. Hudson swiped the tears away with her arm, sobbing once as she shook her head in disagreement.

"Honey." Jonathan moved closer. "We all make mistakes. God knows when you came to me with the truth, I should have reacted differently. I should have listened, should have understood your fear, your reasons. I should have been there, H.C., but I wasn't. You scared me, and I responded the way I did because of it. As your father, I should have been there for you. Not turned my back on you."

With his words, she only cried harder because she knew it wasn't true. He'd always been a good father to her, he'd always done the right thing – she was the one who had disappointed and hurt him, and her mom. She didn't think; as usual, she believed she knew what was best. But that hadn't been the case. It was rarely the case.

Realizing the state she was in, her dad made her pull the truck over to the side of the road to park, and then pulled her into his arms while she cried. He petted her hair and assured her that everything would be all right, even as her head shook in denial against him. She could feel the dust from their battle still clinging to his jacket and it made her shake; she'd almost killed him, Jonathan Kent, the man who'd taken in an orphan, an alien, and gave her a home and a family. She remembered hating him so much, hating everything he represented, hating what she knew he wanted to take away from her. And she couldn't blame it on the rock, not when she remembered, not when she could recall exactly how those emotions felt within her, and where they came from.

"Hey." Her dad pulled back, reaching up to wipe her tears away. "We're almost home. And if I know your mother, she's pacing the floor, waiting to hear from me."

Nodding, Hudson brushed her fingers over her eyes and turned back to the steering wheel, pulling the truck back onto the deserted highway. Silence descended once more, her dad slumping slightly against the passenger side door, as if he'd used up all of his strength to talk to her, console her. Hudson focused her attention on the path in front of her once more, silently telling herself to take one day at a time. Get through tonight, then she could face tomorrow. Her gaze flickered to the sign welcoming her to Smallville, and then back to the road once more.

It didn't feel right. It didn't feel like home.

By the time she pulled up the driveway to the farm, Hudson's hands were shaking again. She ignored the sign that said the place would be up for auction in a few days, and instead concentrated on the warm lights coming from the windows of the house. Lights she may have never seen again if her dad hadn't come for her. Lights she really didn't deserve to look upon.

"Dad." She turned off the truck and glanced over at him, face flushing. "Daddy, I… about those things I said to you back in Metropolis. What I said I did – "

"H.C.," he cut her off, expression tightening for just a moment before reaching out to touch her knee. "That wasn't you. When you put that ring on… " He stopped and shook his head. "You're home now. What happened these past few months… none of it matters."

She wanted to believe that, and maybe her dad could, but she was the one who had to live with the memories. She glanced down at her outfit, grimacing slightly at the sight she knew she presented.

"Here." Jonathan shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to her. "We don't need to worry your mother anymore than she already is, huh?"

Forcing a smile, Hudson took the offered clothing gratefully and slipped it on.

Sliding out of the truck, she moved over to the other side to help her dad, giving him a shoulder to lean on as they made their way up to the house. Mentally, she counted the steps along the path – twenty, the same as she remembered. The second step creaked beneath her weight as they climbed up to the porch; a nail was coming loose from one of the boards in front of the welcome mat; mosquitoes and gnats buzzed around the light fixture. These were the things Hudson concentrated on. The scent of the flower bed beneath the railing, the painting that was peeling off of the front door, the tired and heavy footfalls of her dad beside her. The 'here and now' was something she could handle.

As she opened the door, Hudson felt her eyes tear up once more. The scents and the warmth from inside were the same as she remembered and yet, everything was so very different. Boxes were stacked around the front room and hallway, sheets protectively covering some of the furniture. There were empty spaces on the walls where pictures of their family and friends should have been hanging. This wasn't home; it was simply a bad fabrication.

"Hudson?"

She looked up at the voice to see her mom staring at her from the kitchen doorway, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Mom…"

Her dad pushed her slightly, urging her forward. Knees weak, Hudson took a few steps into the room and then her mother was holding her, and they were both crying.

"Oh, Hudson," her mom whispered, arms tightening around her, fingers brushing her hair.

"Mommy..." Hudson closed her eyes, sobbing harder as she realized how much she'd missed her mom; her warm touch, the scent of sunshine and cinnamon that was always present in her hair. When she thought about how much pain she'd caused this woman who loved her so much, she felt like she was breaking apart inside. "I'm so sorry, Mommy," she cried. "For everything – for hurting you, for the baby –"

"No, honey. No." She shushed her and pulled her down on to the couch with her. "None of it was your fault. I never blamed you."

"But you wanted the baby so much… "

"Oh, sweetheart." Martha pulled back and cupped her face to hold her gaze. "Yes, we wanted the baby. But do you realize how much more important you are to us? You're the reason we're a family, Hudson – you made us a family. You're so very special to us; we love you so very much. Please believe that. Losing you… it's something I never want to go through again."

Hudson didn't know how to reply to that. She wanted to believe her, but all she could think of was the pain she'd caused her parents over and over again. Nothing she ever did was right. As if sensing this, her mom pulled her back into her arms again, holding her tight.

"I'm so glad to have you back, sweetheart," she whispered. "We missed you so very – Jonathan!"

Turning away from her mom, Hudson looked back to see her dad collapse into a chair, grunting slightly as he hit the seat. She stood with her mom, moving over to his side.

"What happened?" Martha asked, brushing her fingers through Jonathan's hair, her gaze suddenly sweeping over his clothing. Her gaze moved to Hudson for answers.

"Whatever Jor-El did to him must have been too much for his body to handle," she offered softly.

"Jor-El!" Martha turned back to Jonathan, a quick flicker of disapproval flashing in her eyes.

Jonathan reached out and touched his wife's hand. "The important thing is that Hudson is back home with us now," he told her. "Let's focus on that."

Hudson dropped her gaze, knowing that her mother was unhappy with her father's solution to bringing her home and that she wasn't going to just let it go. For that matter, Hudson couldn't bring herself to do that, either, not when she allowed herself to consider what could have happened

Not when she thought about everything that did happen.

* * *

None of this was happening. None of this was real.

He'd open his eyes and wake up in his own bed in the mansion and it will all have been a dream. He would get up and shower and put on his tux and prepare for his wedding to a woman who loved him, a woman who was honest with him, a woman who wanted him to be so much more than he was…

Lex opened his eyes, stared numbly at the glass of brandy his father was holding out to him. Not a dream, then. Every last fucking bit of it was real. Three months in hell only to make it home and find out that hell was of his own making.

"Take it, Lex. And put that gun down before you hurt someone."

Lex winced at the familiar condescending tone, knowing that his father was already lording this latest in his long line of never-ending mistakes over his head. This one – falling in love with Helen, with the very viper his father had warned him against – this was the coup de grace. He couldn't find much comfort in the fact that she'd successfully pulled off maneuvers that even Lionel hadn't guessed at, that she'd almost succeeded in killing a Luthor and getting away with it. That knowledge didn't quite blanket the humiliation and rage he found himself feeling at once more being sucked in to the clever lies and manipulations of a beautiful woman.

"Sit down, Lex. Before you fall down."

"Fuck you," came his reply, but he took the brandy and set the gun down and dropped onto the couch. Tipping back the glass, he drank quickly, the liquid burning fire down his throat. At least he could feel that much.

Beside him, Lionel regarded him with a faint smile of amusement. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Lex. Beautiful women are the deadliest of creatures," his father told him, echoing his own thoughts.

Lex stared at his empty hand, flexing his fingers. He hadn't noticed the calluses on his palm while on the island. But then, he hadn't noticed much on the island. Not even his apparent dementia. And wouldn't his father love hearing about that? _Hey, dad! You were right all along! I'm emotionally weak and mentally unstable. Aren't you proud_?

"Maybe this will teach you to start listening to your father."

It would be so easy to pick up that gun, point it at Lionel's head and pull the trigger. He was already listed as dead, so no one would think to pin the murder on him. He could just hide out the next few months, return later, grieve for the loss of his father, for not having the chance to say goodbye.

"Lex? What are you going to do?"

He blinked, pushing aside the murderous thoughts he knew he would never follow through with, and glanced over at his father. What was he going to do? Calculate the facts, first and foremost.

"You mentioned the blood sample. What happened to it?"

Lionel grew thoughtful, as if considering just how he wanted to reply to that question. That was something Lex needed to learn – stop reacting on instinct, stop blurting out the first thing that came to mind, ignore the emotions that raged through him. His father was never caught off-guard because he was always ten steps ahead of everyone; he thought each path through before taking it. It was why Lex would never be able to beat him, not until he learned how to play the game.

"She gave it to me, of course," he replied with a smile, as if it was understood that both his fiancée and his father were simply expected to be screwing him over. "It wasn't an inexpensive transaction, either. Her price continued to go up with every task. It's no wonder that she collected enough money to easily pull off her own husband's murder."

Lex thought he should feel something at those words, but he didn't. There was nothing. Just this cold emptiness seeping through him. He finished off the brandy and set the glass against the table with a loud clink. "Didn't anyone tell you it isn't cheap to set your son up nowadays? It takes money."

"Now, Lex. I only did what I did to teach you a lesson," Lionel countered. "I certainly didn't expect you to fall in love with her. Especially after your man caught us meeting in the park."

Lex couldn't stop himself from shooting his father a quick look.

Lionel smiled. "Of course I knew you were having me watched, Lex. It was the one thing that you did do right. I can't imagine what line Helen must have handed you to cause you to believe that she hadn't been meeting with me for her own nefarious purposes?"

He needed another drink.

Getting up, he walked over to his father's bar without a reply, noisily opening the decanter, sloshing the alcohol into his glass. He swallowed it back, gaze sweeping over the gaping hole behind his father's desk where there should have been a window. A warm late summer breeze wafted in through the opening, reminding him too much of the island.

"What happened? One of your board members give you bad news on the Luthorcorp stock?"

Lex heard the groan of the leather couch as his father stood behind him. "There was an unfortunate break-in earlier tonight."

Turning, Lex couldn't help but grin. "Another one? Pardon my honesty, Dad, but your security sucks."

Lionel shrugged, smiled a little. "It's interesting, actually. There was a vent on the outside of the building that had been literally ripped off of it's hinges. And then there's the window, and the skylight below, and the damage to the warehouse that is… well, unimaginable." Another shrug. "This wasn't your ordinary robbery."

Lex couldn't help but feel that his father was baiting him. He finished off the glass of brandy, and turned to pour another.

"Did you know Miss Kent ran away from home?"

_Hudson_.

Lex's heartbeat altered at the mention of her. His dreams on the island had been filled with her – belief that she would show up out of nowhere to rescue him, to tell him everything, to bring him home. His images of her and Helen never coexisted, as if the idea of one relating to the other was simply incompatible to his subconscious. Now, of course, he understood why. Even if his heart had never truly accepted the falsehood of Helen's deceit, his mind had. And for all that Hudson might have hurt him, for all that she lied and held him at bay and wouldn't share with him every part of her life, the fact of the matter was, she was always there for him. She would protect him, even when they were hurling hurtful words at one another and swearing to never speak again. It was yet another lesson as to how easy the heart could be deluded. Feelings were not to be trusted; knowledge and intuition were all that mattered.

"I haven't exactly had time to get caught up on my reading of the Smallville Ledger," he finally commented wryly to his father. His head ached; everything ached. He was so tired, all he wanted to do was sleep for a few days but he couldn't let his guard down yet. It wasn't safe.

"She left the day of your wedding," Lionel continued behind him. "No one has been able to find her."

Was there a point to all of this? Lex wasn't ready for his father's game just yet, for second-guessing every word his father spoke, reading between the lines, bantering cutting replies back and forth. He reached up to squeeze the bridge of his nose, close his eyes, and think. _Why would Hudson run away_?

"It's all a bit of a coincidence." His father was beside him now, pouring another glass of brandy.

"What is?"

"The disappearance of Miss Kent, the strange robberies that have been occurring all of the city – a masked being that can walk through a volley of bullets without harm."

Lex opened his eyes and the room around him titled suddenly. He reached out to grasp the edge of the bar, not caring when his felt his father place a hand against his back, steadying him.

"Lex?"

"I'm… fine."

He ignored the buzzing in his ears, ignored his father's insinuations, ignored his own nagging curiosity that was begging to know more about the tale his father was weaving. But he'd do that on his own, when he had the chance. Not now, with Lionel watching his every move, noting his every expression.

"We should get you cleaned up, changed and rested," Lionel told him, patting his shoulder once before moving to his desk and picking up the phone. "I'll call ahead to the penthouse. Then we'll discuss what we're going to do about that treacherous wife of yours."

Lex wanted to tell him to fuck off, that he could handle it himself, he could handle everything himself, but at the moment, his mind was too clouded. Hudson was missing, the woman he thought loved him wanted him dead, his own father had paved the path that almost led to his demise…

_They're all against you, Lex_, a familiar voice whispered across his mind_. They hate you; they want you out of the way. I'm the only one you can trust. You haven't accept that yet, but you will.._.

* * *

Hudson didn't sleep that night. She couldn't.

Terrified of the dreams to come, determined to keep her mind focused on other things, she laid curled on her side, staring at the boxes piled in her room. Everything personal in her life packed away neatly. She couldn't bear to open them, to look through them; she felt safer knowing that she had no idea what was where. She could almost pretend that nothing had happened, that her life was starting that moment, in that bare room, on that very night.

Almost.

Her parents hadn't wanted her out of their sight. Mom made her hot chocolate and kept touching her hair, hugging her, holding her hand. Her dad had been mostly quiet, watching from the chair where he rested, smiling at her when she caught his gaze. They hovered over her like they were afraid she would disappear again, like their mere presence might be able to keep her there. Enough love, enough assurances, and everything would simply go away.

But it didn't work like that, did it?

Sitting up, Hudson reached for the clothes her mom laid out for her just before bed, apologizing that everything was packed. Jeans, t-shirt, too worn tennis shoes. She ran her fingers over the denim, remembering how quickly she'd tossed similar clothes away when she left for Metropolis. She wanted to be seen, to be noticed, to be someone else. Whoever said clothes do not make the man hadn't ever wanted to be someone else.

She dressed quietly and made her way out of the bedroom, careful to avoid the loose boards in the hallway and staircase as she moved downstairs. It was just before sunrise, and she could hear her parents beginning to stir in their room. She didn't wish to disturb them, or send her mom scurrying to the kitchen to begin breakfast for her; she didn't want to be any more of an inconvenience to them than she already felt.

Pushing the back door open, she jogged down the steps into the yard, uneasy with the silence that stretched out across the farm. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She should be able to hear the cattle lowing in the pasture, Lady stomping around in her stall, AJ barking a welcome as he ran up to meet her. There was a soft morning breeze that caused the wind chimes behind her to tinkle faintly, and in a few hours she would be able to hear the lull of the bees buzzing around the flowers and the birds in the trees, but none of those sounds signaled home.

So much was missing.

The door to the barn groaned on it's hinges as she pushed it open, the smell of stale hay and old manure assaulting her. Something skittered across the floor to her right, startling her. She laughed nervously, wondering how someone like her could be scared of a little mouse. She was on edge, every nerve in her body signaling that there was something wrong, that nothing was right. Quietly she climbed the steps to the loft – her loft – and looked around.

Something glittering between the slats of the floor just ahead caught her eye. Brow furrowed, she moved forward and crouched down to investigate, reaching her fingers into the space between the two boards to grab at the object. Slowly, she withdrew it, staring as the light from the rising sun winked off of the gold heart-shaped locket.

"_Do you remember when we first met?... I remember looking up into the face of an angel. Your dark hair was even surrounded by the sunlight, just like a halo. I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven_."

"No… " The whispered plea broke over the silence of the barn as everything that Hudson realized was missing swept over her.

Lex.

Lex was…

"NO!"

Screaming the denial of what she knew, she slammed her fist into the floor beneath her, the boards crumbling under the impact to scatter below.

"_I have something important to do… "_

"_More important than being here for me?"_

She threw herself into the boxes beside her, tossing them away – over the railing, through a wall to the yard outside; she kicked the old couch in two, ripped a leg off of her desk and used it to beat another hole into the floor. The anger continued to build within her, but no matter how much she destroyed around her, no matter how many things she smashed and shattered, it didn't make the pain go away. It grew until it began to overwhelm her, until her mind was clouded with the words they spoke to one another, the last thing she ever said to him…

_Hudson snuck into the church through the back door, making her way down the hall to the small rooms where the wedding party was getting ready. She looked through the walls, tip-toeing by the room where Helen and her bridesmaids were gathered, before finally finding Lex's room. He was alone, which was what she had come to expect of him. She hated it, but his well-being seemed to be out of her hands now._

_She knocked lightly, letting herself in at the sound of Lex's call. He turned to face her as she shut the door, smiling in greeting, his face registering surprise._

"_Angel. Shouldn't you be getting dressed? I don't recall listing jeans and t-shirt as appropriate wedding attire," he teased._

_Hudson smiled at that, silent for a moment as her gaze drifted over him, so beautiful in his tuxedo. "You look… perfect," she told him, ignoring his question._

"_Perfect?" He arched an eyebrow at that in disbelief. "While I don't believe you… thank you."_

_Shrugging slightly, she moved forward and reached up to adjusted his tie, which wasn't really out of place, but it gave her something to do, allowed her to touch him. "Helen's a lucky woman."_

_His fingers moved over her cheek. "I'm the lucky one," he told her._

_Hudson knew he wasn't talking about Helen. She bit her lip and played at smoothing his lapel. "Lex, look, I… "_

"_What is it?" Lex prompted as she hesitated. "Don't like the dress I picked out for you? It's better than the one Helen had in mind – I promise!"_

_She shook her head and finally lifted her eyes to his. "No. It's… I'm sure it's perfect. Lex, I… I have to go. I can't be here today. I can't be here for your wedding."_

_The mask that fell over his face was instantaneous. He stepped back, out of her reach._

"_What are you talking about?" He demanded. "You promised. You said that you understood. That this marriage wouldn't – "_

"_It's not the marriage," she replied quickly. "It's not Helen or us or anything like that."_

"_What then?"_

_Her hands formed fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms. "I have something important to do…"_

"_More important than being here for me?" _

_Damn, Jor-El. Damn him to Hell!_

"_No." She shook her head and took a step toward him. "Nothing is more important to me than you, Lex, but this is something… I can't put it off."_

"_Is this your idea of getting back at me?" He asked, not listening to her. "Promise you'll be here, promise that you accept my decision and then turn around and screw me over first chance?"_

"_No, it's not like that – "_

"_I thought you were more mature than this, Hudson!" Lex snapped, turning away to pace in the confined space of the room. "I thought our friendship might be able to survive this – "_

"_You can't possibly base our friendship on my not being able to attend your wedding?" She asked in shock._

"_You're not just attending my wedding, dammit! You're supporting me, showing your approval by standing up there beside me – all of which meant something to me, Hudson. And I thought it meant something to you, too."_

_Hudson closed her eyes and turned away. She couldn't tell him, she couldn't make him understand that what she had to do was important for all of them. If she didn't destroy the ship now, Jor-El might hurt him, her parents, everyone she loved. But deep inside, she knew that Lex would accept no explanation. She knew what her being there meant to him; she knew she was all he had._

"_It does, Lex," she replied finally. "But… I have to do this. It can't wait."_

"_You're so fucking selfish, Hudson. Everything has to be about you."_

_She spun around at that, staring at him in shock. "I'm selfish? Take a look at yourself once in while. Think about how stupid it was of you to ask me to do this in the first place!"_

_His gaze darkened. "If that's the way you feel about it, then maybe it's best that you aren't here. This wedding is special to me. I wouldn't want you ruining that."_

_She couldn't help but hurt at his words, and reacted in response to them. "I hate you."_

_Lex blew out a half breath at that, smiling contemptuously. "Yeah, well. Once a Kent, always a Kent."_

_It was a low cut; especially when she'd spent so much of the last two years proving to him that she didn't see him the way everyone else did, like her father did._

_  
Fighting tears and anger at his remark, she yanked the door open, her parting words trailing behind her:_

"_Maybe you should do us all a favor, and not bother coming back from your honeymoon!"…_

By the time her parents reached the loft, the damage had already been done. Hudson was curled in the corner, sobs wracking her body, the necklace still clutched between her fingers. Martha immediately ran to her daughter, touching her, asking her what was wrong, while Jonathan surveyed the damage silently.

"Sweetheart. Shhhhh. Don't do this." Her mom pulled her into her embrace, rocking her gently. "Hudson, please tell me what's wrong? What happened?"

"He's gone! He's gone! Lex is dead and he's never coming back!" She sobbed, burying her face against her mother's neck, wishing for the ring. Wanting it back more than anything.

Martha glanced up at Jonathan and they exchanged a quick look before he knelt down behind Hudson and rubbed his hand over her back.

"I'm so sorry, Hudson," her mom whispered, holding her tighter, kissing her temple. "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this."

"I was so awful to him," she cried. " I said… I said I didn't want him to come back from his honeymoon!" Her sobbing grew in pitch; Martha could barely hold on to her as her body trembled.

"H.C., Lex would know you'd never mean something like that," Jonathan replied gently.

Hudson shook her head against her mother's shoulder. "No! _You don't understand_ – I was _supposed_ to be there for him, and I wasn't! I never was! I lied to him and I pushed him away because of it and oh god, I'm never going to hear his voice again. I'm never going to see his smile! I'm never going to hug him again or tease him for driving too fast! He's dead and I told him I hated him and I should have been there – _I should have saved him_!"

"Honey, even if you hadn't had a fight, you still couldn't have saved him," her dad reasoned. "Even if you hadn't left for Metropolis. What happened to Lex is not your fault; there was nothing you could have done to prevent it."

But there was. She could have told him the truth from the beginning. She could have been honest with him, told him how much she needed him, and Lex would have protected her. He never would have let her out of his sight. Helen would have never been an issue because he never would have noticed her. If Hudson had trusted him, like she should have, then Lex would still be alive.

Martha looked over at Jonathan and told him quietly, "Why don't you go in and get breakfast ready? I'll bring Hudson along and get her cleaned up, and then we can decide to do with this mess. Hmm?"

Nodding, Jonathan squeezed his daughter's shoulder gently before getting to his feet and leaving the loft. Once he was gone, Martha pried Hudson away from her gently. She tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks and cupped her face between her hands.

"Sweetheart, I know it hurts. And I know you're going to blame yourself for everything that happened, no matter what we say. I wish I could tell you it's going to get better, but we both know it's going to take time, don't we?"

"I love him so much, Mom," she told her, more tears spilling over her cheeks.

"I know. I know, Hudson." Martha brushed her hair back, smoothing the tangles. "You need to concentrate on that love you have for him, and you need to remember all of the wonderful times you had together, how happy you made him. Remember his first Christmas here in Smallville?"

Hudson nodded, hiccupping once. "Y-yes. We played in the s-snow and then I fell asleep on the c-couch. You… you let me stay longer than I should have."

"Mmhmmm." She smiled. "And there was your first trip with him to Metropolis for 'Phantom of the Opera', when Chloe decided to play sick."

Her eyes widened. "You knew about that?"

"There are few things a mother doesn't know, sweetheart."

Hudson closed her eyes, her body leaning against her mom's. "I just want to see him again, Mom," she told her softly. "I want to tell him I love him, that I'll always love him and that it doesn't matter if he loves someone else, just as long as I know he's safe and happy."

"Then maybe you should tell him that."

Hudson lifted her head and frowned at her mom. "What?"

"Sometimes, the only way we can get over the loss of someone we love, is to let them go," Martha explained. "You need to let Lex go, Hudson. You need to goodbye to him, and let him go. Or you're never going to stop hurting like this."

Shaking her head slightly, knowing she could never do such a thing, Hudson buried her face against her mother's shoulder and clung to her. She could never admit to her that she longed to have the red Kryptonite back, that she was tempted to look for some, to leave again, to lose herself completely. To not remember.

Facing life as Kaela-El was be much easier than facing life without Lex.

* * *

After a quiet family breakfast, Martha put the dishes away and she suggested that they take a trip into town. Hudson knew it was her mother's attempt to get her mind off of things, but she didn't have the heart to point out that mere distractions weren't going to help her forget about what was missing from her life. Her mom seemed so happy to have her back, and obviously wanted to help her, and she found she just couldn't say no.

She sat quietly in the cab of the truck, staring at the passing scenery as her mother sighed beside her, occasionally making comments that Hudson barely responded to. When they passed the Simpson farm, Hudson recalled that Lex had pulled over into the woods across from their barn late one night when they were out driving. He'd spent the next hour showing her the difficulties and fun of sex in a tiny sports car. She remembered he'd teased her about being so limber, and how handy such a thing was in a girlfriend. She'd blushed to the roots of her hair, and then forgot everything when he pulled her onto his lap and thrust up inside of her.

Leaning her forehead against the window, her gaze drifted over the shoulder beside the road as they sped past the cornfields belonging to the Peterson's. It was where they'd first danced; where Lex had pulled up in his Porsche, having found her walking along the road in her ruined Homecoming dress. He'd been so new to her, then; a little terrifying, a little mysterious, so very charming and larger-than-life. It had been inconceivable to her that someone as worldly and gorgeous as Lex Luthor would have bothered to waste more than two words on her after the day at the bridge. He had surprised her, though, showering her with more attention than maybe he should have, teaching her self-confidence and strength, showing her a world she would have never experienced without his presence in her life. She could still feel the warmth of his arms as he'd pulled her into an embrace that night along the road, the headlights from his car washing over them, the music breaking the stillness of the countryside. She'd never been held by anyone the way Lex held her when they danced. She felt so safe in his arms, so alive.

Alive. Lex. _He was supposed to be alive_!

"…. the apartment."

Hudson sucked in a sharp breath, dashing quickly at the lone tear that escaped before turning her attention to her mom. "I'm sorry. What?"

Martha glanced over at her daughter sympathetically. "Are you all right, sweetheart?"

She tried to force a smile but her mouth trembled. "No," she replied honestly.

Her mom reached over and touched her hand, squeezing her fingers gently. "I was just saying how the apartment above the Talon is small, but everything is going to be okay. Your dad is going to try to get a job at the Plant, and I've talked to Nell about working at the flower shop."

"Dad would work for Lionel Luthor?"

"He'll do what it takes to take care of our family, H.C."

She shook her head. "It's not right. I… I'm sorry, Mom. This is all my fault."

"No, it isn't," Martha replied firmly. "If you have to blame anyone, then blame Jor-El. You were reacting out of fear, H.C. You're young; you didn't know what else to do. I understand. I ran away myself once."

Hudson's eyes widened. "You did?"

"Yes. When I was fifteen." Her mom smiled. "My father wouldn't let me date the boy I liked, so I decided that I'd had enough of having my parents tell me what I could or couldn't do. I was going to make my own choices from then on."

"Sounds familiar," Hudson commented quietly; she'd considered those same thoughts when it came to Lex.

_Lex_.

Shaking his name from her mind, she glanced back over at her mother. "What happened?"

"My dad found me at the bus station. I was grounded for the next six months."

"Ouch." Hudson winced slightly in sympathy. "Thanks for… not doing the same to me."

Martha laughed softly. "Yes, well, the space in the apartment will be a little confined to have you cooped up for six months straight."

Hudson nodded, knowing her mother was trying to lighten the mood but unable to find a smile for her. "Mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Do you… " She worried her lower lip a moment and tried again. "Do you think I'll ever feel the same again? I mean, happy. Or… safe. Or… like me?"

Her mom was silent for a moment, expression thoughtful as she pulled into a parking space along Main Street. She turned to Hudson, reaching out to tuck an errant strand of her hair behind her ear and gave her a warm smile.

"I think you're strong, Hudson Kent. It's going to take time, yes, but I believe it's in your nature to be happy. Or at least want to be happy." She pulled Hudson against her, hugging her tightly. "If I could make everything that's happened to you the last few months go away, I would, sweetheart."

"I know, Mom," Hudson whispered, closing her eyes as she rested within her mother's protective embrace. She wanted to believe that she would be happy again someday, but she just didn't see how it was possible. And if she spent the rest of her life feeling like this, wouldn't she just bring the people around her down as well?

"I need to run into the hardware store and pick up some more packing tape," Martha told her, pulling away and grabbing her purse. "Do you want to come with me?"

Hudson shook her head. "I should go see Lana."

"That's probably a good idea."

Martha opened the door, stopping suddenly and hovering as if she was going to say something else as Hudson climbed out of the opposite side of the cab. She apparently changed her mind because she shut the door behind her and moved to the sidewalk.

"I'll come get you when I'm done."

"Okay, Mom."

The Talon only had two customers, sharing a table in the corner, a couple that seemed so engaged in their quiet conversation they probably didn't know the world around them existed. Hudson stopped and watched them for a few moments; she and Lex had shared that exact table a few times, leaned across it, whispering secrets to one another that no one else could hear. Sometimes, in the beginning, she would be doing her homework and he would just sit across from her, silently, watching her, pretending to read the Wall Street Journal. He'd help her if she asked, but usually his presence was so damned distracting she never actually got anything done. All she could ever think about was how good he smelled and how perfect he looked and how she was the luckiest girl in the whole world…

She choked back a sudden sob and turned away from the couple, eyes quickly searching the room for Lana. Her friend was standing at the bar, watching her warily, and Hudson realized that was something else she had to deal with; her treatment of Lana in Metropolis.

Taking a deep breath, she moved forward, forcing a smile to her face. "Hi, Lana."

Lana made an attempt at returning the smile, though it came out as more of a grimace. "Hi."

"I'm back."

"I see."

Hudson leaned against the counter. "I… thank you for coming to look for me. For taking such a chance like that. I mean, my dad wouldn't have found me if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome," Lana replied quietly, picking up a dish rag to sweep across the surface of the bar. "I'm… I'm just glad you're okay. And that you're home, where you belong."

There was a dark bruise around Lana's wrist, and Hudson knew she had put it there. She winced as she remembered grabbing her in the nightclub, pulling her close and kissing her hard. She wasn't an idiot; she knew that Lana's feelings for her went beyond that of friendship, and she'd taken advantage of that, hurt her on purpose. And there was really no way to make up for such behavior.

"Lana, I'm sorry for what I did, how I treated you," she began softly, meeting her friend's gaze.

Lana shook her head. "No. It wasn't you, Hudson. I know that. You don't have anything to apologize for."

But she did. Hudson just didn't believe she could convince Lana or her parents that she couldn't put all of the blame on the red Kryptonite. Not when there were still feelings roiling around within her that she shouldn't be feeling, when she remembered every act she committed with startling and terrifying clarity. That had to mean there was some free will within her while wearing the ring, right? That person she'd become… It only happened because Kaela resided within her, and Hudson didn't think she was going to just go away.

She jumped slightly when Lana's hand descended over hers. "How are you doing?" Her friend asked softly.

Hudson shook her head and looked away. "I keep… expecting him to walk through the door. Or hear one of his cars speeding down the street. Or – "

"I know." Lana caressed her fingers gently. "Me, too."

More tears. Hudson wondered if she would ever be able to stop crying, to think of him without this pain lodging deep inside of her, suffocating her. She brushed the tears away and laughed without humor. "My parents have lost their home and I'm crying over my ex-boyfriend. How silly is that?"

"Not at all. Hudson, Lex meant everything to you."

"Did he?" She titled her head slightly as she glanced at Lana. "If that's true, why did I spend our entire friendship lying to him?"

"Hudson, that question isn't fair to you. You can't blame yourself for that. When you were ready, you would have told him."

"So, you're saying that time just ran out?"

Lana shrugged a little, frowning. "Maybe."

Hudson didn't reply. The truth of the matter was she'd never given Lex the trust that he deserved. And now, she would never have the chance to do so.

* * *

Hudson asked her mom to drop her off at the mansion. Martha had hesitated at first, asking if she really believed she was ready for that. But Hudson knew it was now or never; she had to make her peace with Lex, with her loss of him, before… well, before she made other decisions about her life.

She tried not to think too much about the choices ahead of her.

Slowly she made her way down the driveway, hugging herself, ignoring the sight of the garage around the side of the mansion, where all of Lex's cars were housed. She could imagine them covered under tarps, waiting to be sold or simply never driven again. A part of her longed to go in there, see them, touch them, picture each and every time she'd seen Lex driving them around town. They probably still smelled like him, the scent of his cologne clinging to the leather interiors; or his fading fingerprints on the doors and windows.

Forcing herself ahead, Hudson was soon standing at the front door, lifting her hand to the bell. She waited and worried her lower lip and peered in through the stained glass to see if she'd been heard. After a few minutes of waiting, she cautiously turned the knob and pushed the door open, not surprised to find it unlocked; security had always been lax around the Luthor estate, Sam's sleeping habits not withstanding.

"Hello?" She called out softly, flinching a little when she realized her voice sounded terribly loud and lonely in the empty hall.

When there was no response, she closed the door behind her and quietly made the familiar walk down the hallway. Past the antique table that once belonged to Marie Antoinette, or so Lex claimed; he swore up and down that she and Louis XVI had sex on that very table, quite often. She believed him for a time, right up to the point when he suggested they do the same. Then she'd decided he was as full of it as usual. She stopped and stared down at the table and suddenly wished she'd agreed to his proposition.

"God, Lex," she whispered, making her feet turn and continue on their way.

When she reached her destination, Hudson hovered outside the doors to the study, feelings of uncertainty assailing her. She didn't know if she could just walk in there and deal with not seeing Lex sitting behind his desk, flashing her a brief expression of annoyance as she interrupted one of his business calls. She didn't know if she could handle not challenging him to a game of pool or curling up on the couch with a book while he worked at his computer. Hudson realized that she'd even take sitting down with both Lex and Helen to share a meal, if only to see him again, to hear his voice and his laugh and see that heartbreakingly beautiful smile one more time. It wasn't too much to ask, was it?

With slight trepidation, she opened the doors to the study and stepped inside.

It was colder than she remembered and… different. There were vases of flowers littering the end tables, the bar, Lex's desk. The surfaces were disorderly – papers and books scattered here and there, an opened envelope on the arm of the couch, a crumpled tissue on the coffee table. Lex was a neat freak, everything around him always organized and spotless, even when he was hard at work. It was why Hudson had jumped in so readily to help him pick up after the tornado; she knew he was probably going nuts having his life scattered to the four winds like that.

Moving forward, Hudson found herself reaching out to touch his desk, running her fingers over the smooth glass top.

"_Hudson, I have work to do."  
_

"_Lexxxx, you always have work to do. All work and no play make Lex a dull boy, remember?" She pulled his chair back from the desk and stood in front of him. "It's summer, I'm sixteen and I have the most gorgeous boyfriend on earth. I want to play!"_

_Lex smirked up at her, hands settling on her hips as he pulled her between his legs. "Is that so?"_

_She nodded and sighed and blushed a little at the way he was looking at her._

"_Well, it sounds like a perfectly plausible excuse to put these reports aside for the next few hours."_

_She squealed as he suddenly stood, lifting her to sit up on the desk, the glass cold against the back of her bare thighs. _

"_Now, the question remains, just what am I going to do with you?" He asked with a leer, warm fingers sliding between her legs, curving beneath the edge of her shorts._

_She giggled and told him, "I'm sure you can think of something imaginative," before pulling him in to a deep kiss_…

Hudson was on her knees, head buried in her arms as she leaned against the desk, shaking. The thoughts of him wouldn't go away, of every moment they spent together, every word said. She couldn't handle this; she didn't understand how anyone could expect her to do so. Lex was everywhere around her, he permeated her very soul. She couldn't simply mourn him, forget about him and go on with her life. Especially with the way things stood between them those last moments together. Mistakes that she would never be able to correct.

"I'm sorry, Lex," she whispered, rubbing the tears she shed against the back of her hands. "I wish I understood what happened between us. I wish… I wish I hadn't left it the way I did. I was selfish and stupid and you deserved so much more than that from me. I just… " She exhaled a slow breath, blurry-eyed gaze focused on tile beneath her. "I want you to know I love you. I'll always love you. And I miss you. And if there were any way to make things better, I'd do it, just to have you back"

"Excuse me?"

Hudson jumped to her feet at the voice, spinning around to find Lex's widow standing just inside the doors, frowning at her. As their eyes met, Helen's expression changed slightly, a smile appearing. Hudson wiped her tears away quickly, feeling foolish and angry. Angry because she wanted her time alone to say goodbye to Lex, the man she loved – the husband of the woman who stood before her.

"Dr. Bryce… I'm… sorry for intruding."

"Hudson," Helen greeted, moving into the study, walking straight toward her. "My god, I didn't know you were back. I thought your parents couldn't find you."

"They, uh, they did."

"I'm glad." She stopped much too close, and reached out, touching Hudson's arm. "You had everyone worried. And please, call me Helen."

"I… had some things to sort out," Hudson replied, stepping to the side, hoping to make her way out of the study but Helen had her effectively trapped. So she stood there, and waited.

Helen nodded. "I understand." She took a breath and looked around the room before bringing her gaze back to Hudson. "You were here to try to find some small part of Lex that might still exist, weren't you? I know. I do it every day – walk in here, expecting to see him on the phone or drinking a glass of scotch beside the fireplace. This place is so… empty without him."

"So why don't you sell it?" Hudson hadn't meant for the words to sound as petulant and perturbed as they did.

The woman's expression wavered slightly, a cross between a smile and a frown, and then she shrugged. "I guess I prefer to hold on to his presence."

That didn't sound right, but Hudson didn't say anything.

"I am glad to see you," she continued. "I mean, we can both admit that Lex wasn't the most popular man in Smallville. It's nice to have someone nearby who understands how much I miss him."

Actually, she didn't understand anything. Or, she didn't want to. Being faced with the woman Lex chose to marry over being with her day in and day out was something Hudson didn't believe she could stand. She had this irrational desire to reach out and choke the life out of her, and for as much as she'd never liked Helen, always seen her as an unnecessary intrusion in their lives, she certainly had never considered harming her. Was it a lingering affect of the red Kryptonite? Or something that had always been festering deep inside of her, and the ring had only allowed it to surface?

"_You really love Helen, don't you?" _

"Yes, Hudson. I do."

"_More than you loved me?"_

"_That question isn't fair, and you know it. My love for her is different from what I felt for you. One is quiet, gentle, unassuming. The other… threatened to consume me."_

"_You didn't want to love me."_

"_It had nothing to do with you, Hudson. I didn't like who I became because of my love for you. Helen wants to help me. To make me a better person."_

"_I think you're perfect the way you are…"_

"I should probably get home," Hudson told her, slipping past Helen to move toward the door.

"Hudson, wait."

She stopped and turned, waiting for whatever it was Lex's widow wanted to say to her.

"I know we never had the chance to be close friends," Helen began, approaching her once more, closing in on her personal space. The air around her was thick with a heavy rose-scented perfume. "But, we both loved Lex. And I think it would be a nice tribute to his memory to try to be friends. I know it's something he'd want."

Hudson was about to deny the possibility of such a friendship, until Helen pointed out Lex's wishes. Yes, she knew that Lex would have preferred his wife and best friend be close, and maybe she wouldn't have walked away on such bad terms with him if she'd tried a little harder to make that happen. Was that what Helen was telling her?

"Did… did Lex say anything to you about me the day… the day of the wedding?"

"He said that you had something important to do and that you couldn't be a part of our wedding," Helen replied. "And it hurt him that you weren't there."

Hudson bit the inside of her lip. She wasn't going to cry in front of Helen. "If I could go back and change things, I would."

Helen nodded. "Yes, I know you would. Unfortunately, we can't change the past. All we can do is look ahead to the future. And I would very much like to be your friend, Hudson."

A brief memory of seeing Helen outside the nightclub, Atlantis, flickered through Hudson's mind. She considered the fact that it was owned by Morgan Edge, the man who had hired her to steal from Lionel Luthor. The package was in her room, tucked away in the corner out of sight. She still hadn't looked at it, afraid of whatever it was that was so important someone would actually take the chance of stealing it from Lionel. And now, she couldn't help but worry over the coincidence of Helen appearing at that exact nightclub.

Giving a non-committal nod, Hudson took another step back toward the door. "Sure. Uh, I really need to get home. We have a lot of packing and stuff to do."

"If I can help at all – "

"Goodbye, Dr. Bryce… er, Luthor."

Hudson hurried out the door and, once out of sight, sped away from the mansion.

**

* * *

Another night passed that left Hudson unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Lex. She heard his voice, and smelled his clothes and cologne and the brandy on his breath. She'd drift off to sleep and dream of him – broken and dying in her arms, and there was nothing she could do to save him. His eyes were always accusing, looking up at her, knowing she could have saved him but that she simply chose not to. Hudson would wake up crying, sobbing again, burying her face in the pillow and wishing she could just hold her breath until it all went away, make it go away and never have to face life again.**

Hudson was scared. She was a coward and she knew it. She wasn't the good person her parents hoped her to be, or the heroine that Lana saw her as. She was scared and confused and had never felt so alone in all her life. She missed the ring; she missed not caring. She didn't like Hudson Kent very much, and realized why Kaela fought so hard to bury her.

She got up before her parents and went for a run. Just a quick jog around the state to clear her head, to breathe again, to go places that might not remind her of everything she'd lost. By the time she made it back to Smallville, it was mid-morning and she knew her parents were likely worried about her. Still, there was one more person she felt she needed to straighten matters out with before she made her decisions regarding the future. Preparing herself for a confrontation that would take a lot more groveling than she had with Lana, Hudson turned and sped toward Smallville High.

The halls were mostly empty, which Hudson was grateful for, especially since the majority of students she did see stared at her with such curiosity. She knew they were likely all wondering why the juvenile delinquent was back in town and yet, not back in school. Her mother had made noises about the same thing the night before, but finally decided that with the move, and the changes that Hudson was facing, it would be easier to have her return the following week.

"Don't worry," she had promised. "We'll work it out with your teachers."

Of course, the real problem was, Hudson didn't know if she could return to this life. School, friends, high school dances. She felt beyond all of that.

Chloe was right where Hudson expected to find her, flipping through files at her desk in the Torch office, a pensive expression on her face as she gazed at the one in her hands. Hudson bit her lip as she remembered their last conversation and how close she had been to physically hurting her friend. She was dangerous to everyone around her, and there was little she could do about it except leave.

Taking a breath, she knocked lightly on the door as she stepped inside.

Looking up from the folder, Chloe's eyes immediately darkened, a frown marring her brow. "Kinda far from your new 'hood, aren't you, H.C.?

"I just came to say thank you," Hudson replied softly.

"Oh! It's one of those days," Chloe began with a false note of excitement. "Because I can never tell with you, whether you're going to walk in and it's going to be an apology or an accusation."

Hudson knew she deserved that. She wished that she could make it up to Chloe somehow – the chasm between them, the betrayal her friend felt – but there was really nothing she could do. At least she could let Chloe know that she still cared about her.

"Chloe, I gave you absolutely no reason to stand by me. But you knew where I was all summer and didn't tell anyone." She smiled a little. "That really means a lot to me, whether you believe it or not."

Chloe seemed to consider her words for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, well, that's what friends do for each other, H.C." She paused, watching Hudson as she sat down neat the corner of the desk. "Talk to Lana yet?"

"Yeah. I… well, she understood, I think. I mean, my reasons for wanting to hide and not be found."

"Does she?" Chloe laughed. "Well, she's one up on me, then, because I still don't have a single clue as to what convinced Hudson Kent to leave her family and friends who love her, and become a complete and total skanky bitch in the process."

Wincing at the comment, Hudson glanced down at her hands for lack of anything to say in her own defense.

"I'm sorry. That was harsh."

"No." Hudson shook her head. "It was… you're right. I was awful to you." She looked up to meet her friend's assessing gaze. "I've been a horrible friend to you."

Chloe shrugged her shoulders, the file in her hand tapping lightly against her fingers. "You have your moments."

"I never meant to hurt you, Chloe. Or to cut you out of my life. I just… there are some things a person has to deal with on their own, and there are some things that only relate to certain people. I guess I never came to you because I thought our friendship and everything surrounding it was fine. If it's not broke, don't fix it and all of that."

"I suppose I can understand that," Chloe replied with a nod. "But, still, it hurt because I thought I was losing my best friend, H.C."

Hudson looked away, staring at the file cabinets as she considered that she would soon be hurting all of these people all over again.

"You're not staying, are you?"

She bit her lip and looked back at Chloe, surprised that her friend could read her so easily. "I haven't decided yet."

"You can't keep running away, H.C. We all do things we regret. Sometimes you have to stop and face your demons," she told her.

"It's not just that." Hudson sighed and nibbled on her fingertip as she glanced toward the window. "It's… everywhere I go I see him, Chloe. It's like every little spot of this town, down to tiny cracks in the cement, remind me of Lex."

"Oh. I see." Pondering her confession for a moment, Chloe set the file down and moved over to sit beside her. "You know we're all here to help you through this, right?"

"I know." She gave her a half-smile. "But the thing is, I don't know if anyone can. You don't… Lex and I had so many problems leading up to the wedding. It just seemed like everything I did was wrong, no matter how much I truly wanted to do the right thing. And before I left – Chloe, I said the most awful things to him.

"Now, there's this… stuff festering inside of me and I just feel like I'm walking on eggshells trying to keep it all together. Any moment now, I'm just going to explode, and no one is going to be able to stop that."

Chloe slipped her arm around Hudson's shoulders and gave them a slight squeeze. "You can't blame yourself for things that may or may not have been your fault. Lex dumped you, right? And then turned around and got engaged! H.C., people write entire angry, platinum-selling albums about stuff like that! Whatever you said or did, I think Lex probably made his share of mistakes, too. And if he were here, he'd tell you that."

"That's the problem, Chloe. He isn't here."

Hudson stood and moved away, arms slipping around her waist to hug herself.

"He isn't here and yet, I can still feel him. On the farm, in town, along the roads, even here in the school. I keep expecting to turn around and see him standing behind me, smirking at me like I'm a complete idiot for actually believing he's d-dead." She choked on the word, realizing how difficult it was to say it, to admit it.

"You don't have any closure," Chloe offered. "You weren't able to see a coffin, to see proof that he's gone, and as long as you know there is no body then your subconscious is going to refuse to let him go."

"You make it sound so simple."

Chloe shrugged. "I guess that's because I'm not the one going through it." She watched Hudson silently, her expression thoughtful, before asking, "Do your parents know that you don't plan on staying?"

Hudson shook her head and looked down at the floor. "No. I don't have the heart to tell them, not with all of the packing and everything."

"Everything's changing, isn't it? Lex is dead, you may leave, Pete's already gone – "

"What?" Hudson's head snapped up at that and she blinked in confusion at Chloe. "What do you mean Pete's gone? Where'd he go?"

"Oh, I guess you wouldn't know, would you? His mom got a position on the State Supreme Court. They moved to Topeka over a month ago."

Sighing, she shook her head, jaw clenching. Chloe was right. Nothing was the same anymore, and it never would be again.

"I didn't even say get to say goodbye and good luck."

"Well, I have his email if you want it."

"Of course I do!"

With a quick nod, Chloe got to her feet to snatch up a pen and slip of paper. She scribbled across it and then held it out to Hudson. "Here. Email and phone number. I'm sure he'll be back to visit."

"I'm sure." Hudson gazed at the information for a long moment before slipping it into the front pocket of her jeans. "Thanks, Chloe. I… guess I'd better get back to the farm. I never realized my parents had collected so much stuff until I had to start packing it."

Chloe smiled. "Yeah. Moving sucks. If you need any help, just call."

"Thanks."

They looked at one another awkwardly, both quietly acknowledging that their friendship wasn't what it used to be, before Hudson turned and headed for home.

* * *

Lex stood near the corner of the barn, watching silently as the front door to the lemon yellow farmhouse opened once more, and Hudson exited, this time carrying a wicker chair. It was the fourth trip of hers, from the house to the moving truck and back again, that he'd quietly observed. His gaze swept over the young woman hungrily, devouring the mile-long legs covered in denim, the blue flannel shirt that hung open, revealing a white tank beneath. She was different in both appearance and manner – her body too thin, her hair too light, a heavy tread in her normally exuberant step. She was still the vision that he'd held within him all those months on the island, whenever his thoughts regarding the crash, and who might have been behind it, became too horrid to deal with. It was Hudson who his heart and mind returned to, and he knew now that she always would be. No matter what stood between them, no matter the lies and the deceit and the pain, she was his anchor when the storm of his life became too fierce.

He only wished he'd realized that sooner.

A frown appeared on his face as Hudson lifted the chair up into the moving truck. After learning from his father that Hudson had ran away, he returned to Smallville to discover that she was home, but her family was losing the farm. Lex didn't know the particulars because he hadn't yet found the time to dig more deeply into the mysteries of their situation. After all, there were plenty of issues of his own he had to deal with in his life.

Still, Lex had to see her. He had to be the first to let her know he was alive. He refused to let her find out by reading or hearing about it on the news.

Moving out into the drive, an unexpected hesitation swept over him momentarily as he drew nearer to her. What if he didn't get the reaction he was hoping for? What if Hudson's life had been better without him in it? Just because he realized his mistake of the year past didn't mean she hadn't discovered something different. Things would have been less complicated for her, she could have lived the life of a normal teenager, as she was meant to, without his intrusion. Without his constant questions, and his need to hear the truth.

Selfishly, Lex found he didn't care anymore. He wanted Hudson Kent in his life, if for no other reason than to erase everything else.

"Am I too early for the farm auction?"

Her body froze, the hand that had been moving over the boxes in front of her stilling in midair. He waited, wondering what reaction he would be given. Slowly, she turned, her eyes impossibly wide as she gazed at him, disbelief etched into every corner of her features. Her hand flitted through the air, hovering over her mouth, the tears were already brimming in her beautiful eyes.

"Lex?" Her voice was a whisper, almost a prayer.

Lex was certain that hope had abandoned him long ago. Apparently, the emotion was still there. He considered some glib reply, along the lines of languishing on an island for three months being worth it to see the look on her face. But this moment meant more than that. Hudson suddenly appeared barely capable of holding herself up; he was beginning to feel as if there was a rock lodged in his throat.

And he'd thought he'd run out of tears.

By the time Lex found the voice to speak again, he could barely choke out, "Hello, Angel."

"_Oh my god_… "

He took a few steps toward her but it wasn't needed. In seconds, his arms were filled with Hudson and he couldn't stop himself from squeezing back, just lifting her off the ground, wishing he could carry her away at that moment and never have to deal with life again. She smelled so right, like home, and he buried one hand into the warmth of her hair at the nape of her neck and she was sobbing against him, clinging to him, salty tears slightly stinging the burnt skin on his neck. Lex didn't care. He felt it and it felt perfect; no amount of pain could detract from this moment.

"Oh god!" She sobbed, trembling in his arms. "They said you were dead!"

Hudson pulled back just a little, cheeks streaked with tears, eyes practically glowing. She cupped his face, fingers moving over every inch, touching his cuts and burns gently, gaze devouring.

"Well, apparently fate has bigger plans for me," Lex replied, hands moving over her back, cherishing the feel of her against him.

Hudson was beautiful when she cried. Normally, women's tears annoyed Lex but he couldn't get enough of hers. Maybe because they were real and Lex knew that sometimes he hurt her on purpose, just to see them. These weren't the fake crocodile tears of a deceitful wife. They were sincere and painful and all for him. And that made them positively gorgeous.

He turned his head to kiss her palm, when it seemed words escaped her. She was still sobbing and Lex pulled her close again, burying his nose in her hair. "Shhhhh. It's all right, Angel. I'm home."

It was apparently the wrong thing to say. She only cried harder, her hands gripping his jacket until he thought she would tear it; knew she could if she didn't release her grip. He smiled at the warmth of her embrace, the joy he could feel emanating from her body as she trembled against him. He kissed the top of her ear and pulled back to look at her.

"Hey. You okay?" He brushed away the strands of hair that hung over her eyes, hair that wasn't quite right.

Sniffing, Hudson nodded. "Y-yeah," she sobbed a little but a smile appeared.

Lex wiped at her tears with his thumb. "I missed you, you know. I thought about you every day."

She threw herself back against him, clutching him ever more tightly, her fingers brushing against the back of his neck. "I'm so sorry, Lex," she cried. "I'm so sorry for what I said, for not being there, for everything."

Lex sighed and held her, tucking his face against her shoulder. "It's in the past, Hudson. Neither of us is blameless."

"I didn't mean any of it," she whispered into his ear, her sobs calming slightly.

"I know."

He'd faced his anger and disappointment with her weeks ago, had far too much time to think about everything, to realize that maybe he should have approached things differently. He was still hurt by the part of her life she refused to share, but he was beginning to realize that maybe it was better that everyone had their secrets. Helen's perfidy had taught him that much.

Hudson remained silent for the next few moments, her hands simply drifting over his back, petting him, her fingers occasionally caressing his neck. Lex knew she was simply proving to herself that he was there, that he was real, so he didn't bother to stop her.

Finally, she pulled back slightly and shook her head. "I-I don't understand. How… What… "

"A fishing boat finally spotted the fire I built one night," he explained. "They rescued me."

Hudson took a deep breath, nodded and her smile grew. "Do you have their contact info? I want to send them my first born in gratitude."

Lex returned her smile, his grip around her waist tightening at the sweetness of her words. "Don't worry. The rest of their lives will be spent in relative comfort." God, he didn't want to let go of her. "I heard about the farm. Is there anything I can do?"

"You know my dad," she replied with a small shake of her head. "But thank you for the offer."

He did know Jonathan Kent. And he knew how much the farm meant to the man, to this family. Lex didn't say anything, but he also didn't plan on allowing the Kents to be uprooted from their home.

"I can't believe you're here," she whispered, her fingers trailing lightly over his cheek, eyes filled with wonder. "When I heard… when the papers said you were gone, I… " Hudson trailed off for a moment, shook her head. "God, I'd never felt so empty in my life. Losing you to Helen was painful but losing you for good… I couldn't stand it."

Lex's gaze tightened imperceptibly at her mention of Helen. If there was anyone he wanted to share Helen's duplicity with, it was Hudson. She wouldn't look down on him for it; she wouldn't feel pity. She might actually help him forget. But speaking of it would make it true, and Lex just didn't want to face that right then. This was a moment of pure happiness, of being with the one person on earth who might actually still love him. He couldn't let that go.

Cupping her face, Lex told her, "You've never lost me, Angel. There is always room for you in my life, no matter who else comes into it."

Her gaze dropped. "It just… it hasn't been the same."

He wished he could promise her it would be again soon, but he knew the likelihood of that wasn't very strong. Even once Helen was out of the picture, Lex knew he wasn't the same; they weren't the same. There would still always be the lies, the denial of the truth he already suspected, the mistrust. Fortunately, there was too much history between them to just let it go. They might struggle to find a new way to respond to one another, but for once, Lex believed everything would be all right.

Bringing her eyes back to his, Hudson flashed him a brilliant smile and enveloped him in another bone-crushing hug. "I can't believe you're really here! Oh god, Lex! I missed you so much!"

"I know, Angel. I know."

Smiling as he clasped her to him, Lex felt her lips press against his cheek and wished he could feel them against his mouth. But it was too soon for that. She didn't know that she was all he had left. And he couldn't bring himself to tell her.

Brushing his fingers over the back of her head, he asked, "What did you do to your hair?"

He felt her sigh softly and bring her head back to meet his gaze. "You weren't the only one missing from Smallville. I… I ran away."

"What would possibly make you decide to do such a thing, Hudson?"

She dropped her eyes, fingers grazing over the edge of the zipper on his jacket. "Something… everything." Hudson raised her eyes back to his. "Have you ever just made so many mistakes that all you can think to do is run away from them?"

"I wrote the book," he replied seriously.

"Yeah, well. I did it. I just… left. I couldn't deal with any of it anymore." She pointed to her hair. "This is the most minor of my offenses." She didn't smile.

Lex nodded, knowing there was more to it, knowing further that he couldn't push. Not when he was holding his own truths back. "If only I'd been here," he commented, giving her a half-smile. "I would have dragged your ass back to Smallville and helped your father in spanking you black and blue."

Hudson returned his smile. "If only."

"H.C.!" Jonathan Kent's voice rang out from the house. "Have you seen the box cutter?"

"It's in the kitchen, Dad!" She yelled back before reaching for Lex's hand. "Come on. My parents have to see you – they're going to flip!"

Lex shook his head a little as she tugged him toward the house, not certain if they were going to flip in a good way, or bad. He'd certainly left Smallville on better terms with Hudson's parents than Hudson herself, but that still didn't mean they would be overjoyed to discover he was alive. Especially if they knew that he didn't plan on pushing Hudson out of his life again. That was a pain he didn't wish to relive.

He walked in through the door, gaze sweeping over the stacks of boxes that covered the house, leaving it in complete disarray. It all seemed very wrong to him, the knick-knacks and warmth of the Kent home being packed away. He frowned as he began mentally listing the people he needed to contact to take care of this matter in the most expeditious way possible, without allowing the Kents to get wind of it and tell him to stop before he could help them. Lex knew just how he was going to thank this family once and for all, and smiled a little with the thought as Hudson shouted for her parents to join them.

"H.C., what are you yelling – Lex!" Martha stood in the hall, hand flattened over her chest as she stared at him. "Lex, is that really you?"

"It's him, Mom!" Hudson was pulling him down the hall. "He's alive!"

Before he could respond for himself, Lex was enveloped into a hug from Martha, her hand pressing his head against her shoulder, dark red hair tickling his nose. He was uncertain of how to react at first, before finally allowing his arms to return the hug.

"I can't believe it!" Martha was shaking her head, pulling back, examining him with a critical eye. "It's a miracle."

"I'm not too certain about that, Mrs. Kent," Lex replied, feeling his face warm surprisingly with the attention.

"If it's not a miracle, then I don't know what you'd call it," Jonathan commented beside him before reaching out to shake his hand. "Welcome back, Lex."

"Thank you, Mr. Kent."

Lex glanced down at Hudson, noting that she hadn't left his side, that her fingers continued to pluck at his jacket or touch his hand, as if still not convinced he was real. He gave her a slight smile, and then thought how strange it was, this family losing the only home they'd ever known, standing around, grinning from ear to ear because he was alive.

"We need to celebrate," Martha declared, brushing her hair back from her face as she looked around. "I'm sure I can whip up a nice dinner, as long as you don't mind eating among boxes, Lex?"

He smiled. "I think that would be wonderful, Mrs. Kent. Unfortunately, I can't stay. Helen will be waiting for me at home. We're… going to retry that honeymoon of ours."

Beside him, Hudson visibly flinched, her hand falling to her side. Lex wondered if she had hoped for a little more time between just the two of them before she would be forced to remember his marriage.

_Not much longer now, Angel_, he thought. And then that conniving bitch would be out of his life forever.

"Of course you have to get back to your wife." Martha smiled at him, while simultaneously slipping her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "She must be ecstatic to have you home."

Lex didn't reply. There wasn't much he could say that wasn't a complete fabrication. But the truth was, he hadn't really felt welcomed home until he'd stepped onto this farm.

"I'll, uh, walk you out," Hudson offered, slipping past him to head for the door.

"It's good to have you back, Lex,." Jonathan placed his hand on his shoulder as he turned.

Lex stared at the man, unable to think of anything to say in reply to that. He didn't know if Jonathan was being serious or just trying to be nice. He simply nodded in reply, and then quickly made his way out of the house, joining Hudson at the bottom of the porch steps.

"I think your dad has forgotten how much he hates me," Lex commented as they walked toward the car.

"My dad has never hated you, Lex," Hudson responded. "You know that. He just… I think having both of us missing kind of upset them."

That didn't make any sense to Lex, but he refrained from challenging her perception of the situation.

Missing the warmth of her welcome, Lex reached out and took Hudson's hand as they neared the car, turning to face her. Touching her chin, he brought her gaze to his. "I thought having me back was more important than the fact that I was married?"

Her eyes widened slightly, as if shocked to be caught in her very obvious sulking. "I… It is, Lex. I just… I guess I was so happy that, for a moment, I just forgot." She shrugged a little. "I know you love Helen. I mean, you almost sacrificed your life for her. I promise I won't get in the way of that."

Lex nodded, scanning her gaze thoughtfully, hating that he had to deceive her like this. But he knew she would try to stop him from doing what needed to be done. Instead, he simply told her, "Hudson, I want you to know, this marriage… it's not what I expected it to be, or thought it was going to be."

Her expression turned into a frown. "I don't understand. You haven't even had a chance to be married."

"I know. It's a long and complicated story," he told her. "And I hope I can explain everything to you later."

Hudson gazed at him with that familiar look of concern he knew all too well. She'd fight all of his battles for him, if he'd let her.

"Lex, what's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I have to go." Cupping her face, he leaned in and kissed her forehead gently. "I really missed you, Angel."

Tears hovered at the corners of her eyes. "Me, too."

"I'll be back," he promised. "And then we'll talk."

Giving her one last long look, Lex climbed into the Porsche, and headed back to the mansion, and his wife.

* * *

Hudson still couldn't sleep.

Life had changed, though she wasn't certain if everything was for the better. Lex was alive, and that was perfect; the knowledge that he was okay consumed her thoughts. She'd made a promise to him that his marriage to Helen wouldn't get in the way of their friendship and she wouldn't let it. Not now. Not when she had him back and he was alive and maybe she would have a chance to make up for all of the mistakes she'd made. Still, she wanted to be the one to hold him, if only for a little while, to touch him and smell him and listen to his heart beating, to assure herself that this was real. She knew she couldn't do that, though, because he was no longer hers.

She got up early and continued packing, focusing on the coming move and the awkwardness that would ensue when living in such close quarters with her parents. Hudson laughed softly at the thought, suddenly realizing that she had every intention of staying in Smallville. She couldn't leave, not now.

Grabbing a Pop-Tart for breakfast, Hudson headed out to the end of the drive to grab the paper when she ran out of the stack they had for packing purposes. Tucking the pastry into her mouth and out of the way, she snapped the rubber band away from the paper and unfolded it, eyes scanning the front page as she stopped abruptly in the drive.

'_Suspected Crime Lord Morgan Edge Dead'_.

She pulled the Pop-Tart from her mouth and read aloud, "_The Metropolis Fire Department responded to a call earlier this morning of a fire in the lower Waterfront district at the residence of Morgan Edge, owner of the Atlantis nightclub. Calls came in from panicked citizens when a loud explosion was heard rocketing through the district. One body, believed to be that of Morgan Edge, was pulled from the smoldering debris. At this point in time, authorities have not ruled out arson as a cause of the destruction_."

Worrying her lower lip, Hudson continued to read the article as she slowly made her way up the drive. It was a relief to know that the man wouldn't come looking for her or the parcel she'd stolen from Lionel Luthor's office. Still, something about the circumstances and timing troubled her. It had never occurred to her that Morgan Edge might know Lionel Luthor well enough to know what he kept in his safe; at the time, she'd only cared about the money the job would pay her. But knowing the exact item that needed to be taken from the safe meant that Morgan must have been in that office at some point in time. That, or someone must have told him what was…

Hudson froze, eyes widening as she glanced toward the house, toward her bedroom, where the package was tucked away. She remembered seeing Helen outside of Atlantis, never bothering to make the connection that perhaps Lex's widow had been there to see Morgan Edge. That Helen knew about Hudson's blood, that she…

Oh, hell.

Speeding into the house, Hudson raced into her room, pushing the bed out of the way to grab the package. She held it in her hands, afraid to scan past the box, afraid to open it. Instinctively, she already knew what it contained.

"H.C.?" Her dad stepped into the room, frowning. "What's all of the noise about?" He glanced at the box in her hands. "What is that?"

Hudson took a breath, and shook her head. "I… I don't know. This guy… Morgan Edge… he hired me to steel it."

"H.C., you've got to take that thing back," he reprimanded immediately.

She turned her gaze to him. "Dad. I stole it from Lionel Luthor."

Her father paused in the doorway, only for a moment, before stepping forward to pull the box from her hands. "We better find out exactly what it is we're dealing with."

Hudson held her breath as she watched Jonathan slowly open the box. Protectively nestled inside lay a vial of blood, just as she'd suspected. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, before she lifted her eyes to meet her father's.

"That's my blood isn't it?"

Jonathan glowered down at the object. "There's only one way to find out. Come on."

Still clutching the paper tightly in her hand, Hudson followed her father out of the house and to the barn where she watched as he dug into the tool box. She stepped back, well out of the way, hovering on the steps to the loft as he withdrew a familiar small lead box and opened it. Inside of it, the green Kryptonite began to glow as he held the vial up against it; the blood began to boil.

"It's your blood," Jonathan confirmed, voice edged with anger.

Once he closed the lead box, Hudson made her way back down to the barn floor, fingering the paper in her hand. "Do you think Lionel knows?"

"Helen told me she never labeled it before somebody stole it from her office."

Hudson made a face, thinking back to that night at Atlantis. "But, Dad, what if… what if she wasn't completely truthful?"

Jonathan looked over at his daughter, brow furrowing. "What are you talking about, H.C.?"

"Dad, I saw Helen in Metropolis. A few days before I stole that. She was at the nightclub, Atlantis, which was owned by Morgan Edge." Nervously, she held the paper out to him.

He took it from her hand and read over the article quickly, mouth tightening grimly with every sentence. Sighing, he folded it, slapped it against his thigh as he looked over at Hudson. "All of this could be coincidence, H.C."

"What if it isn't?" She demanded. "What if Helen told him about the blood? What if Morgan Edge died because of the stolen blood? That's my fault, Dad. I'm the one who stole it, who never gave it to him or returned it to Lionel."

"H.C., stop it." Her father walked up and placed his hand on her shoulder, steadying her. "Listen to me – this is all conjecture. We have no proof that Helen had anything to do with this. We have no proof that Lionel is responsible for what happened to Morgan. You can't just blindly accept the liability of circumstances that might have nothing to do with you."

"It's my blood. And they were all connected to it."

Her father looked ready to argue more but seemed to think better of it.

"Why would Lionel want my blood, anyway?"

Jonathan shook his head, dropping his hand from her shoulder to turn and throw the vial to the ground, shattering it. "Doesn't matter now."

She bit her lip, staring at the blood as it pooled on the dirt, slowly being absorbed into the dry ground. "I'm beginning to wonder what he really knows about me," she whispered.

"H.C., we've managed to stay one step ahead of Lionel Luthor so far," her father told her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "Whatever happened to bring about this chain of events, it's over now. It ends here. Why don't you just focus on people closer to home, okay?"

Hudson nodded, forcing a smile for her father before he turned and walked out of the barn. But she knew there was still a lot of unfinished business she'd left behind in Metropolis, and she couldn't really let everything go until she took care of it. Tonight, after her parents had gone to sleep, she'd go back to the penthouse that had belonged to Kaela, and return as much of what she'd stolen as she could.

* * *

Lex stared up at the lemon yellow farmhouse outside his windshield, trying to find that elusive sensation of relief by knowing that this wouldn't be the last time he pulled up to it. Unfortunately, the concern still prevailed that his overture would be rebuffed and deemed unacceptable by the Kent pride. He wouldn't give up, though; he had to make Jonathan Kent understand that this was about Hudson's future, and not his obstinacy.

_Of course, having the Kent family indebted to you isn't such a bad thing, either_, a soft voice whispered in the back of his mind. Shaking his head slightly, Lex pushed the car door open and stepped out.

It was too hot to be wearing his long overcoat, but Lex didn't notice. Ever since confronting Helen with her betrayal, he hadn't been able to get warm. Chills had racked his body as he paced in front of the fireplace, finishing off a bottle of brandy and contemplating an all too-empty future in front of him. He was so tired of betrayal by everyone he allowed himself to care about, tired of rebuilding those protective walls around himself whenever he was gullible enough to let them down. He'd taken a step toward refortifying his defenses against his father, though Lex wondered how long it would last. Now that it seemed he was back in the fold, when would the lines between him and his father be redrawn?

The situation with Helen was far from over, and he knew it. Even though the story he fed to the papers listed his wife as missing from a tragic accident that caused the plane to depressurize, Lex knew it was a situation he might forever be dealing with. As long as he couldn't track her down, she was still out there, possibly plotting some other form of torture to deliver in retaliation for whatever grievances it was that she held against him. Lex didn't understand it; he would have given her anything she wanted if she had simply asked. The female mind was a puzzle that perhaps he was simply never meant to grasp, since every time he made the attempt, he failed miserably. Even his relationship with Hudson could hardly be called successful. He wanted more than she would ever be likely to give him; maybe it was his fault that he could never get quite enough from her.

Pausing outside the back door, Lex patted the pocket inside of his coat, making certain the papers were still there, before raising his hand to knock on the screen.

"Hi, Lex." Martha peered at him from inside, smiling, a large box cradled in her arms. "Come on in."

Lex pulled the door open and stepped inside the bright kitchen, made even brighter by the many pictures missing from the walls. There wasn't any food cooking or pastries baking in the oven, and that was something he had come to expect every time he visited the Kent household. Everything around him was wrong.

And he meant to make it right.

"Hey, Lex," Hudson called out with a big grin, waving one of the ugliest plant holders he had ever seen at him. "You missed the garage sale, but we have tons of these macrame plant holders left."

He couldn't not smile at her teasing, and shook his head. "Thanks, Hudson, but, um, I'm actually doing my own share of purging around the mansion."

She stopped and flashed him a look of sympathy that he could hardly stand. Even her parents grew silent, watching him with expressions of pity.

"We heard about what happened to Helen this morning," Martha remarked, setting the box down to walk over and touch his arm. "I'm sorry, Lex. It's so tragic what the two of you have been through."

Lex shifted, biting the inside of his cheek to stop from blurting out that the entire story was bullshit.

"Have the rescue crews found anything?" Jonathan asked.

"Um… no." Lex glanced over at Hudson who was uncharacteristically quiet, though she still regarded him as if he were some delicate piece of china that needed to be protected. He took a breath and returned his gaze to her father. "They're looking. It… We should know more later."

As silence ensued, Lex reached into his pocket, withdrawing the deed, and stepped forward to the Kents, holding it out to them. "But, that's not why I'm here. I want to give you this."

Brow furrowing, Jonathan reached out to take the paper as Martha moved up beside him, peering at the writing. Her husband began frowning as she gasped softly.

"You bought our farm?" Martha looked up at him in distress, obviously jumping to the wrong conclusion.

He hastened to reassure them. "I put your names on the deed."

"We can't accept this," Jonathan denied almost instantaneously, handing the deed back over to him.

"There's nothing to accept but my gratitude."

"Lex –"

No, he wasn't going to allow Jonathan Kent to say no this time. If they would accept nothing else from him ever again, they would accept this.

"After the plane went down, I made my way into one of the broken wings," he explained, reaching into his pocket to pull out the antique compass Jonathan had given him the day of the wedding – a day that should have been filled with happiness. It was the one thing he could remember fondly. "This compass, your wedding present, guided me to safe harbor. The least I can do is help you keep your farm."

Jonathan was silent, which surprised Lex. He watched hopefully as the man looked down at his wife, and some silent exchange occurred between them before he brought his gaze back to him.

"We will find a way to pay you back."

Lex tried not to register his shock at the easy acceptance. He slipped his hands into his pockets in the hope that they wouldn't see him shaking in relief.

"I'm not worried about that, Mr. Kent."

He looked over at Hudson a moment, who had quietly moved up beside him, staring at him as if he were capable of hanging the moon or something. He gave her a brief smile before looking back to her parents.

"If it's not too presumptuous, I hope you'll just consider me part of the family?"

He felt silly and childish and entirely too needy for asking, but it was the one thing he wanted, hoped for, had to be part of. For a time, while he and Hudson were together, he almost felt as if he'd found somewhere that he belonged. Now, he wanted that again.

Jonathan and Martha exchanged another look before flashing him warm smiles. He felt Hudson's hands wrap around his arm, tugging on him, hugging him. She kissed his cheek and pressed her head against his shoulder.

"You're like the most amazing guy ever," she whispered.

Lex could come up with a dozen arguments to counter that comment, but he decided to just bask in the moment. He slipped his arm around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze back.

"You escaped before we could celebrate last time," Martha told him. "But I'm not letting that happen again! Stay for lunch, Lex. I've got some chicken I can fry up quick."

"And I know just where the frying pan is," Jonathan announced, turning to tear open one of the boxes behind him.

"You really don't have to go to all of this trouble for me," Lex began, watching the sudden flurry of activity with bemusement.

Martha waved a hand at him. "This has nothing to do with you, Lex," she replied with a smile that clearly said otherwise. "We've been eating nothing but delivery pizza for days."

Hudson laughed. "Thank god we don't have to pack anymore!"

Jonathan pulled out the frying pan, handing it to his wife as she asked for him to start looking for the oil. "No more packing, H.C. Now you get to help us unpack."

She rolled her eyes. "At least I can rearrange the loft. I've been meaning to do that for years now."

"Sounds like fun," Lex muttered, flashing her a quick smile when she pinched his arm.

"Lunch is going to take about half an hour," her mother announced. She glanced back at Lex and Hudson, gaze softening. "Why don't you two take that time to catch up? I know you didn't have much time the other day."

"You can help me figure out how to rearrange the loft," Hudson agreed, taking Lex's hand and pulling him toward the door.

Before Lex could reply, they were already making their way down the back steps and across the yard. He found his fingers curling around hers, grateful for her touch, wondering if she could feel how cold his skin was and if she found it strange. He stared at her as they walked, realizing that she didn't look the same from the back at all, not with the light-colored hair and almost too-thin frame. There was slump to her shoulders as well, that had never been there before, as if the confidence had been drained right out of her.

"I can't believe you bought our farm back." She glanced back at him, expression thoughtful. "You're lucky my dad didn't take that piece of paper and slap you with it."

"It's actually what I was expecting."

"You and me, both."

Lex glanced around as they walked, the silence bothering him. "Where's AJ?"

Hudson sighed and squeezed his hand. "Mom said they took him to the Thompson's farm. They seemed really pleased to have a dog around, and since he wouldn't fit in the apartment… " She trailed off and glanced back to smile at him. "I think picking him up will be my first priority now that we don't have to leave."

They stepped inside the barn, moving around the pickup to make their way to the steps and up into the loft. Once there, Hudson immediately spun around and wrapped her arms around Lex, holding him tightly. He stood there mutely for a long moment before finally willing his arms to lift and return her hug. She was warm, and Lex found himself wishing she could be his strength, just for a little while.

"I'm so sorry about Helen, Lex," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now."

Lex was shaking. He realized too late it was from laughter. He pushed back from Hudson and laughed and knew how shocked she was and couldn't stop himself. This was preposterous. How was he supposed to carry on this farce with Hudson, of all people? How could he want to be a part of this family if they were constantly telling him how sorry they were for the loss of his wife?

"Lex?" Hudson cocked her head to the side, watching him fearfully as if convinced he'd finally lost his mind.

"Christ, Hudson." He moved past her, slipping his hands back into his pockets, making fists hidden out of view, nails digging into his palms. He stood staring out through the large window, watching a flock of geese move across the horizon.

"Lex?" She was behind him now, he could almost feel the desire in her to reach out and touch him. "What's going on?"

"Helen isn't dead, Hudson. At least, I don't think she is."

"Well, that's good news, right?"

He turned his head to look back at her, and he knew the smile he gave her was all wrong. "I mean, it's not what you think. There wasn't some mystical accident on the plane that sucked her out through the door."

Hudson frowned but didn't respond.

"Hudson, that story you read in the paper? That one she told about how our plane was going down and I gallantly gave her the last parachute?"

She nodded.

"It was bullshit, Hudson. Complete and utter fabricated bullshit. And that's the truth."

"I… I don't understand."

Sighing, Lex looked back out the window. "She drugged me, Hudson. We shared some champagne, and she only had a sip – maybe she even faked that. I don't know. But I woke up, and the plane was going down, the controls were smashed. And I was alone."

He heard her sharp intake of breath, felt her hand on his arm. "Lex… no. That's… please tell me it isn't true?"

Shrugging, adopting the pretense that he didn't care, Lex turned to face her. "I should have expected it, right? I'm meant to be alone. I know it, but I ignored it and fell in love with the wrong woman all over again. And look where it got me? A three-month vacation on a deserted island and a lovely obituary in the Daily Planet."

"Lex… " She took a step toward him, arms out.

"Don't." He stepped out of her reach, unable to accept the sympathy he knew she wanted to give him; the sympathy he wanted so badly for her to give.

Hudson wrapped her arms around herself, stared up at him, eyes wide with questions. And pain. The tears hovered in her eyes, but she seemed to fight them back, as if knowing he didn't want them. She was silent for the next few moments, a dozen emotions flitting across her face. She shuddered slightly.

"Lex, what happened to Helen?"

Lex clenched his jaw at the question, felt the walls grow a little stronger. "Don't you mean what did I do to her?"

"Lex – "

"No, wait. I think your tone was more along the lines of _Did you kill her_? Is that it, Hudson? Is that what you wanted to ask?"

She raised her chin a little, looking for all the world as angry and upset as he felt. "No. I wasn't going to ask that. I didn't mean that." She let out a breath and flashed him a look of disappointment. "I never… Lex, I would never accuse you of such a thing."

"Oh, but accusing me of setting someone else up for murder isn't beyond you?"

Hudson's mouth fell open at the jab. Once the shock passed, real anger appeared in her eyes. "I thought we were past that?" She demanded. "I apologized a long time ago for accusing you of what happened to my dad, Lex! I can't believe that you're still angry – "

"I'm sorry."

He cut her off before she could continue, heart pounding inside his chest at the realization of what he'd just done. The last thing in the world that he wanted to do was relive the past year between them, the pain they'd caused one another. Hudson wasn't the person he was angry with, and lashing out at her wasn't what he needed to do.

"I don't know why I said that," he told her, slipping his hand from his pocket to reach out to her. "I'm sorry. It's forgotten."

She seemed to accept his words, stepping into his touch, allowing him to pull her against his chest. Her arms went around his waist and she was holding him again.

"Tell me what happened," she whispered.

Lex laid his head against hers, and closed his eyes as he spoke, "I don't know what I intended to do. Honestly, Hudson. Maybe I wanted to do to her what she did to me. Maybe I just wanted to scare a confession out of her. Maybe… maybe I was just hoping we'd go on a second honeymoon and everything would be all right. I don't know.

"But I do know that once I confronted her with the knowledge that she had planned my demise, once she realized her protestations of innocence were falling on deaf ears… that was when she pulled out a gun. Pointed it at me. Told me that the only reason I didn't end up with a bullet in my head was because she'd fallen in love with me." He barked with laughter at that, bitter, harsh. "The people I fall in love with."

Hudson's arms tightened around him. "What then?"

"I decided to use that feeble excuse for love to my advantage, challenged her to shoot me. I knew she couldn't do it. Only a coward would drug a man before killing him; she sure as hell wasn't going to shoot me face to face. We struggled for the gun and it went off, shooting my pilot instead… No, don't worry. He's fine. And he won't have to work for the remainder of his life, I promise." He sighed and pressed his cheek against hers. "The plane was going down again, so I went into the cockpit and grabbed the controls. Moments later, the door blew and Helen was gone. After landing, I checked and one of the parachutes was missing."

"And here I thought it was a joke that all rich people needed to know how to fly a plane."

Lex found a small smile with her comment. "Yes. Well, now you know there are legitimate reasons for it."

"God, Lex. I'm so sorry." She moved her head and kissed his cheek before pressing her forehead against his. "If I'd known – "

He opened his eyes to meet her gaze. "I know." He let out a soft breath, holding back a sob that was building in the back of his throat. "Hudson, I… Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why can't anyone love me?" He whispered, hating himself for asking the question. Hating her for hearing it. "What have I done – what is it that I do that pushes people away? That makes me so unworthy?"

"Lex, don't!" Hudson pulled him to her; he could feel her hot tears against his neck. "They're the ones who are unworthy! You're amazing and wonderful and I can't imagine not loving you."

Lex wanted to believe her but it was a difficult thing to do when faced with facts. Two wives, both of whom tried to kill him. Then there were women like Victoria or Carrie, who used him for what they knew they could get out of him. His own father had never found him worthy of drawing breath; his brother only desired his protection and money. Hell, even his so-called best friend felt it was better to lie to him than invite him into her life.

Gathering his composure around him tightly, Lex pulled out of Hudson's embrace and forced a smile. "Well, at least I know that no matter what things we might say to one another, you've never tried to kill me, hmm?"

* * *

Hudson made her way quietly down the halls of the mansion late that night, feeling safer and more welcome than the last time she'd been there. She paused as she neared the study, brow furrowing in curiosity as she listened the sounds of ocean waves drifting out through the open doors. What would possibly possess Lex to want to hear the ocean after three months of being surrounded by it?

She peered between the doors, gaze sweeping over the room until she saw him standing in front of the fireplace, glass of brandy in hand, staring into the flames. She couldn't begin to imagine where his thoughts strayed, or what he must be feeling inside. Rage filled her at the thought of Helen, at how the woman had stood in this very room in front of her, claiming to miss him, claiming that they loved him in the same way. If she'd known the truth then, Hudson wondered how she would have reacted. Would that person hiding deep down inside of her – the one that didn't hold back – would she have resurfaced to avenge the man she loved? Hudson shuddered slightly at the thought. At least she would never have to find out.

"Lex?" She called out softly.

He lifted his head, looking over at her slowly as if he'd known she was there all along. "Hudson," he greeted. "It's late."

"I'm not bothering you, am I?"

Lex shook his head, setting the brandy on the mantle as he moved over to the stereo to lower the sound. "No. I was just… thinking."

"And listening to the ocean." She stepped inside, watching him thoughtfully. "I'd think that would be the last thing that you'd want to hear after… everything."

He shrugged. "Surprisingly, it relaxes me."

"Oh."

Hudson found herself wishing that she could relax. She wandered over to the fireplace, fingers reaching out to follow the pattern of the etchings in the mantle. She remembered thinking how cold Lex's skin had felt to her earlier that day, but she'd attributed it to the air conditioning in his car. Now, seeing that he had a fire going in early September, she realized that might not be the case. Maybe Kansas felt cold compared to the island. Maybe it was something else.

"Is there something I can do for you, Hudson?"

She spun around at the question to find him sitting on the couch, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, watching her intently. She worried her lower lip, and reached up to tug on a strand of her hair, for want of anything else to do with her hands.

"I… Lex, I've been thinking."

He smiled a little at that and sat back. "Is that so? Hudson, if this is about Helen and what I told you at the farm, I really – "

"No. It has nothing to do with Helen." She took a deep breath and let it out again. "It's about me, really. And you. Well, us… well, everything."

Lex raised an eyebrow in apparent amusement. "Everything? That's quite a bit."

"Yes, well… " She dropped her hands and turned back to the fireplace. "A lot happened to me over the summer, Lex. Maybe not quite what happened to you but… close. Perhaps, in a different way."

"Hudson, you're not making an ounce of sense," Lex pointed out.

Hudson turned around, feeling helpless. She couldn't do this.

No, she could do this.

No, really. She couldn't.

Damn.

"Lex, I'm… I want to tell you everything that happened to me this summer and why it happened and why I made the choices I did but… I can't." She sighed and shook her head. "I can't because… you wouldn't understand it if I did."

Lex shook his head, a wry expression on his face as he looked away from her. "Of course not. I don't expect you to share your life with me anymore, Hudson. And… I'm not going to ask for it."

Hudson bit her lip at the sound of defeat in his voice. Defeat edged with anger, resentment.

"_Mom, Dad, I… I want to tell Lex."_

"_Tell Lex what?" Her mom stared at her curiously._

_She took a breath. "The truth. I want to tell him the truth – "_

She took a few steps forward, found herself standing in front of him. "That's just it, Lex. I'm tired of secrets." Kneeling down, she reached up and placed her hand against his thigh, prompting him to look at her. "I'm tired of the lies – the lies I have to keep telling you. I don't want to be like the others. I want to prove to you that you can trust me."

_"Dad, he deserves it. He deserves that much from me."_

"_H.C., you think that because he bought and paid for the farm for us, that we're supposed to just trust him with everything? That we're supposed to just put blind faith in the hope that he won't use this information for his own personal gain?"_

"_It isn't blind faith, Dad. Please, listen to me. Lex has proved his trustworthiness to us time and time again. He loves me – I believe that. And he cares about this family. Hell, how could you say he doesn't? Look what he did!" She waved her arms around, indicating the house. "He gave all of this back to us and asked for nothing more than to be a part of this family. It's the least we can give him."_

"_I knew accepting this favor would indebt us to him, but I'm not putting my family in danger – "_

Lex stared at her, expression blank, though his eyes showed a flicker of distrust. "Lies, Hudson?" He questioned quietly.

She nodded, fingers curling against his slacks. "I… God, Lex. There's so much. I don't know how to do this. I –"

She looked up at him hopefully, but he wasn't making this easy for her. His body was tense, eyes glittering as he continued to watch her, expressionless, waiting. Hudson had seen him like this before, but never with her. He was a viper poised to strike; a tiger patiently waiting for his prey to move away from the protection of the herd. She shuddered slightly at the thought and dropped her gaze to her hand.

"I… ask me anything, Lex. Anything at all." She brought her eyes back up to his. "Ask me anything, and I'll give you the honest answers."

There. It was perfect. Like the night he came to her, asking for the truth about the day on the bridge, and now she could give it to him. If he asked, all she had to say was yes.

But Lex didn't ask. Instead, he jumped to his feet, towered over her, staring down, face flushed with sudden anger. "No, Hudson! It's not that easy!" He stepped over her legs, moved like a caged animal toward the fireplace to grab his brandy before turning back to her. "It's not that easy, Hudson! I'm not going to give you that." He threw the glass into the fireplace, causing Hudson to jump as it crashed into the wood, the flames flaring.

"_Jonathan, maybe Hudson's right. Lex has already seen enough to cause him to question. Wouldn't it be safer to tell him everything, to trust him, rather than continue to push him away with our fear?"_

"_Martha, he's a Luthor."_

Hudson stared up at him in consternation; the way he was talking, the things he was saying, it made her wonder exactly how much she really had to tell him. Did he already know?

"Lex, please… "

He turned away from her, shoulders tense.

The fire crackled and popped, sending a sliver of glowing red wood out onto the floor. Hudson watched it, thought of the red Kryptonite, of how easy it would be to confess her sins with a piece of it in her hand. She sat there in silence, contemplating how these steps she was taking would change everything. How very possible it was that Lex would never forgive her when she told him the truth. Unfortunately, she couldn't back out now. He would never forgive her for that, either.

"_You're never going to trust Lex, are you? But Dad, I don't feel that this decision is yours to make any longer. I spent this past summer in Metropolis paying for my choices. I've made the wrong ones for the wrong reasons, and I'm sorry about that. But this time, I know I'm right. Lex deserves our trust. And, it's the only thing we have to give him." _

Taking a deep breath, Hudson confessed in a rush, "It's my fault, Lex. The meteor shower, the rocks all over town, the strange powers people get from them. I'm from another world, Lex. That spaceship you were after? It was mine. My parents kept it in the storm cellar for years. The octagonal disk was a kind of key to it. My parents found me when my ship crashed and they took me in and raised me as an adopted child and I didn't even know the truth until I was thirteen. And I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner but I… I… " She closed her eyes. "I'm an alien, Lex."

There was a moment of silence, and then, "I know."

Hudson's eyes snapped open and she stared up at Lex in shock. "What? I don't… how?"

Lex turned to face her, eyes narrowed. "Do you really think I'm that much of an idiot, Hudson? The feats of strength, the amazing rescues, the bad lies – do you really believe I'm that stupid? Add to that the evidence of your fascination with the Kawatchee caves and everything that has gone on down there… " Lex trailed off, jaw clenching slightly. "I may not have had concrete proof, Hudson, but I've had my suspicions. Frankly, I'm surprised the entire town hasn't figured it out by now."

She blinked as she sat there, watching him. "You're not… freaked out by what I am?"

There was a short laugh before Lex shook his head and turned away from her. He picked up the fireplace poker from the rack and jabbed it at the burning wood.

"Freaked out because you've saved my life countless times? Because without you and everything you are apparently capable of doing, I would have died that day at the bridge? Hardly." He tossed the implement to the floor and slipped his hands into his pockets. "No, Hudson. I'm not freaked out." He looked back at her. "But, I am disappointed."

"Because I lied to you?" She quickly scrambled to her feet and stepped toward him. "I'm sorry. I mean, I – "

"You laid there beside me in my bed, Hudson, and lied to me," he began quietly, fixing her with a steady gaze. "You told me you loved me, and all the while lied to me. You promised me your friendship, and you lied to me. You told me I could trust you, and you lied to me. I begged you for answers, for the truth… and you continued to lie to me."

Hudson felt a catch in her throat at his words. She told herself that she had expected this, that he had every right to feel as he did, but that didn't make it hurt less.

"Lex, I'm sorry! I wanted to tell you, ever since we became friends, but I didn't have a choice."

"You didn't have a choice?" He repeated, one brow raising in curiosity. "So now, you suddenly do? What makes today special? Oh, wait. Could it be because I bought your farm back for you and now… you feel like you owe me?"

"No, that isn't it!" She took another cautious step forward, noting that Lex tensed immediately. She wondered if it was because he was angry, or because he was afraid of what she really was. "My parents forbade me from telling anyone the truth – and they were right. Lex, you don't know how dangerous it is, how many people have been hurt because of me. I mean, look at my parents, look at what they've been through."

Lex shook his head, pushed past her when she got too close to move across the room. He stood with his back to her, running his hand over his bare scalp.

"I thought you were different, Hudson," he commented softly. "I wanted to believe you were different, that you weren't like the others. I wanted to trust you –"

"You can trust me –"

"No, I can't!" He whirled around, pointing a finger at her. "You made your choice last year, Hudson, when you would rather destroy what we had than tell me the truth, than let me be a part of your life! This… admission, it's a little too late. You're too late!"

Hudson sucked in a sharp breath at his words and looked away. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she realized that Lex was right – she had waited too long. He deserved so much more from her, and she'd always been too selfish to see that, too afraid. She should have trusted him, as he had her. What had she been thinking? Here she had just told him she was an alien and… Lex didn't care. What she was meant little to him compared to the fact that she had betrayed his trust, betrayed their friendship and, most importantly, their love. Could she even begin to make up for it? Would he let her?

Lifting her gaze back to him, Hudson realized she couldn't and wouldn't give up. Not now. Maybe, not ever.

"Lex." She slowly walked over to him, hoping that he wouldn't move away again. "I can't say I'm sorry enough, I know that. If I could go back and do it all differently, I would. But I can't… I won't lose you. Not now. When I thought you were dead, I… I realized what a horrible friend, and girlfriend, I'd been to you. I don't want to make that mistake again. I want to make things right. Please, give me that chance?"

"It took my death for you to realize you didn't want to lose me?" Lex asked, eyebrows raised sardonically.

Hudson shook her head. "No, that isn't what I meant – "

"Get out, Hudson."

Her heart began pounding fearfully in her chest. "Lex, please don't – "

"I said get out, Hudson," he repeated, the familiar and hated mask of indifference falling over his face. "Get out before I do something we'll both regret."

Swallowing back a cry, Hudson moved back from him and took one of her first steps toward the promised honesty in their relationship – she sped away from the study in a flash.


	30. My First Taste: Chimera

**EPISODE TWENTY**

**CHIMERA**

_Don't let go on us tonight  
Love's not always black and white  
Haven't I always loved you?_

**_Almost Here (Brian McFadden/Delta Goodrem)_**

The envelope made it look as if it were official business that had to do with the Talon. Lex should have known better.

_Dear Lex_ –

He glared at the familiar scrawl across the paper that was marred with greasy fingerprints, and smelled as if it had spent at least one night in the trash. Common sense told him to crumple it up and throw it back into the trash where it belonged, but he and common sense had never gotten along very well. And curiosity had a way of overriding any other lingering arguments.

_You won't return my calls, your staff tells me that you're out of the house every time that I come by to see you, my emails keep bouncing back to me, and now I've resorted to sending you mail. I hope I didn't freak you out with the whole official looking detail but I couldn't think of any other way to get you to read this. For all I know, it'll end up in the garbage anyway, but at least I know I tried one last time to get you to listen to me._

_Look, I know you're angry and you have every right to be. I'm so sorry that I lied to you about 'you know what'. I've wanted to tell you for so long – ever since we first became friends. But there's more to this than just me and you, you know. My parents have never wanted me to share it with anyone, and maybe I've never totally agreed with them but, I had to obey them because, well, they're my parents. I know you and your dad don't share the same kind of relationship I do with my mom and dad, so maybe you can't really get what I'm trying to say here, but it wasn't like I was just going to ignore them. Maybe you've forgotten, but I was fifteen-years old when we met and I barely had a curfew that allowed me out past dark! A lot has changed since then – I've learned a lot more about life, and I'd like to attribute most of that to knowing you. I understand now that maybe the people around us don't always make the right decisions, no matter the reasons, especially when love is clouding that judgment. That goes for my parents, as well as you and me._

_Yes, I've made mistakes and now I have to deal with that. But you've made mistakes, too, Lex. Maybe everything you and I have done regarding one another has been wrong, and maybe I started that with my lies but I don't see why we can't try again. Too much has happened between us to just let it go and I do believe we can at least approach this friendship with a new perspective on things. I'm willing to be honest, to tell you everything you could possibly want to know, if you feel that you're ready for it. I know you've said it's hard for you to give people second chances, but I'm asking you for that now. Please? _

_And no, to answer the question I know you're probably wondering – I'm not afraid of you. I'm not worried in the slightest that you would do anything to hurt me or my family, even if you aren't speaking to me. I know you care about me and I know you're just pissed off and I know we can get past this._

_At least, I hope we can._

_Anyway, I'd better stop before I compose a novel to you or something. I'm doing extra chores around the house because my parents are all freaked-out over your silence and I'm trying to reassure them that everything's okay. You know my father isn't going to sleep at night until he gets to talk to you. Besides, we have to put you through the whole initiation rights now that you know the truth. _

_I'm kidding._

_I still love you and I always will, even if you never speak to me again or anything._

_Your Angel,  
H.C. Kent_

Lex folded up the letter and slipped it back into the envelope, frowning as he realized his fingertips now smelled like Mrs. Kent's fried chicken. Occasionally, when confronted with Hudson's less than hygienic habits, he found himself wondering what it was he saw in her in the first place. In the last few days, he'd asked that question repeatedly, wondering at that part of him that sporadically tugged him toward the door, whispered to him that he missed her, and he wanted to talk to her, that he wanted everything to be better between them. Lex mostly convinced himself that this was his weaker side speaking, the one he had best defeat if he ever planned on protecting himself from betrayal by those closest to him again.

Standing, Lex moved over to the bar to pour a drink. He picked up the decanter, thought better of it, and set it back down. He'd spent that first day, after hearing the truth spoken from her lips, in a drunken stupor. It was easier than dealing with the realization that the three people who should have loved him most, really cared very little about him at all. His father, he'd always expected it from, even if every next blow hurt more than the last. And there was Helen, and then Hudson. He'd trusted them both, loved them both…

It was difficult to ignore that voice telling him to take the revenge he was denied from his treacherous wife, and focus it instead on Hudson. He fought against it all that first day, and then the next. Lex knew that he could hurt her so easily, rip that perfect world right out from under the Kent family, and there would be nothing they could do about it.

Did not doing so make him a coward? Or, perhaps the question was, _would_ doing so make him no better than they were?

Today, he was mostly numb. Even the tips of his fingers seemed to lack any sensation of touch. Lex wondered if this was what happened when one simply didn't care anymore? And then he silently cursed himself for being so maudlin, or, as his father would accuse, overly dramatic. After all, people went through these sorts of things all of the time, didn't they?

Deserted islands. Black widows. Deceitful best friends.

Lex grabbed the decanter once again; the scotch sloshed over the side of the glass as he hastily poured and lifted it to his mouth. He'd been putting this decision off for far too long. It was time to make a choice.

He was a Luthor, after all.

* * *

"So there's a party at the lake this weekend," Chloe commented as she glanced over at Hudson in the passenger seat. "Did you want to go… maybe?"

Hudson shrugged and gave her friend a quick smile. "Sure. It's been a while since I've been to a party. We don't exactly have a lot of party years left, do we?"

"Speak for yourself." Chloe grinned. "I've heard all about the parties my cousin attends on a regular basis."

"Oh? Yeah, well, I think your cousin is going to college more for the social life than he is for actual studying, anyway."

"True. He seems to think he's the Big Man on Campus or something." Chloe snorted.

Smiling at her comment, Hudson nibbled on her fingertip, staring out the window as they pulled up the drive on to the farm. AJ immediately raced around the corner of the barn, barking and chasing after the car, waiting at the passenger door with tail wagging as Hudson climbed out. She reached out to scratch him behind the ears before grabbing her backpack from the floor.

"Thanks for the ride, Chloe."

"Not a problem. I appreciate the help today on the paper." Chloe put the car in reverse before commenting, "H.C., it's… well, I'm glad you're back. I missed you."

"I missed you, too," she smiled in reply before closing the door.

She watched for a moment as her friend disappeared back toward the road, before turning and making her way along the back path to the kitchen door. The scent of Pinesol and chocolate chip cookies assailed Hudson's senses as she stepped inside the house, AJ scrambling in beside her to head for the living room.

"H.C.! Shoes! Now!" Her mom called out from the dining area where she was scrubbing the floor. She pointed toward AJ. "And he belongs outside, young lady."

"Sorry, he got past me before I could stop him," she replied as she slipped off her tennis shoes and kicked them to the corner next to the door.

Martha sat back on her heels and looked at her daughter in disbelief. "You can race past bullets, but you can't stop a dog from racing past _you_ into the house?"

Hudson grinned sheepishly as she padded her way across the kitchen to grab AJ. "Something like that, yeah." She scooped the squirming dog into her arms and carried him back to the door, carefully setting him down on the porch. "I'll be back out in a moment," she whispered as she pat his head, and then closed the screen door.

"How was school?"

"Eh. Most of it was boring." Hudson moved over to the refrigerator where she pulled out a Coke and a plate of leftover fried chicken. "The boa in Mr. Miller's Science class got out of its cage last night and somehow made it into Mrs. Bramble's English class. So that made for an interesting morning. There were cheerleaders running down the hall, screaming like… well, girls."

"And I'm sure you rushed in, ever the gallant heroine?" Martha smiled as she dipped the wash rag into the bucket.

Hudson made a face. "Eww, Mom. Snake. Not."

Her mom laughed. "The things that scare you, H.C."

"Snakes don't scare me," Hudson answered as she bit into a cold chicken leg. "They're simply not right. I mean, no legs, you know? And they… slither." She gave a mock shudder. "And besides, it's your fault for ever letting me watch Disney's _Robin Hood_ when I was little. Sir Hiss scarred me for life. Him and all his sssssssss-ing."

Martha rolled her eyes and laughed again.

The screen door slammed open loudly, causing them both to jump as her dad entered the kitchen. He frowned as he spied his daughter. "Where've you been? That gate needs to be fixed before feeding tonight."

Repressing a sigh that had been building up over the last five days, Hudson grabbed another piece of chicken before covering the plate and slipping it back into the refrigerator. "I stayed after school to help Chloe with the Torch. She gave me a ride home."

Jonathan eyed her briefly before pushing the door back open. "Well, after you're done with your excuses, you have chores to get caught up on."

Hudson pursed her lips as the door shut behind him. She looked over at her mother. "He really needs to get over this, Mom. I'm not sorry for what I did and his grumping at me isn't going to make me _be_ sorry."

Martha stood and picked up the bucket of dirty water to carry over to the sink. "Honey, your father is just worried. As long as Lex's silence continues, we have no idea what he's going to do –"

"He's just thinking things over," she defended. "He wants to worry me to teach me a lesson. I'd probably do the same thing, you know?" She nibbled on the chicken for a moment before adding, "Mom, I know Lex. The last thing he would do is run to the authorities or the papers or anything like that – "

"So Roger Nixon was a fluke?" Martha asked with a raised eyebrow.

She shook her head. "That was different. He was searching for the truth then. Now, he doesn't have to."

Her mother sighed. "H.C., I know you want to believe in Lex. I know you love him and I know that what the both of you have been through scared you but… I just don't know if this was such a good idea."

"Give him a chance." She reached out and touched her mom's arm. "Mom, please?"

Looking up, Martha glanced out the window and forced a smile. "Well, it looks as if our questions will soon be answered."

Hudson's head snapped up, following her mother's gaze to see a Porsche pull up and park beside the house. She took a deep breath and realized she was a little more afraid than she had been pretending. The past week her stomach had been in knots constantly, but she had tried to blame that on being back in Smallville after everything that happened in Metropolis, completely disregarding the real reasons. She ignored the nightmares she had every night of Lex refusing to forgive her for her lies. She called him and left messages, stopped by his house every day in the hope that he'd want to see her, and resent her emails when they bounced back into her mailbox. Every rejection hurt a little more, and scared her with the silent implications. Each morning when she woke up, Hudson told herself that today would be the day that Lex forgave her.

And hopefully, that day had just arrived.

"You'd better get out there before your father does," Martha warned as she noticed Jonathan emerge from the barn.

"Hell."

She hurried out of the door before her mother could reprimand her for cursing, determined to make it to Lex's side before her dad did. She knew that the wrong word said would set them both off, and she couldn't allow that to happen when she was certain they were very close to getting everything worked out.

"Lex. Hi," she greeted as he climbed out of his car.

Instead of answering, he crouched down to pet AJ, scratching his belly as the dog rolled over in the dirt in the usual submissiveness he always offered to Lex. He whispered something about how good it was to see him again before standing and moving toward Hudson.

"What – " Hudson stopped herself from asking what he was doing there, and quickly changed her question. "How are you?"

Lex frowned slightly, and she realized it wasn't a very good question, either. He reached inside of his jacket and pulled out an envelope. "I received your letter."

She smiled, gaze glancing toward her dad as he hesitated on the other side of the car, watching them. "I'm glad. I mean, I thought you would have just thrown it away or something."

"I considered it," he answered honestly.

Nodding, she waved her hand to the side. "Want to… um, talk?"

Catching her hint, Lex moved past her, walking toward the fence behind the house as Hudson joined him. She looked over her shoulder to see her dad following them with his gaze before he finally turned and made his way into the house. She sighed with relief that he'd changed his mind about the confrontation, and turned her full attention to Lex.

"So… what do you think?" She finally asked as they stopped.

He leaned his elbows on the fence, staring out at the pasture. "I think you need to stop eating while writing letters." He shook the envelope at her, frowning. "It's the most disgusting missive I've ever received."

Hudson couldn't stop her grin at his teasing. It was a start. "Sorry. It took me a few days to write it, and I was always rereading it and stuff. Did it… did it work?" She asked hopefully.

"I honestly don't know," he replied, shrugging lightly.

Making a face, she dropped her gaze, kicking lightly at a rock beside her foot. "Once you told me you could only say you're sorry so many times."

"And _you_ told _me_ that I was supposed to keep saying it until I meant it."

She bit her lip. "You think I don't mean it?"

Lex looked over her, pinning her in place with his gaze. "Do you?"

Hudson let out a breath and kicked at the ground again. "If you think I don't meant it, what are you doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow in response, obviously surprised or impressed with her reply. "Very well, Hudson." He turned slightly to face her. "Where do you want to go from here?"

"Why must you be so difficult?"

"Difficult?" Lex's neutral expression turned to a glare. "Do you want me to throw a fucking parade because you told me the truth?"

She winced. "Do you want me to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness? I will, you know, if that's what you truly want."

He grew silent and looked away.

"If there's absolutely no way that we can work this out, if you don't want to forgive me then… well, I can't make you do it, Lex," Hudson told him. "So, I guess you might as well just leave. You obviously wasted your time in coming here."

Lex told himself to let her go. But he didn't.

"Hudson." He turned to her as she stopped. "I… have forgiven you."

She spun around, eyes widening with complete and utter surprise, her heart thrumming loudly in her chest with hope. "You… you have?"

He held up a hand. "Forgiven, Hudson," he told her pointedly. "I just… I don't know if I can ever forget."

"Well, it's a start."

She forced a small smile, even though her knees were shaking and she was just about certain she was going to throw up then and there. She realized that she truly hadn't believed he would forgive her, and her sudden lack of faith in Lex that she'd never known existed made her sick. That, combined with the relief sweeping over her that she was, at least, forgiven, was playing hell with her nerves. Hudson clasped her hands together tightly in front of her and took a deep breath.

"Anything you want to know? Questions, and stuff?"

Lex glanced at her in disbelief. "Just like that?"

"Well, it's not like there's a point in not getting it all out in the open," she replied with a shrug. "I know you, Lex. You probably have a file on your computer filled with questions that you've come up with over the last few days."

The blank expression on his face at her accusation was all she needed for her answer. Hudson nodded in triumph and she could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile hover across his mouth.

"Actually, I should probably speak with your parents first, Hudson."

Her triumph was short-lived. She frowned. "Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, wouldn't you rather go on a quick trip to like, Malibu or something?"

Lex furrowed his brow at the suggestion. "As… intriguing as your offer sounds, Hudson, I really think your parents and I need to talk."

* * *

Hudson led Lex inside the house, softly warning him to watch his step since her mother had just washed the floor. He handed her his jacket to hang up before glancing to the front room where Martha and Jonathan were sitting on the couch, watching him, waiting. He gave them a short nod as he started toward them, Hudson suddenly appearing at his side.

"Lex." Jonathan stood, his manner defensive.

"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent."

"Can I get you anything, Lex?" Martha offered in her gentle voice, a hesitant smile appearing. "Water or tea?"

"No, thank you." He sat down across from the couch, without waiting for permission from Hudson's father.

Jonathan frowned slightly, and then turned to his daughter. "H.C., why don't you go get started on your chores?"

Lex watched in fascination as the unmistakable fire of rebellion immediately flickered in her eyes. It wasn't the usual teenage angst he was used to seeing from her, but something much more volatile and angry.

"This is about _me_, you know," she replied.

"I'm well aware of that, H.C." Jonathan stood his ground, staring down his daughter, the _alien._

And god, now that the information was firmly ground into his mind as fact, Lex couldn't seem to get over it.

"But your presence will only make this conversation more difficult," Jonathan continued. "Your mother and I would like to have the chance to talk with Lex _alone_."

"I have a right to hear what you have to say to him," she responded stubbornly, the apparent anger fading slightly, as if she were making an attempt to control herself.

"Frankly, I think you've done quite enough already, H.C." Her father turned away to sit beside his wife on the couch. "Go do your chores."

"This isn't fair!"

Deciding that this was the time to intervene, Lex commented, "Nothing in life is fair, Hudson. I think you'd have realized that by now?"

She flashed him a glare but the fact of the matter was that Lex had stared Death in the eyes, and on more than one occasion. The beautiful young woman standing in front of him, alien or not, no matter what she was capable of, didn't frighten him all that much. He glared right back at her, the kind of expression he normally reserved for Board members and office toadies. Hudson's chin jutted out slightly in defiance and Lex found himself wondering if maybe he might have a real fight on his hands. Then, just as suddenly as it began, she huffed once and spun around. One minute she was there, the next the door was slamming in her wake.

Blinking, Lex turned back to the Kents. "Does she do that often? That speed thing?"

Martha nodded, another nervous smile appearing. "Unfortunately, yes."

Amazed, Lex glanced toward the door, pondering her exit as well as the one from his study after she had admitted the truth to him. How fast could she go? Had she ever clocked herself? If hers was the blurred image on the security tape from the exhibit hall at the Metropolis Museum as he suspected, then her speed was phenomenal. Faster than the human eye, faster than what could be caught on camera. Faster than bullets even?

What could one achieve with such speed?

"Lex," Jonathan began, interrupting his thoughts. "H.C. tells us that you… suspected the truth about her all along. Was that why you had Roger Nixon looking into us?"

Lex knew the questions would come around to this. He folded his hands together and leaned forward calmly to meet Jonathan's gaze. "Mr. Kent, when I hired Roger Nixon, it was only to investigate what happened the day on the bridge. I'm sorry if you're offended by my curiosity, but when you walk away from an assured death, it's impossible to ignore what happened. The roof of my car was ripped open like a sardine. Maybe you should have schooled Hudson in being more careful with her rescues."

"So now you're blaming us for this?" Jonathan snapped.

"No, Mr. Kent," he replied coolly. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't be surprised by everything I discovered. Frankly, I'm amazed that more people haven't figured out Hudson's secret with her heroic feats talked spoken of all over town, and in the papers. I'm sorry, but I'm of the opinion that if you're trying to protect her? Your efforts have been adequate, at best."

"I don't remember asking for your opinion!" Jonathan stabbed a finger toward Lex. "And did you ever think that the best way for us to protect her is to keep her the hell away from you from now on?"

"Jonathan," Martha interrupted, reaching over to touch her husband's arm, silencing him. She looked at Lex. "We're all concerned for Hudson's safety. It's why we're here."

He didn't know how she did it, but Martha Kent had always possessed this calming affect about her that worked with everyone. Both he and Jonathan visibly relaxed, and Lex nodded in agreement.

"Look, I understand your concern," he told them. "But you have to know, I would never do anything to hurt Hudson – "

"We were never worried about that," Martha hastily reassured him, though Lex knew even if she wasn't concerned about such a thing, Jonathan certainly had been. "Lex, it's your father. The things that go on between the both of you, the games you play and the fighting. I worked for him, and I watched you both while I spent time in the mansion. If he ever found out about Hudson – "

"I'll protect her. I won't let him – "

"I don't need your protection, Lex." Hudson appeared out of nowhere and dropped into the opposite chair, tugging a piece of hay from her hair. "I don't need anyone to protect me."

Her father sighed. "H.C., I thought I told you – "

"I'm done," she replied with a shrug. "The gate is fixed, the animals are fed, stalls are cleaned, and everything is put away for the night."

Lex glanced at his watch in disbelief. "In five minutes!"

Hudson looked amused. "Oh, I stopped to play with AJ for a bit."

"She's showing off for you, Lex," Martha told him with a frown. "Ignore her."

In response to her mother's remark, Hudson's skin flushed a bright shade of red.

Martha got to her feet and inclined her head toward the kitchen. "H.C., why don't you help me start dinner? Lex, we would love for you to join us."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent. But I really need to return to the mansion after I've finished my discussion with your husband."

He ignored the look of disappointment Hudson flashed at him. Surely she understood that just because he'd forgiven her didn't mean he was looking to spend every waking hour with her? They still had so much to discuss, questions that need to be answered, theories that needed to be validated. He still… he still wanted to scream and yell and throw a few things at her. It would never happen – he couldn't allow himself to lose control like that, not ever again – but that didn't mean he couldn't wish for it.

Nodding in understanding, Martha took Hudson's hand and forcibly dragged her into the kitchen. Lex returned his attention to Jonathan.

"Mr. Kent," he began. "We can't go back. I know you'd like to, but the fact of the matter is, your daughter was honest with me. She gave me the truth, and that's all I've ever wanted. I have no intention of harming her, or your family. Surely you must know that by now?"

Her father ran a hand over his face in apparent frustration. He let out a breath and met Lex's gaze. "Lex, I do know that. You've been more than generous with my family, even when you suspected all along that we've been lying to you. But I do hope you realize what a tremendous responsibility knowing this secret is? And believe me, it's not gonna get any easier."

"I never thought it would, Mr. Kent."

Actually, Lex believed that Jonathan Kent was going a little overboard when it came to the warnings regarding Hudson's secret. Maybe it was due to his upbringing being so different from anything the Kents would understand, but Lex really didn't believe his life would suddenly become all that more difficult and trying due to what he now knew for a certainty. If anything, he thought his life should be a little easier, given that there was no longer a need to seek out the answers to the questions that plagued him.

The man across from him still didn't seem convinced, seemed to hesitate slightly before finally nodding. It really wasn't much more than Lex expected.

Getting to his feet, Lex told him, "Thank you for speaking with me, Mr. Kent. It is my sincerest hope that one day I will prove myself worthy of your trust." He forced a brief smile for affect.

Jonathan gave a non-committal nod as he stood to walk Lex to the kitchen door. Hudson beat them to the coat rack, handing Lex his jacket and pulling the screen door open to allow Lex to move past her.

"Mom, I'm going to walk Lex to his car."

"All right, sweetheart."

Hudson hurried down the steps beside him, her expression curious and wide-eyed as she gazed up into his face. "I wish you would stay for dinner, Lex."

Lex shook his head. "I don't want to, Hudson."

"Oh."

She looked crushed, and Lex knew he should have felt badly for doing that to her. Unfortunately, he just couldn't bring himself to feel that kind of guilt at the moment. He opened the door to his car and turned to her. For a second, he was reminded of the countless times in the past when he'd made the exact same movement, turning to kiss the tip of her nose, gather her into his arms and hold her close, whisper a promise that he would see her soon into her ear. Now, he simply looked at her, hands tucked safely in his pockets, wondering when his anger and disappointment would eventually diminish. He tried to convince himself that he should concentrate on the miracle of her existence, but he couldn't stop remembering her betrayal.

"I'll make this up to you," she told him, as if reading his mind. "I promise." She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"I hope so," he replied quietly before turning and climbing into his car to leave.

* * *

"I still can't believe Jake turned Swim Fan on Lana." Chloe made a face as she glanced over the article printed in the Torch, murmuring about a typo in the second paragraph. "I never pegged him as the poolside slasher type." She looked up at Hudson with a slight twinkle in her eyes. "But, I don't think Jake Pollen was exactly like your average teenager, either."

Just that morning, Hudson learned that Lana had been attacked the night before while taking a swim at the local gym. Apparently, she'd been alone in the pool when someone had pulled her under, attempting to drown her. Before her attacker could succeed, he was shot, and Lana escaped to call the police. Jake Pollen was a classmate of theirs, and the last person Hudson would have ever expected to commit murder.

She raised an eyebrow at Chloe as her friend ducked into the Torch office, and then followed her inside. "Why would you say that?"

"Other than the meteor rock labeled "FREAK" laid next to his body?"

Chloe tossed her bag onto the desk and sat down in front of her computer. "Do you remember that field trip we took down to Crater Lake, the one where I so gracefully dropped my keys off of the pier?"

Hudson laughed. "Yeah. I thought you were going to call in the Navy S.E.A.L.S. But then, Jake jumped in and fished them out for you."

"Right." Chloe nodded as she pulled a file up on her computer. "And he was under water for six minutes. Now, unless you're David Blaine or a Himalayan yoga master, that's impossible."

"What's the list for?"

She shrugged. "Oh, just some hunches of mine, sort of anything that's off the charts," she explained with a quick grin. "It's kind of a purgatory before you graduate to the Wall of Weird."

Hudson made a face but didn't say anything. She was on the Wall of Weird herself, more than anyone else, and didn't consider it much of a reason to celebrate. She began reading the list, stopping when she noticed Jake's name.

"You have a full file on Jake?"

Chloe nodded as she clicked on the file. "Well, I started suspecting a while ago that he had amphibious abilities due to the meteor rock exposure."

"You don't think you might be stretching with this one, Chloe?" Hudson leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean, I don't think Jake is the mysterious one. Don't you think it's a little strange? A rifle-wielding commando shows up right when Lana is getting attacked?"

Her friend smiled up at her. "Well, if you want to help track down the enigmatic vigilante, I would be willing to explore the Jake angle. After all, it's been a while since I've seen the name H.C. Kent in bold type face on the pages of the Torch."

Hudson contemplated the offer. So much had happened since the last school year that it seemed kind of childish to allow past grievances to keep her from working on the paper any longer. Besides, Chloe felt that their friendship was ending, and what better way to mend the rift between them than to begin working on stories together again?

"Look, H.C.," Chloe began, apparently taking Hudson's silence as a refusal. "I could say that I'm swamped with the Daily Planet column, but the truth is it would just be really nice to have you back."

"In that case, I accept." Hudson gave her a smart salute. "What's my first assignment, Chief?"

Rolling her eyes, Chloe handed her a file folder. She opened it to discover pictures and school information on Jake.

"You can write the human interest story on Jake. Gather together any tidbits you can get from classmates. From, uh, what I gather, he spoke to Lana the afternoon before the attack. So maybe she knows something?"

Hudson nodded. "She should be in the computer lab this period. I'll see if I can catch her."

"Great!" Chloe turned back to her computer. "Meanwhile, I'm going to contact my source at the morgue and see if there is any information from Jake's autopsy."

Shaking her head at her friend's gruesome task, Hudson slipped her backpack over her shoulder and headed back into the hallway. She stopped beside her locker to switch out some of her books, thinking over her discussion with Chloe and the trepidation she had over Jake's death. On the one hand, if someone hadn't shot him, then Lana would be dead, so that made the shooter a hero. On the other, the meteor rock labeled "FREAK" left beside Jake's body meant that there was intent behind the killing that had nothing to do with saving Lana's life. And that was what niggled in the back of Hudson's mind, no matter how pleased she was that Lana was safe. She needed to get to the bottom of who shot Jake, and why.

Slamming the locker door shut when done, Hudson turned and made her way through the crowd to the computer lab.

Lana was sitting in the back, away from the five other students that were huddled together, occasionally throwing glances her way. It was obvious they were discussing the events of the night before and Jake's attack on her. Having been the subject of more than a few of Chloe's stories, Hudson knew from experience that having your trials and tribulations plastered across the front of the paper for all to see wasn't easy to deal with. In all, she and Lana probably held the record for being featured the most on the front page of the Torch.

"Hey, Lana," she greeted quietly as she slipped into the chair beside her. "Feeling any better?"

"Tired." Lana gave her a weary smile. "I wish this day would end. I can't decide if I'm more fed up with the questions or the furtive glances in my direction."

Hudson bit her lip. "Oh. Well, then you probably don't want to see me." She took a breath at Lana's look and added, "I'm doing a story on Jake for the Torch."

Lana nodded in resignation. "That's great, Hudson. What do you want to know?"

Pulling out her folder and a piece of paper, Hudson grabbed a nearby abandoned pen and began, "Well, you told the police he had a friend with him when he approached you, and I was wondering if you knew who it was?"

"Van McNulty. You know, the quiet guy, kind of cute, wears a lot of camouflage."

"Oh, right." Hudson wrote his name down, brow creasing as she processed this information. "Van McNulty. Hmmm."

From what she knew of their reclusive classmate, the profile fit of rifle-wielding commando fit. She remembered seeing him at the fair grounds two years ago, where he had won a stuffed animal for every girl that wanted one in the duck shoot booth. Lex had been with her at the time, and commented that accuracy like that at such a young age was both impressive and dangerous. No kid should be that comfortable with a gun in his hands. She'd teased that maybe she should start wearing a bullet proof vest to school. Though Lex hadn't believed such prudence to be necessary, he did remark that the Army recruiters were likely salivating over the guy.

And Lana was right; he wore a lot of camouflage.

Still, those reasons weren't quite enough to convict him of Jake's murder just yet. Especially, when just about every male in Kansas had camouflage in their wardrobe. Minus the Luthors, of course.

"Why are you interested in Van?" Lana asked, glancing down at her folder.

Hudson shook her head. "No reason. Just …curious about something."

"Hey, so we can rule out the Himalayan yoga masters," Chloe called out from the doorway as she breezed into the computer lab. She moved over to Lana and Hudson, pushing her way between them to drop a folder onto the desk and flip it open. "Check out what my connection at the coroner's office just faxed over to me."

She laid out the printed photos before them from Jake's autopsy, each one clearly showing what appeared to be small slits behind his ears. "You're not gonna see any of this in Jake's official autopsy report." She stabbed a finger at one of the pictures and gave a visible shudder. "Believe it or not, they're _gills_."

"That's disgusting," Lana uttered, her shudder mimicking Chloe's.

Hudson made a face as she continued to look over the pictures. "Personally, I find the gaping bullet wound more disturbing."

_Who could actually shoot another person? _She wondered_. Wouldn't their conscience simply tear them apart to take away someone's life like that?_

"Okay, if that shooter hadn't shown up when he did, I'd be dead," Lana pointed out, flashing a quick look in Hudson's direction. "So forgive me if I don't have more sympathy for the gill boy who tried to drown me."

"Jake was exposed to the meteor rocks," Hudson replied quietly, fixing Lana pointedly with her gaze. "He didn't ask for them."

Lana appeared perturbed and unwilling to discuss it. "No, just like Greg Arkin didn't ask to become a bug boy and Tina Greer didn't ask to become a bone morpher. Look, the fact is when they got their powers they went psycho, and tried to kill me."

Sighing, Hudson dropped her gaze to her fingers. She kept waiting for that moment when Lana would turn her anger on her, blame her for bringing the rocks here in the first place and it really was her fault that all of these people had developed these abilities. They'd been down that road briefly when Lana learned the truth about her the year before. Though she'd taken it all back, claiming that Hudson was her friend, and that made her different from all of the others, that her abilities didn't matter. If the friendship between them had never developed, and Hudson had exhibited her abilities in front of Lana, she had no doubt her reaction would be no different to her as it was to discovering Jake's apparent mutation. And just maybe, Lana was experiencing a change of heart.

"Chloe's been attacked by more of these people than me," Lana added at Hudson's continued silence. She glanced up at the blonde who was remaining uncharacteristically silent. "You remember Justin Gaines and Sean Kelvin?"

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, one tried to psychically impale me with farm implements and the other just wanted my body heat. Thanks for the memories."

"I'm just saying a shot in the head is a little more extreme," Hudson muttered.

"What about all the times that you've saved us from these people, Hudson?

What makes you so different from this shooter?" Lana asked, the expression in her gaze challenging.

"I've never intentionally killed anyone, Lana," Hudson replied. "I haven't been wandering around, leaving glowing green meteor rocks for the police to find with the word FREAK written on them."

"So that justifies your actions, then? Just because you don't see them any differently from anyone else. But if they end up in the hospital from the injuries you cause or dead, it's okay because you didn't target them as freaks?"

Hudson glared at Lana, her anger growing. Lana was using everything she knew about her and her abilities against her, and she knew it. And, of course, Chloe seemed to be eating the argument up between them.

"I've never meant to hurt anyone, Lana. I've only tried protecting everyone."

"Spoken like a true vigilante." Lana stood, grabbed her books and turned to leave the computer lab.

* * *

"I'm sure she didn't mean it, H.C.," Chloe commented softly when the silence in the Torch office apparently became too much for her. She turned in her chair to face Hudson. "She's just upset. It happens after being attacked so many times by meteor freaks. Buffy and the citizens of Sunnydale have nothing on us Smallville peeps, I tell ya."

Hudson forced a smile at her friend's comment. "I know she didn't mean it. It just… kind of hurt is all. It's not like I've ever had much choice in the matter. I mean you can either stand around and watch the people you love get hurt, or you can do something about it. And I hate that there isn't an easier way."

"Well, I for one am glad to have both you and your heroic tendencies around. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way." She turned back to her computer, clicking on her email and growing silent as she perused the contents.

Hudson doodled on the notebook in front of her, partially disturbed to realize that the majority of her doodling ended in the word FREAK. She scribbled those out and concentrated on something much more pleasing:

_Hudson Clark Luthor_

She always liked the sound of that, and she already had their wedding completely pictured in her mind's eye. Well, at least until she'd gathered up the courage to tell Lex the truth, and now she really wasn't certain he'd ever want to marry her, even under threat of torture. She had nightmares of him asking "_But Hudson, what would the children look like_!" and refusing to acknowledge the fact that future Luthors could trace their family tree a long time ago into galaxy far, far away. The entire situation should be hilarious. Except that it wasn't. And it wasn't like she had any After-School Specials to turn to for source material on how to handle it, either.

"Earth to Hudson Kent."

Hudson blinked at the voice and glanced over to see Chloe watching her with an amused expression. "Huh?"

"Wow. You were really out there. What were you thinking about, as if I couldn't guess?" She grinned.

"Nothing, School work."

"Yeah. Sure. That's if 'school work' is the code word for 'sexy, bald billionaires' nowadays."

Hudson felt her face warm at the teasing.

"Speaking of, I would think you wouldn't leave his side after everything that happened this summer." Chloe's brow furrowed as she stared over at Hudson. "That you'd be stuck to him like Lana on pink."

Rolling her eyes at Chloe's comment, she told her, "We just… we're taking things slowly. We still have a lot of issues to resolve between us before we can go back to what we used to have, Chloe. And that's if we can ever go back."

"Oh, I know all about 'issues'." Chloe waved a hand in dismissal. "Anyway, the reason I was trying to get your attention is my contact the sheriff's office just emailed me some information you might find interesting. Remember the rock that was tossed next to Jake's body with the word 'FREAK' written on it? It wasn't the first one the police found."

She pointed toward the monitor and waited for Hudson to join her. On the screen was the picture of a man. "Meet Leonard Wallace, a local mechanic gunned down two weeks ago. Someone put a similar rock next to his body."

"Why do you think he was killed?"

"I can't be sure about that, but last month when my VW Bug was in the shop, I swear I saw his arm reach for a wrench three-feet under my car. I started a file on him just in case he had some sort of stretching abilities. But unlike Jake, Wallace never went psycho."

Hudson frowned, thinking that over. "So Lana's mystery hero isn't out to save anyone, he's hunting them."

"Smallville's own version of a hate crime." Chloe sighed. "But why?"

"Revenge."

Hudson and Chloe looked up at the voice to find Lana standing in the doorway, books cradled in her arms.

"I was thinking over our conversation, H.C.," she explained as she stepped into the office. "And then I remembered something. Last year, Van's father was murdered. He was a Marine recruiter. Apparently, he turned down an application to join up by a young man who had a history of mental illness. I remember reading the article in the paper because a weapon was never discovered. A questionable witness stated that the young man's hand turned into a knife, and he stabbed Van's father through the chest ten times."

"Wait. I think I remember this… "Chloe typed some information into the Google search engine and pulled up an article on the case. "Yeah, it happened at the recruiting station in Metropolis, which is why it was never big news here. There's the guy – Stan Hall. He was sent to Belle Reve where he hung himself."

Hudson sighed. "Van never had the chance to get his revenge on Stan."

"Yeah." Chloe nodded. "So he decides to go Terminator on the rest."

"Van's fighting his own personal war." Hudson looked over at Lana and offered a grateful smile. "Thank you for mentioning this."

Lana nodded and moved closer, watching Chloe. "Ummm, Chloe? Do you think I could talk to Hudson alone for a moment?"

Chloe looked up at Hudson who gave her a quick nod and Chloe smiled. "Sure. I'm going to see what information I can find on Stan Hall, anyway."

Turning off her computer, she stood and gathered her research together, shoving it into her bag and slipping it over her shoulder. "See you guys later. And hey, H.C.? Don't forget about the party Friday night."

"I won't." She waved to her friend before returning her attention to Lana.

"I'm sorry about what I said in the computer lab, Hudson," Lana began, setting her books down and leaning against the desk. "It just… last night really scared me. I think I've become so used to you being there to protect me that I never thought there could be a time that you weren't. And no matter what Van might be out there doing, he still saved my life."

"I know. And I'm grateful for that reason." Hudson sat on the edge of the desk beside her. "But he did it for the wrong reasons, Lana. He would have killed Jake, had you been there or not, just because of what Jake is. And I… I have to stop him, because I'm the reason that Jake had gills. I'm the reason that Stan Hall could become a weapon. I'm responsible for Sean Kelvin and Justin Gaines and "

"No, you're not." Lana placed her hand over Hudson's and squeezed gently. "You can't take on the guilt for what these people decide to do. Remember Kyle Tippet? He was a good person. Maybe… it's just some people can handle acquiring that kind of power, and others can't. It has nothing to do with you or the meteor rocks. It has to do with their own nature."

"But they'd never have to fight off such temptations if the meteor rocks hadn't given them those abilities, Lana."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "But who's to say Tina Greer wouldn't have found a way to steal money and kill her mother in some other manner? Sean Kelvin had always been a dick, as long as I knew him, and was responsible for date raping two of the girl's on the cheerleading squad. You see? Just because the meteor rocks gave them the power doesn't mean they had to use it."

"I don't know… "

"Look at you. You're the most powerful person on this planet – no, seriously, Hudson. Don't interrupt. You're super strong, super fast and invulnerable. Your eyes can see through things and set them on fire! And yet, you use those abilities to help people, to do the right thing – "

"Like any good vigilante."

Lana's face fell. "I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it. You know I didn't mean it, right?"

Hudson did know that, but it didn't mean that Lana's accusation didn't strike a chord within her. The past summer proved to her exactly what she was capable of, and if she could hurt people and take things with so little regard for anyone around her, who was to say that couldn't carry over into her desire to help others? What if the only reason she did it was for the attention, some selfish desire to be noticed for her abilities even if she couldn't flaunt the fact that she had them? What if, one day, she found herself enjoying the fight? It wasn't that far of a stretch.

"Hudson – "

"I know," she assured Lana quickly, forcing a smile. "I won't deny that what you said is causing me to think about things, and that's good because it's highly possible that what I do is walk a fine line. I don't ever want to find myself taking advantage of that."

"You won't." Lana leaned over and hugged her quickly. "So, we okay?"

Nodding, Hudson slid off of the desk and grabbed her backpack. "Are you up for a little investigation? I'd like to make certain Van doesn't have the chance to hurt anyone else, if he is indeed our guy."

"Sure." Lana picked up her books. "I just need to drop these off at home, and then we can go wherever you want."

* * *

"I'm not dressed for this," Lana commented as she followed Hudson through the dense foliage. "I just thought I'd mention that the next time you want to take me on a hike through the Kansas woodlands, warn me to wear proper shoes."

"Sorry." Hudson glanced back at her friend, moving a branch out of the way for her. "But Van used to come to a cabin out here with his father, and I'm hoping there might be some clues to give the police that will help track him down. It'll just take a minute."

Lana rolled her eyes. "Sure. That's what you said when we broke into his locker. And his car, and his house…"

"Jake was killed by a hunting rifle," she pointed out.

"Hudson, this is Kansas. Every male over the age of sixteen has one of those hanging in the back window of his pickup. I should know. I dated one of them."

Smiling, Hudson asked, "How is Whitney?"

"I think he's actually getting a little homesick," Lana replied, falling into Hudson as she tripped on a rock. She smiled her thanks as Hudson helped her back into step, and continued, "He's been sending me these long emails lately, being overly-friendly and reminiscent. I think his girlfriend dumped him and he won't admit it."

Hudson laughed. "And what have you replied?"

"That I'm far too busy to strike up a conversation with him right now and maybe the next time he's back in town, we can get together."

"Do you miss him?"

She titled her head slightly as she considered the question. "I guess lately I've had my mind on too many other things to think about it." She looked over at Hudson. "What about you? How're things with Lex, now that he knows?"

"Not too great." She flashed a small smile. "He's still really angry at me. He came over to talk to my parents, though, so I guess that's a start."

"Give him time, Hudson. If you recall, I wasn't exactly all that forgiving when I first learned the truth, and you and I had no where near the history that you and Lex do."

"I know. I just… miss him, I guess. It seems unfair that he was given back to me, only for me to push him away again." She made a face as she thought about it and then glanced ahead, eyes widening as she spotted the cabin they were looking for. "There! I told you we'd find it."

Snorting indelicately in response, Lana followed her down the tiny trail that led to the old cabin ahead of them. As they neared it, they realized that it had certainly seen better days. The roof needed repairing, one of the windows was cracked, and the porch seemed to be falling in on itself. It took barely a twist of the knob for Hudson to get the door open, and inside the floor and furniture were covered in a fine layer of dust.

"This place could seriously use a woman's touch," Lana remarked before sneezing. "Okay. My hay fever is taking off. Let's go. There's nothing here anyway. Well, aside from dust mites and probably a few rats the size of small dogs."

"But he was really close with his dad, Lana."

Lana sighed and reached out for her friend's hand, attempting to tug her toward the door. "The last time I checked, there's nothing wrong with a little father-son bonding."

Not ready to give up just yet, Hudson focused her gaze on the outer walls of the cabin, seeing through to the other side. She found nothing until she hit the fourth wall, behind which a locked door hid a small room packed with guns and ammunition. Switching back to normal vision, Hudson moved over to the door, reaching out to snap the lock apart and open it.

"There's a serious arsenal in here, Lana," she told her, stepping inside.

"It's a hunting cabin," her friend pointed out.

Hudson pulled out her flashlight and flicked it on, moving it over the room as Lana joined her. There were at least a dozen rifles and shotguns leaning up against the far wall, next to stacks of boxes of ammunition. On the wall beside it, painted in bright green was the word FREAKS, beneath which a group of profiles were posted, matching that Hudson remembered seeing in Chloe's file on Jake. She stopped on the first profile, which was of Leonard Wallace, the mechanic gunned down over two week's ago and, apparently, Van's first victim. Beside it, Jake's profile was nailed to the wall. Both had large green X's crossed over them. Hudson moved the light to the right and stopped, her heart pounding suddenly in her chest.

"Oh my god, Hudson," Lana breathed in shock beside her.

This profile was on Lex, and it too was crossed out with a large green X.

"Lana." Hudson shoved the flashlight into her hand and started for the door. "Call the sheriff."

Before her friend could reply, Hudson burst into superspeed from the cabin, heading for Metropolis. The landscape around her blurred as she ran, faster than ever before, silently praying that she would reach Lex in time. She had no idea how much of a start Van had ahead of her, if this were something he was planning on doing later in the day or if she might already be too late. God, what if she got there and Lex was shot, lying there, surrounded by paramedics, and she was too late and everything was ruined –

No. She wouldn't be too late. Not this time.

She sped across the interchange of I-70 and I-35, weaving between cars along the ramp into downtown Metropolis. Luthorcorp was located at the corner of Main and Grand, the gleaming towers rising up out of a neighborhood filled with skyscrapers, boutiques, theatres and expensive cafés. Everything happened instantaneously - just as Hudson spied Lex in the parking lot, preparing to open the door to his car, she heard the crack of the rifle and put on an extra burst of speed.

"Lex, get down!"

Hudson shouted as she threw herself toward him, catching one of the coming bullets in her hand. She slowed herself just as she reached him, knowing if she hit him too hard, she could smash him into the asphalt. Gently, she grabbed Lex and pushed him to the ground, out of the way of the next bullet as it exploded through the window of his Porsche.

"Hudson?" Lex gasped under her in shock.

She looked up to see Luthorcorp security swarming out of the building and she hauled Lex to his feet, pushing him forward. "Someone's trying to kill him! Get him inside! Go!" She told them before turning to look for Van.

There, she saw him, peering through the railing of the overpass a few hundred yards ahead. Hudson rolled the bullet between her fingers as she watched him before slipping the evidence into her jeans pocket and speeding toward the top of the overpass. She reached Van just as he was turning to look for her, and tackled him to the ground to wrestle the rifle from his hands. Unfortunately, moments after doing so, the familiar sensation of Kryptonite poisoning swept over her. She curled in on herself, forgetting about Van as she looked around for the source, only to find a couple of meteor rocks, just like the one found by Jake's body, lying on the cement beside her.

Van rolled away from her and jumped to his feet as he continued to stare down at Hudson. "You're one of them," he accused. "I saw you catch that slug. It was in your hand. What are you, some kind of bulletproof freak?"

_Actually, I'm an alien and the reason all of the other freaks exist_, Hudson thought briefly through her pain, wondering if such an admission would make things any better. For some reason, she didn't believe it would really matter much.

He was still watching her, silent for a moment, as if contemplating her sudden pain. His gaze flickered over to the rocks, and he grinned as he tapped her with the toe of his foot, nudging her over on to her back. Even his little touch echoed pain throughout her body, sending wave after wave of spasms down her spine.

"What's wrong, Hudson?" Van asked as he knelt beside her and picked up one of the rocks. "Does this stuff make you sick or something?"

Hudson was unable to suppress a groan of pain as he brought the rock closer to her. Her blood was on fire, she was certain of it, and her bones were melting, too. And she found herself thinking that if she could just get those damn rocks out of the way, she'd make certain Van knew exactly what this felt like, one way or another. As it was, she couldn't even find the strength to call him a few choice names.

"Look at you." Van chuckled and Hudson wondered if maybe he was the type of kid who used to set fire to bugs with his microscope, cackling gleefully as the wisps of smoke filtered upwards around the glass. "How about a nice big bite of meteor rock?" He asked, waving it over her face. "How's that feel?"

Sadist.

Hudson whimpered softly, sudden anger filling her at this one weakness she couldn't escape. What's the point of being invulnerable if all one has to do is whip out a piece of Kryptonite to cripple you?

The pain intensified as Van dropped the rock against her chest and jumped to his feet. He flashed her one quick glance before grabbing his back pack and running off. Hudson heard cars moving down the street past her, Van's fading footsteps, and then she was alone with the meteor rocks and her own ragged breathing. Gathering up the last ounces of strength she had reserved within her, she rolled over, the rock sliding from her chest to the cement. Once it was no longer touching her, the pain diminished slightly. It was just enough to give her a little more vigor needed to move away.

Slowly, painfully, she crawled along the sidewalk, one excruciating inch at a time. She couldn't decide if she was pleased or unpleased that it wasn't rush hour and the street was empty. On the one hand, there would be too many questions to answer; on the other, it would have been nice to have had a little help.

Once cleared far enough away from the rocks for the pain to finally cease, Hudson climbed to her feet and leaned against the railing to catch her breath. She glared at the rocks where they lay, taunting her, mocking her inability to beat them. Of course, leaving them there wasn't possible because anyone could come along and pick them up and weren't there enough people running around harmed by their affects? Being that she unable to do anything about the rocks herself, Hudson wasn't certain how to dispose of them. Unless…

Lex! Of course, now that he knew all about her, he could come out and collect the meteor rocks and take care of them for her. Having Lex and Lana as confidants helped Hudson to understand why Buffy made such an unbeatable vampire slayer with her family and friends around to offer help. She seriously doubted it would be possible to make it through life as an alien without at least a few people knowing her secret, offering their assistance when needed.

Decision made, Hudson hurried back to Luthorcorp. As she entered the lobby, she was immediately swarmed by security personnel demanding to see her identification. She dutifully handed over her driver's license as she spied Lex hovering near the stairs, surrounded by bodyguards.

"I'm just here to see if Lex is all right," Hudson told the man in front of her, moving to skirt past him.

"I don't think so, Miss." He placed his hand on her shoulder, halting her progress and glaring down at her from an unbelievable height of six and a half feet.

Hudson made a face at him, then craned her head over his shoulder and called out, "Lex! You wanna get your goons away from me?"

"It's all right. Let her through," Lex told the guards as he waved her over to him.

Snatching her license back from the man beside her, she pocketed it in her jacket and hurried down the steps to join Lex, who wore a familiar expression caught between amusement and aggravation. Placing his hand against her back, he led her away from curious ears to a quiet alcove near the elevators.

"Hudson, how did you know that someone was going to try to kill me?" He demanded.

"It's the same person who shot Lana's attacker," she replied, sitting down on one of the drab gray chairs. It didn't have any arm rests, so she just slumped back against it, still suffering from the effects of the Kryptonite.

Lex frowned. "What would he want with me?"

She chewed on her lower lip, realizing that they still hadn't had the chance to sit and talk about everything regarding her abilities and the meteor shower, or anything else of consequence. "The answer to that could take a while, Lex. How much time do you have?"

"Not much. My father will be back from his meeting soon." He ran a hand over his scalp impatiently, gaze flickering around the lobby and back to her. "Hudson, what's going on?"

"Okay, short version." She sighed and leaned forward, dropping her voice to a whisper. "My coming here caused the meteor shower."

She let that sink in for a moment, in case Lex wanted to rail at her about his hair loss. He only stared at her though, saying nothing, obviously having already worked this out in his mind.

"The meteors have been known to… well, cause mutations in some things." When Lex's brow furrowed, she added, "Like remember how Jeff was able to become invisible to attack you? He did that with some roses that had been altered by the meteor rocks. There have… been a lot of others, mostly people, affected. Anyway, Van is hunting down those he thinks have developed these different abilities.

"Lex, he had a hit list. I found it in his cabin, and you're on it."

"I don't have any special abilities, Hudson," he pointed out. "Beyond playing the market and falling for the wrong women."

Hudson winced at his comment and looked away. "Well, he's serious about what he's doing, Lex."

She felt his gaze on her, and then his fingers were under her chin, bringing her eyes back to his. "I wasn't including you in that comment. I hope you know that."

"Are you certain? I mean, this stuff – all of it is my fault."

Lex crouched down in front of her. "Unless you built your own spacecraft and set course for Earth by choice, Hudson, I don't see how you could possibly take on the guilt over everything that has happened."

"There's more."

"More?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Van is carrying a bag of meteor rocks – Kryptonite, around with him. They… they make me very sick when I'm near them. Don't ask me why – I can't explain it because I don't understand it. But when I saw him just now, some of the rocks fell out and he got away because I couldn't stop him."

"Are you all right?" Lex asked, frowning as his gaze moved over her.

Hudson nodded, warmed by his concern. "I am now. But, I wondered if you couldn't go up to the overpass and get the rocks? I'd hate for them to hurt anybody else."

"I'll send someone – "

"Lex. You have to do it yourself." _Didn't he understand that_?

Lex appeared ready to argue for a moment, but finally seemed to agree. "I should still have some time before my father gets back." He looked at his watch briefly. "What about you? Would you like to hang around a while? I can give you a ride back to Smallville."

"I'd like that," she began, knowing they needed a chance to talk. "Unfortunately, I need to get back now, and see what I can do to stop Van's next attack."

"Hudson, you're not the police, you know."

"I know." She stood and gave him a small smile. "And that's why I'm the only one who can stop him."

* * *

She paced behind Chloe, flashing an impatient look as her friend typed on the computer and told her:

"Think about it, H.C. Lex survived the meteor shower, a near-fatal car accident, and a plane crash. Even _he_ doesn't have enough money to afford a guardian angel with that much clout. Check this out."

Stopping, Hudson leaned over and glanced at the profile she pulled up on the monitor. Anger swept through her at the familiar image, the same one that was nailed to the wall of the McNultys' cabin. If not for this file, for all of these files, she wouldn't have had to worry about Lex being a target for Van's personal war. The bullet she caught was still tucked safely in her jeans, the same bullet that would have pierced Lex's skull, tore through his brain, and ripped the life right out of him. It didn't matter how many near-fatal accidents he had survived - if Hudson hadn't made it there in time, if she'd been one second behind, she would have lost him. Lex would have died, and in the end, it would have been her fault.

"Lex's medical records show that he has a white blood cell count that is off the charts," Chloe continued. "I mean, it's more than enough to raise an eyebrow."

"You've been keeping a file on Lex, too. Chloe, didn't you learn your lesson about keeping your secret files?"

"They're my own private notes, H.C.," Chloe argued. "Since when is curiosity a crime?"

"Since someone took your database and turned it into a personal hit list!" Hudson snapped at her, turning away to pace again. "Van had a printout of the same file on his bulletin board. There was a big green X through it, just like Jake's and Leonard's. If I hadn't found it in time… " She trailed off.

Chloe grew silent, eyes widening as she stared at her screen in shock. "Van helped network half these computers. He must've cracked my password… Oh, God, H.C. This is all my fault." She turned in her seat to meet Hudson's gaze. "I can't imagine what you… what you must be feeling right now. Hudson, I almost got Lex killed!"

Sighing, Hudson shook her head and gave her friend a sympathetic glance. "Chloe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blame you. Lex is all right. And it's not like you pulled the trigger."

"No." She shook her head and turned back to face the monitor. "I just loaded the gun and pointed it in the right direction."

Hudson didn't know how to reply to that, since she was the one who had provided the gun in the first place. "Look, the only blame we should be placing anywhere is on Van." Knowing her pacing wasn't helping the situation, she pulled up a chair to sit beside Chloe. "Lex is fine and, hopefully, with the help of your list, we can protect the others before Van can hurt them."

"Anything I can do to make up for this." Chloe turned and immediately hit the print button on the list of names. "I should probably delete the files."

"I suppose. Then again, the damage has already been done. Maybe you should just be more careful about keeping them on such a public computer."

Chloe nodded. "You're right. From now on, all of my files stay on the computer at home." She handed the print out to Hudson, pallor still slightly pale. "Please tell Lex how sorry I am. I can't imagine – "

"Don't worry, Chloe." She smiled as she folded the list and slipped it into her pocket. "Knowing Lex, he's going to want to see his file for curiosity's sake."

"He's totally welcome to it!"

Nodding, Hudson picked up her backpack. "I need to go find Sheriff Adams. Hopefully, she'll listen to me about the list."

"Wait. Let me track her down for you."

Chloe pulled out her cell phone, glancing through the call list to find the number she needed. She hit the button and waited a moment before speaking, "Jeremy? It's Chloe… Hey. What's up? ... Cool. Look, I need to find Sheriff Adams. I have some information for her. Is she on patrol? ... Sure, I'll hang on…" She glanced up at Hudson and smiled. "Jeremy works in dispatch. He's calling her on the radio to find out where she – Yeah, I'm here… The Talon? ... Great! Thanks, hon!"

She tossed the phone to the desk. "She's on her way to the Talon for her favorite cappuccino."

"Thanks, Chloe."

Hudson headed out of the office and down the hall toward the back doors to the building. Once out of view, she broke into super speed toward downtown Smallville. Even if the sheriff didn't believe in the affects of the meteor rocks of Van's reasoning behind the murders, she couldn't deny the connection between Chloe's files with the profiles in the cabin. And, with the list of names, the police would be able to provide protection for those Van hadn't yet targeted.

Reaching the Talon only seconds after the phone call had ended, Hudson rand into the sheriff on her way out the door.

"Sheriff Adams, have you found any information on Van's whereabouts yet?" She queried as she pulled the paper from her pocket.

The tiny woman shook her head. "No. We're keeping an eye out, but there's no reason to think he's come back to Smallville."

"I think there is." She shook the list open and held it out to her. "Take a look at this."

Sighing in obvious annoyance, Sheriff Adams took the print out and glanced over it. "What is this?"

"One of the people on this list will be Van's next target."

"Are we in the psychic business now, Miss Kent?"

Hudson shook her head. "No. It's not… Just look at the first three names."

Pursing her lips, the sheriff frowned at her a moment before looking down and reading off, "Leonard Wallace, Jake Pollen, and Alexander Luthor." Her frown deepened. "Where'd you get this?"

"From a friend of mine who believes that these people are linked to a certain…" Hudson paused, wondering how to mention the meteor rocks in a way that wouldn't have the sheriff sending her in for a psyche evaluation. "Ummm… phenomenon in Smallville."

"A phenomenon, huh?" The sheriff grinned in amusement. "That's a little out of my jurisdiction."

"Well, you don't have to believe it's true," Hudson replied impatiently. "But Van McNulty does, and these people are in a lot of danger."

Shrugging, the sheriff tucked the list into her pocket and pushed against the door to leave. "It can't hurt to be cautious," she replied before heading outside.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Hudson realized all she could do now was wait, and hope that the other people on the list were provided with the protection they needed.

* * *

Lex stared at the screen of his monitor, watching as the computer simulation of his Porsche hitting Hudson before plunging into the river below played over and over again. Now that he knew for a certainty that he'd actually hit her, the scene was much clearer in his memory. He could see the look of shock and fear in her eyes as the car careened toward her, how their gazes had locked for just the briefest of seconds before everything went black. He remembered his last thought, his remorse at taking her life along with his own, and his self-hatred at that same moment.

And then he woke up, staring into her eyes again, at the halo of light that surrounded her dark hair, and his life had never been the same.

All this time, he believed his flight over Smallville had occurred during his death, that he'd been set free of the life he'd been born into. But now… now he wondered if maybe he had simply been dreaming. Hudson hadn't breathed life back into him; she'd merely awakened him from his sleep. It was entirely possible that Van McNulty was right – he was a freak. The meteor shower hadn't just stripped him of his hair; it had wiped out his asthma, and possibly built up his immune system and healing abilities far beyond that of any average human. His lungs may have repaired themselves on that riverbank without Hudson's help. How else does one explain his survival on a plane that crashed into the ocean? He had watched as the water rushed toward him, bursting through the window into the cockpit and then… everything went black. He woke up, pushing his way up through the water to the surface, swimming until he found the broken wing to climb on to.

That… wasn't normal. And Hudson hadn't been there to save him. So how else did one explain it?

"Lex?"

Breaking out of his thoughts, Lex glanced up to see Lana stepping into the study, a folder in her hand. He offered her a smile. "Lana, to what do I owe this late night visit?"

"I have the quarterly accounts for the Talon," she replied, walking up to the desk and holding the folder out to him. "I was on my way home and took the chance that you were still awake."

Lex nodded and opened the folder, glancing over the paperwork. "Looks good." He raised his gaze back to hers, and noted that she didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. "I heard about the other night. Are you all right?"

"Fine. Thanks."

Turning off his monitor, Lex stood and walked over to the bar. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, I'm good. Thank you." She paused. "Lex, I wanted to talk to you about Hudson. Now that you… well, now that you know the truth about her."

The scotch sloshed over the edge of the glass as Lex's hand jumped at Lana's words. He set the decanter down with a loud slam and spun around to face her, shock reverberating through him. "_You_ know?" He demanded.

Lana's eyes widened slightly and her expression took on a sympathetic light. "She didn't tell you."

The familiar feeling of betrayal tugged at his heart. Lex clenched his fists and turned back to the bar, needing a drink more than ever. "How many others are included in Hudson's Secret Alien Society? Am I the last to know in all of Kansas?"

"Lex, that isn't fair," Lana answered him quietly. "I forced Hudson into telling me – she didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Is that so?" Lex faced her with an angry smile, his glass clutched tightly in his hand. "I broke up with her, Lana, hoping she'd be honest with me. But even that wasn't enough. What did you do? Threaten not to let her play in your reindeer games?"

Lana's face flushed with a thread of anger at his taunting. "Actually, I discovered her ship. I was going to turn it in to the police."

"Her _ship_?"

She nodded. "Just down the road from here, in fact."

Lex didn't know if he should laugh or cry.

"Look, Lex." She sat down in the chair and leaned forward to hold his gaze. "I know some of what you're feeling. I've known Hudson for a long time, even though we didn't become close until our freshman year. But, still, I was so… angry when she told me her secret. I couldn't believe she could keep something like that from me, and all of the time still claim to be my friend. And then, well, I blamed her for my parents' deaths. It was petty and ugly of me to do, because she already carries that guilt around with her, but I said it anyway, just to hurt her. Just to show her how much I hurt."

Letting out a breath, Lex downed the scotch and set it aside. "It's not the same, Lana. Hell, I've suspected; I've practically begged her for the truth and she wasn't willing to give it to me until she thought I was dead."

"That's not true," Lana argued. "She wanted to tell you sooner. Lex, she's wanted to tell you for so long. And when you broke it off with her, she planned on telling you then. She told me so."

Lex glanced over at her. "Well, if you haven't noticed, she didn't."

"No, she didn't, because she saw you with Helen." Lana shrugged and offered a small smile. "People don't act rationally when they're hurt."

"Are you implying that I'm being irrational as well?" Lex glared at her before stalking over to the fireplace, feeling suddenly cold and bereft.

"Maybe." Lana watched him silently for the next few moments as he knelt beside the fire and prodded the wood with the fireplace poker.

"Lex, I found myself agreeing with her parents when it came to not telling you the truth." At his look, she hastily added, "Not because of you or your father or anything like that. I know you love Hudson. I know you'd never hurt her. But the truth is, no matter how vindicated you might feel in knowing the truth now? That's nothing compared to how scared you're going to be the moment Hudson's life is in your hands. I wake up every morning terrified that this will be the day I let something slip, that I won't carefully guard every word I speak, that I'll break the faith and trust Hudson has placed in my hands by allowing me into her world. I honestly wouldn't wish this kind of burden on anyone, Lex."

She paused to let that sink in before continuing, "You and I, we can't imagine what her parents have gone through in raising her and protecting her all of these years. Would you know automatically what to do with a child from another world, who couldn't even speak your language, who could lift your couch over their head? Mrs. Kent admitted to me once that having a child was the single most important thing they'd ever wanted, and Hudson was a gift handed to them at the moment she gave up ever being granted her wish. When something is that precious to someone, you can't blame them for wanting to protect it."

Lex sighed, his hand reaching behind his neck to rub at the tense muscles. "I understand why her parents guarded her secret so closely, Lana. I don't blame them. But I do blame Hudson. She made the decision to tell me the truth – a decision she could have made two years ago. Time doesn't matter – "

"But from Hudson's view it does, Lex. She'd never voluntarily shared her secret with anyone until me. And she had so much less to lose with me than she did you. What if you had reacted with horror or disgust? What do you think that would have done to her?" Lana scooted down the couch to be closer to Lex. She rested her elbows on her knees and told him, "Hudson's got a greater capacity to love and trust people inside of her than anyone I've ever met, and I know you see that, too."

Standing, Lex moved over to the chair across from her to sit down. He did see that; it was why he found himself comparing every other person he came across to his ideal, to Hudson. And it was why it hurt so much when she let him down. After all, if _she_ had the capacity to betray him, then that meant there was truly no one in this world that he could trust.

"Lex," Lana pressed on. "If there is anything that you have the right to blame Hudson for, it's loving you too much, and wanting to protect you. She knows, better than any of us, how dangerous her secret is. If the wrong people caught a hint of it, they'd do anything to get the information, and that includes hurting me and you. Knowing this, Hudson is going to be more desperate to protect you and keep you safe than ever before. And sometimes, even that won't be enough."

"It seems like you've thought about this quite a bit," he remarked, his gaze drifting back to the fire.

She nodded. "I have. I've… never felt comfortable speaking with the Kents about it because they're so matter-of-fact with it all. She's their daughter, and that's the end of it. And Hudson can't begin to understand how it feels because she's so used to being the protector, she can't shake it. And she can't seem to understand that I'm as responsible for protecting her as she ever will be for me and anyone else. It's scary, Lex."

Lex remained silent as he considered her words. Since the night Hudson gave him the truth, he'd been focused on her lies. He hadn't been able to shake the realization that the person he trusted most in this world had been deceiving him all along. He worried that maybe he didn't know her at all. Self-absorbed in his own anger and feelings, Lex had overlooked the fact that Hudson hadn't told him to make her life easier. If anything, it made it more difficult. Her honesty only gained her his animosity, her parents' disappointment and one more person who could ultimately lead to her destruction. When he looked at it in that light, he realized that it was an incredibly courageous choice for a seventeen-year old girl to make.

Glancing up at Lana, he asked, "Do you think we should develop a secret handshake or something?"

She smiled with obvious relief. "I think if we got caught by Hudson, she'd break our fingers."

Smiling at the image, he found himself commenting, "She's amazing, isn't she?"

Lana laughed and looked at him, pleased. "Oh, Lex, you don't know the half of it."

* * *

Jonathan grabbed a bale of hay from the back of the truck, glancing over at his daughter as she picked up two and tossed them like pillows to the ground. It would be too easy to take advantage of his daughter's abilities, to never have to work another day in his life because she could so easily take care of everything on the farm for them. Every morning, Jonathan woke up and thanked the powers that be that he'd been the one to discover Hudson the day of the meteor shower, and not someone who would have been more inclined to use her.

"I've searched everywhere, from here to Metropolis," Hudson told him, voice tinged with frustration. "It's like Van just up and disappeared."

"Well, H.C., he can't hide forever. Every police officer in the state's looking for him. They'll find him," he reassured.

"I suppose. I just hope he doesn't find his next target first."

She paused to grab a few more bails, teeth worrying her lower lip as if she was in deep thought. Jonathan figured the conversation was over and began counting the bales they'd set out, calculating how many he needed to take to the south pasture, and how many for the barn.

"Dad, do you think I'm like Van?"

His eyebrows rose at the question as he stopped to lean against the truck and regard his daughter. She eyed him nervously before tapping the hay bale at her feet with the toe of her boot.

"I think you know my answer to that question, honey," he replied with a soft smile. "The real question is do you think you're like Van?"

She sighed as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "It's just I've come into contact with a lot of Kryptonite-infected people, and it never ends with us being friends and shaking hands and having pie or anything. I gave Lana this whole tolerance speech and then she accused me of being a vigilante. And I find myself wondering if maybe she's right because… well, I always assumed the worst about them, too."

Jonathan turned back to his work, pulling another bale from the back of the truck. "For all we know there could be lots of people out there who have been infected who lead perfectly normal lives, H.C. When the meteors hit, they covered a very wide area."

"They're forced to live with their secret, just like me," she commented quietly.

"And they could be using their abilities for good, too," he pointed out as he slipped off his gloves and tucked them into his pocket. "I'm sure there are more than a few out there who look at what they can do as a gift, and not a burden or a weapon."

Hudson gave a typical teenage shrug in reply.

Smiling, he started toward the cab. "I'm gonna head back to the house and get cleaned up. Lunch should be ready soon."

If there was one thing that should put his daughter in a better mood, it would be the mention of food. Martha had baked a few more batches of cookies and he knew they could always count on an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie putting a smile on Hudson's face faster than anything else. Then again, his wife's cookies did that for just about everybody.

Just as he was reaching out to open the driver's side door, Hudson screamed out in pain behind him.

Jonathan whirled around to see her hit the ground. "Hudson? Hudson!"

Running over to kneel beside her, he reached out and gently rolled her onto her back, wincing as she cried out, whimpering and clutching her chest in pain.

"Dad... ah... Dad... "

He tugged her hands away, fear racing through him at the sight of the blood seeping through her shoulder in an apparent bullet wound.

But that was impossible! She couldn't be shot, she couldn't –

Kryptonite. The bastard knew about her affliction to Kryptonite, and he'd used it to make bullets.

His daughter was crying, curling in on herself, fingers folding into his jacket, pulling. He gathered her into his arms, whispering an apology when every movement caused her to cry out louder. "H.C., I've got you. Hang on."

Lifting her up, he quickly carried her over to the truck and laid her inside, silently reminding himself to be calm, to hurry, to not panic, to take care of his little girl. Jonathan raced to the cab and climbed in, starting the truck up.

"Hang on, honey," he called through the window. "I'm going to get us to the house."

It was the longest two minutes of his life. Every bump the truck hit caused her to scream and her cries weren't something he was used to hearing. Hudson was never supposed to be hurt; she was his invulnerable little girl. She could fall out of trees when she climbed them and never break her arm or skin her knee. She could be thrown from a dozen horses and go head to head with the meanest bull and pick herself up off the ground, dust her jeans off and go right back to what she was doing. She wasn't supposed to be hurting.

The gate out of the pasture was locked. Jonathan put the truck in park and jumped out to get it open when he saw Lex pull up in front of the house.

"Lex! Help me!" He shouted across the yard. Then, "Martha!"

Moving around to the bed of the truck, Jonathan reached in and tenderly scooped Hudson back into his arms. "Hold on, H.C. Just a little bit further."

Lex reached the fence as Jonathan moved out from behind the truck. His eyes flew open in surprise and incomprehension at the scene before him. "Mr. Kent? What happened?"

"She's been shot, Lex," Jonathan told him as he lifted Hudson over the fence. "Here, take her. Careful."

Hudson whimpered softly as Lex took her into his arms. "But, how? I thought she can't – "

"Kryptonite." Jonathan scrambled over the fence as Martha emerged from the kitchen door. "Martha! Get a knife and pliers! Sterilize them, quickly!"

She paused for only a moment, expression paling as she seemed to piece together what had happened before ducking back inside.

Jonathan moved to take Hudson from Lex, saw how the man was cradling her so carefully in his arms and decided better of it. Hudson's whimpers had died down slightly, her face pressed into his neck where every cry was muffled. If she felt better in Lex's arms, Jonathan didn't want to ruin that. Instead, he took the man's elbow and guided him quickly toward the house.

"It was McNulty, wasn't it?" Lex almost growled as he took the steps two at a time up the porch.

"Probably." Jonathan pulled the door open, and refrained from pointing out that he could just as easily blame Lex for it, since he now knew her secret and had shown up at such a convenient time.

But Lex's pallor had whitened considerably, and he was whispering softly to Hudson, reassuring her, talking to her. And Jonathan knew that even though the man was a Luthor, Lex couldn't possibly be capable of hurting his daughter.

"Jonathan! What happened?" Martha was at the stove, knife in hand, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"She's been shot. Lex just lay her down here, gently. "

Jonathan pulled off his jacket to lay behind Hudson's head but Lex was already on the ground, cradling her head in his lap, her blood spilling onto his expensive wool slacks.

"You're going to be all right, Angel," he whispered, brushing her hair back from her face as she continued to whimper in pain. "Shhhhh. Your parents and I are here. Everything will be okay."

"How's that coming, sweetheart?" Jonathan asked Martha, his voice steady and strong in the hopes of reassuring and calming her.

"I got it."

Reaching out, Jonathan tore Hudson's shirt open, ignoring the gasp from Lex as the bloody hole in her shoulder was revealed. Dark, swollen veins stretched out in every direction from the wound, curling down her arm, across her chest and up around her neck. She squirmed beneath his touch, crying out again, sobbing and choking from the anguish it was obviously causing her.

Noting that Lex's hands were shaking as he petted her, Jonathan sought to calm them both. "It's going to be okay, honey. It's okay. Hang in there, H.C. We're going to take care of you."

His wife was suddenly kneeling beside him, with bowl, dishtowel and implements in hand. "Oh, Jonathan! She's dying! The poison is spreading so fast!"

Lex sucked in a sharp breath at her words as Jonathan reached out for the knife. He had to do this quickly. He had to dig into his little girl's shoulder and get that poison out of there or they were going to lose her. And how was he supposed to purposely cause her more pain? He took a deep breath and caught Lex's gaze, nodding to him. Jaw clenching slightly, Lex placed his hands over Hudson's shoulders, pressing against them to hold her down.

"Okay, H.C., I'm going to… " He took a deep breath, unable to explain that he was going to push this knife into her body. "I'm going to get it out."

The moment the tip of the blade pressed into the wound, Hudson cried out and shook, attempting to dislodge if from her shoulder. Jonathan fought to stay in place as Lex moved slightly for better hold, his hands slipping down to grip her upper arms.

"Hudson," Jonathan told her. "You've gotta stay still, honey."

She whimpered in reply, head tossing back and forth in Lex's lap. Martha reached out to brush her fingers through her hair and calm her.

"Hold on, baby, hold on. Daddy's going to get it out for you," she whispered.

"Uhn!" Hudson jolted against their hold again, eyes flickering upwards to Lex. She gasped loudly, body stiffening, and then her eyes fluttered closed.

"She's not breathing!" Lex cried out.

Jonathan ignored the terror he plainly heard in Lex's words. He put the knife down and calmly indicated the pliers. "All right. Hand me those."

None of them seemed to breathe for the next few seconds as Jonathan reached into Hudson's wound with the pliers. He muttered to himself softly, hands shaking as he continued to probe deeper, unable to locate the bullet. Beneath him, Hudson lay still, too still, her skin paling with each passing moment, the green-hued veins of her wound growing darker and more foreboding. Beside him, Martha sniffled and shook, her fear palpable while Lex had become stoic and silent, hands clenched and unmoving against Hudson's arms.

"Jonathan, do you have it?" Martha pressed nervously beside him.

"Martha, it's in there so far," he told her, the hope within him beginning to vanish.

He was beginning to think he'd never find it, that it would continue to burrow its way into his daughter's body until it stole her away from them completely. And then he felt it, the unexpected clink against the edge of the pliers. He tried not to get too excited, forced himself to remain calm, work slowly.

"Wait a second. I think I got it." And he did. He felt it secured tightly between the mouth of the pliers and then slowly, carefully began withdrawing it.

"Hold on, Angel," Lex whispered above him. "Hold on, baby. He's got it."

Carefully, Jonathan pulled the glowing Kryptonite bullet from the wound in Hudson's chest. Blood dripped from the tip, the deep red and bright green forming some bizarre holiday ornament. Jonathan glared at it in disgust before tossing it into the bowl beside him. Martha quickly covered it with her dishtowel and jumped to her feet to head for the door. Nothing was more important than getting that poison far, far away from their daughter.

As it slammed shut behind her, Jonathan reached out to touch Hudson's pale cheek. "Hudson? Come on, honey. Don't give up on us now."

"Mr. Kent," Lex spoke softly, voice filled with awe as he pointed toward Hudson's shoulder where the veins were quickly disappearing. Moments later, the wound closed up, vanishing before their eyes.

Jonathan nodded. "Her body is healing itself. Now, we just have to give her a little time." He glanced up at Lex and gave him a weary smile. "She's strong, Lex. Our little girl is strong."

* * *

When she came to, the first thing she expected was blinding pain. After all, it was the last thing she remembered so it followed that she should be feeling that all over again. Fortunately, she just felt very, very tired. Worn out, beaten, sluggish, exhausted, shattered – she laid there for as long as possible, thinking up different words and phrases for how she felt at the moment.

And then the exhaustion faded away to be replaced with anger. It swept over her fast, consuming her every thought so that her physical state no longer mattered. That bastard had shot her! He used the Kryptonite against her and tried to kill her! And damn, but it had _hurt_.

Hudson jumped to her feet, shaking off the blanket that had been placed over her and looked around, slightly disconcerted. Beside her, Lex was resting against the kitchen island when, apparently disturbed by her movement, he opened his eyes to look up at her in surprise.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent!" He called out, climbing to his feet.

She stared at him. "Lex, what're you doing here?"

"Hey, H.C." Her dad entered the kitchen, relief apparent on his too-tired face. "How you feeling, sweetheart?"

"A little woozy," she admitted, glancing over at Lex again.

It was weird seeing him there after something like this. She liked it, but she just wasn't used to it. Self-consciously she grabbed at the tattered remains of her shirt, attempting to cover her bra, and Lex smiled at her.

"You need to lie down," Martha told her as she wrapped her in a hug. "Take it slowly."

Hudson sighed, wishing that it were so easy. "No, I need to find Van."

The look on her dad's face confirmed that he didn't agree with her. "H.C., listen, just because your wound is healed doesn't mean you don't need to rest."

"How can I rest knowing that Van's out there with a hit list in his hand?" She demanded, refusing to admit that she had the irrational desire in her head to smack him around a few times just for shooting her.

Moving past her parents and Lex, Hudson exited the kitchen, heading for the staircase.

"Hudson!" Her mom hurried after her. "This boy isn't like the others. He has _Kryptonite_ bullets."

"He already tried to kill you once, Angel." Apparently, Lex was on their side. Great, just what Hudson needed – another parent. "I'm not going to let you give him a second chance."

She sighed and started up the steps. "I know what I'm up against now."

"Hudson – " Her dad began but a knock on the door interrupted him.

Hudson took the chance to hurry up the steps and into her room, pulling off what was left of her t-shirt. She yanked open the dresser drawer and grabbed a clean one, quickly slipping it over her head. Moving past her closet, she pulled out her blue flannel shirt and slid her arms into it, buttoning as she turned to leave.

Only to find Lex blocking her way.

"Hudson, you can't seriously mean to go after him! Not after what happened!"

"Lex, I know this is hard for you to understand but… this is something I have to do."

"Why?" He demanded. "Because you blame yourself for the meteor shower? Because you blame yourself for the deaths that _he's_ been causing?"

She took a breath and cocked her head to the side, watching him. "Yes. Yes, that's it exactly. Stopping a thousand Van McNulty's won't begin to make up for the pain I've caused, Lex. And that's the honest truth. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Lex grabbed her arm as she tried to move past him. "I… Hudson, I thought you were dying down there. I can't lose you."

Hope flared within her at his words. _Were they really going to make it_?

"I know the feeling," she replied with a smile before leaning in to place a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth. "We'll talk later –"

"Hudson!"

She hurried down the steps, coming up short to find Sheriff Adams standing in the doorway. The woman looked up at her, frowning darkly as their eyes met.

"Well, rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated, Miss Kent."

Hudson's brow furrowed. "What do you mean _rumors of my death_?"

"Dispatch received a call that you'd been murdered."

Glancing at her parents as Lex walked up behind her, Hudson looked back to the sheriff and asked, "Who'd make a call like that?"

"Beats the heck out of me. I don't appreciate crank calls, especially in the middle of a manhunt."

As Sheriff Adams turned away to announce into her radio that all was clear at the Kent Farm, Hudson flashed another quick look at her parents then sped out of the house. She made her way over to the police car parked in front, careful to make certain the sheriff was still busy speaking to her parents before reaching inside to grab the police radio. Van had bragged about having his own police scanner so that he could be the first to hear when they found Jake's killer. But Hudson realized he had it for one purpose only – to listen in on strange occurrences around town, to track down the meteor freaks more easily.

"Van, I know you're listening," she spoke into the microphone quietly. "You didn't get me. If you want to finish this, meet me by the trophy case. I'm on my way."

Knowing he would be well-prepared with a stock of Kryptonite bullets, Hudson made a quick stop at the Luthorcorp plant where she remembered seeing a large stock of lead in one of the storage rooms. She promised herself she'd admit to Lex what she did – after she broke in and took what she needed, quickly molding it into a vest-shaped shield with her fingers. Finding electrical tape in a nearby closet, she secured it to her body, taping it to her waist and shoulders, and then covering the entire thing beneath her shirt to hide it. Now, as long as Van didn't aim for her extremities, she'd be all right. If he decided to shoot her in the leg this time, she'd have to go to plan B.

And she didn't have a plan B.

Speeding her way to the high school, she paused outside the doors, checking to make certain the lead was in place. She broke the lock on the door handle and pushed her way inside, eyes adjusting to the darkness as the doors closed behind her. Scanning the area, she turned and made her way down the hall, heading toward the main trophy display. As she reached the corner, Van appeared in front of her, pushing Lana along in front of him, her hands tied behind her back.

He leveled his gun at Hudson. "You may have survived one bullet, but I'm not gonna make that mistake again!"

She glanced over at Lana, making certain that she was all right. "Let Lana go, Van. She has nothing to do with this."

"No? I don't agree. See, apparently she knows that you're a freak, and yet she still wants to be your friend. She still trusts you. But now I'm going to show her that freaks need to die!"

Grabbing Lana's neck, Van threw her against the wall behind him, watching as she toppled into a row of chairs and hit the ground. He turned back to Hudson, aiming his weapon at her and firing, bullet after bullet into her chest. The force of the volley was surprising, the nearness of the Kryptonite still affecting her enough to sap her strength with the attack, pushing her backwards.

"Hudson!" Lana shouted in fear.

Van stopped shooting and lowered his gun, staring at Hudson in rage as she looked back at him, unharmed. And not just a little cocky.

"I told you she was a freak!"

Sick of hearing that term, and still pissed off over being shot with a Kryptonite bullet in the first place, Hudson started forward, prepared to make Van feel just a little pain. She stopped short as she watched Lana quietly climb to her feet behind him. She kicked upwards quickly, catching him between the legs.

"You're the freak," she told him as he doubled over in pain, and then she spun around, boot heel slamming into his face. Van reeled backwards, crashing through the glass of the trophy case, unconscious.

"Wow," Hudson remarked, impressed. "I guess that's what's called 'Girl Power'. Buffy's got nothing on you!"

"Aunt Nell and her self-defense classes," Lana replied as she shook her head. "Hudson, I don't understand. Those bullets were made of Kryptonite. He said he killed you with one earlier and you were dead! I called the police but he caught me. And just now – "

"He did hit me, Lana. That's why I came dressed for the occasion this time." Grinning, she pulled up her shirt to reveal the breast plate beneath it, where the glowing bullets were firmly imbedded.

"Lead?" Lana rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Hudson. A little warning next time! You had me about scared to death!"

Chuckling, Hudson reached down to pull the shield away, wincing slightly when her hand neared the Kryptonite. She quickly changed her mind and moved behind Lana to rip the rope apart that bound her hands.

"Mind helping me out of this thing?" She suggested, more than a little impatient to get the meteor rock away from her. "Then we'd better get the sheriff called before Van wakes up. Something tells me he's not going to be a very happy little boy."

"Well, you know, it never sits well when the freak gets the upper hand."

"Or a girl kicks your ass."

Lana grinned. "That, too."

* * *

Lex climbed the stairs up to the loft slowly, trailing his hand along the wooden rail as if it were some treasured artifact he'd just discovered. Countless times he'd moved up these same steps, late in the evening, greeted by the warm lamplight and Hudson's glowing smile. He could make the trip in his sleep so familiar was he with each and every footstep, the sound of the stairs creaking beneath his feet, the heavy scent of fresh hay, motor oil and manure. It was like another world, and yet more comforting to him than any other place on Earth.

The trip tonight would be different, though. Different because this time they would be facing one another on even ground; he knew her secrets and now there was truth between them. How long it would last, Lex didn't know.

"I hear Van McNulty's been taken into custody," he announced as he reached the top step.

Hudson glanced up from her book at Lex's voice and gave him a welcoming smile. "Yeah. They put him in the psychiatric ward."

"I knew Van was misguided," he replied. "But I'm not so sure he's insane."

"What makes you say that?" She laid her book down and turned in her chair to face him.

"Churchill once said '_Out of intense complexities, intense simplicities emerge_'. I think maybe that kid was right about me."

"Lex, he's a fanatic."

"Oh, but Chloe Sullivan's not?" He flashed a sardonic look as he moved into the loft, skirting his way around the couch, and approaching the desk. "How many times have I come face to face with death and walked away without a scratch? I've practically lost count. And that's without you always being there to save me, Angel."

"Weirder things have happened."

Lex smiled at that, knowing she meant the fact of her existence. "All this time I thought the reason I survived that Porsche accident was because of you, Hudson. Now, I'm not so sure. See, I've always tried to explain everything by looking outside myself. But maybe the truth lies inside my own physiology. Maybe I am a freak."

Hudson dropped her gaze, kicking at the leg of her chair for a moment. When she looked back up at him, a deep frown marred her brow, her color heightened.

"If anyone is a freak on this world, Lex, it's me. And I think we both know that." She pursed her lips. "And who's to say what would have happened if I hadn't been there to pull you out of the car?"

He shrugged, mimicking her expression. "I made it out of the jet."

She opened her mouth to respond to that, seemed to think better of it and promptly closed it again.

"I'm simply providing myself other options, Hudson."

"You're looking for an excuse to negate my existence."

Lex blinked at her in surprise as she stood and walked away from him. "Is that what you think?"

"Don't worry about it." Hudson stopped at the window, arms wrapped around her waist, staring out into the darkness. "I do the same thing all of the time. It's a game I've played ever since my parents told me the truth; ever since I realized what my coming here caused. I picture what Lana's life would be like if her parents were alive today. I imagine Tina and Sean and Justin and Jeff and Greg and so many others all just… living the lives of normal teenagers. You'd still have your hair and – "

"Hudson, stop it!"

She glanced over her shoulder at him, as if surprised by his outburst.

"You have no more responsibility for what happened than I do for what my father did to this town in order to put his plant here. Do you blame me for the Ross' losing their creamed corn factory?"

"No, but that's diff – "

"It's not different," he replied, crossing the space between them to join her beside the telescope. "Your parents' chose your course, for whatever reason, and I sincerely doubt they sent along the meteors as some sort of 'house warming' gift."

"Your life wouldn't be better if the meteor shower had never happened?" She asked.

Lex shook his head. "Hudson, losing my hair taught me a lot of lessons about life and people. The stigma it placed on me forced me to be strong. I don't… " He trailed off and looked away for a moment, wondering how honest he could be with her; realizing that this was the time for them to be completely honest because it might never happen again. "I don't know what kind of person I would have been had it never happened. My father considered me weak because of my asthma, the friends I had were only there because of the money and power my father wielded, I was forced to spend the majority of my time with my father because I was his heir.

"But after I lost my hair, my father didn't want me around anymore. I grew closer to my mother because of it, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. And the kids that I called friends – well, they all went away because no amount of money in the world could force them to hang out with the bald boy. I learned then that friends were a rare commodity, and that the majority of people in this world only care about Number One, and no one else. This world I live in, Hudson? I would have been eaten alive by now if I hadn't found my strength when I did."

Hudson didn't appear convinced. "What about everything else, Lex? What of Desiree? I made her what she was, you know."

"You didn't make her a black widow, Hudson. She didn't have to use her ability to entrap rich men and have them murdered."

She snorted. "What _else_ would you use that ability for?"

Lex didn't have a reply for that. He stared at Hudson, realizing that this was a side of her he'd never been allowed to glimpse before because of her need to keep the truth a secret. It was apparent that she had a guilt complex the size of the Wall of China, and while he understood it – _god, did he ever understand guilt_ – this self-inflicted torture was a far cry from the bright and sunny girl he'd come to know. She'd become the light in his life, the person he needed when his life became far too much to deal with, when he needed to experience laughter and happiness. If all of that had been an act, where did that leave them?

There were so many adjustments to make suddenly that Lex didn't know where to begin.

"Hudson." He reached out and touched her arm. "This isn't like you. I understand that there was a side of you that I've never been allowed to see but this… there has to be more to it than what happened with Van."

She bit her lip and looked away, and Lex knew instantly that there was a lot more to it. He realized that the fact that she didn't appear willing to share it with him hurt more than he cared to admit to himself. He withdrew his hand, slipped it into his pocket and prepared to be disappointed again.

"If you ever want me to trust you again, Hudson, you'll start being honest with me, always."

"God, Lex." She shook her head and brought her gaze back to his. "How much honesty can you handle?"

"How much can you give?"

She seemed to consider the question, and then her chin rose in a defiant set and she fixed him with a glare. "Fine, you want to hear it all? Every little dirty secret?"

Pushing past him, she paced the confines of the loft, hands twitching in agitation. "You want to know how I spent my summer vacation, Lex? Let me tell you about it. See, there's this rock – Red Kryptonite. Like its cousin, Green, it has adverse affects on my physiology, except, instead of affecting me physically, it turns me into a psycho." She spun around to face him. "Remember last year when I was walking around in sheer tops and trying to give you a blow job? That's when we discovered it. The class rings were made out of the red meteor rock instead of rubies."

Lex was stunned by her confession. She'd originally blamed all of that behavior on his marriage to Desiree and her anger over the situation. Of course, her excuse had been flimsy at best, but there hadn't been any other explanation that he could come up with to justify it, so he'd let it go. He emitted a short laugh at his naivety.

"So, what? The red Kryptonite turns you into half the women I've dated."

Hudson snorted. "No, Lex. It turns me into a psychotic, greedy, uncaring, super-powered _alien_. What do you think I did alone in Metropolis for three months with one of those rings on my finger? I can move faster than the eye can see, Lex. I can rip metal apart with my bare hands. I can see through things – "

"You can see through things?" Lex interrupted, his momentary anger replaced with fascination. Imagine what he could do with _that_!

"I can shoot scalding heat from my eyes –"

"Hold on. What?" Okay, maybe Hudson had been right. This was far too much information.

But she didn't stop. "I robbed banks, cheated at high-stakes card games, took shopping trips through the most expensive boutiques in the city in the middle of the night. I hurt the people who got in my way, and I didn't look back. I… I slept with so many people, Lex."

She was losing her confidence suddenly, stumbling over words and taking long, deep breaths. "So many… I don't remember names or faces I just… I wanted…" She gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Lex saw a tear escape down her cheek. "I wanted to hurt you for leaving me. I wanted to hurt you for dying. I wanted… I wanted to forget you ever existed and I took it out on every person I met!"

"So, what you did was _my_ fault?"

Her gaze flew to his and she shook her head wildly. "No. I… don't you understand, Lex? I didn't care about those people. I didn't care about anyone… any _human_. I used them and I threw them away and I didn't care if they were hurt, I didn't care if they were injured – hell, I wouldn't have cared if they died! I wanted… no, I _needed_ to use and destroy everything around me because I _just didn't care_."

She waved her arm toward the farmhouse. "My parents were losing the farm, and I laughed at them, taunted them. I almost injured Chloe – I wanted so badly to harm her and…" Her eyes widened as she continued to stare at him, as if she realized she was about to say something she didn't want to say. "Your brother, Lex… "

Lex frowned. "Lucas? What about him?"

"I… we met at the club my first week in the city. We lived together, for a time. We – "

"You _fucked_ my _brother_!"

"He was using me, to prove himself to you and your father. And… and I don't think he ever admitted to himself that I was using him and – "

"Goddammit, Hudson!"

Lex was furious. He thought he'd reached his limits on anger when it came to Hudson, but apparently he was wrong. Spinning around, he searched for something to throw or hit but unfortunately it would mean the destruction of the Kent's property and he couldn't bring himself to allow that kind of disregard. So instead, he moved away from her, placing a safe distance between them so he could rein in his rage, and control himself.

Lucas and Hudson had been together. He'd seen her, touched her and, if her behavior on the red meteor rock the year before had been any indication, Lucas had seen shades of Hudson that Lex had never been privy to. The jealousy that swept through him was both unimaginable, and unwelcome. It indicated quite clearly how deeply Lex's feelings for Hudson still ran, no matter how many lies she told him, how much she hurt him. Or how many people she fucked. But his brother… that one cut him deep. It was like seeing those pictures of his father and Victoria all over again, except his feelings for Victoria never wavered beyond casual lust.

"Lex, please understand. That rock – I don't think. I just… I just act on my feelings, I act on anger and hurt and I care about little else beyond my own superiority."

He turned back to face her. "And because of that, you feel you shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of your actions?"

"You think I'm not suffering?" She screamed at him. "You think I don't hate myself _every single day_? You think I'm not terrified that the person I was in Metropolis isn't lurking deep within me, just waiting to come out? That every decision I ever make again isn't colored by what happened? That I wasn't afraid that I would rip Van from limb to limb because I _wanted_ to?" She snatched a small box from the desk and advanced on him with it, holding it out. "Here. Take it. If you think I haven't suffered enough, then take care of it!"

"Stop being so dramatic," he snapped, yanking the box from her hands and flipping the lid open. Inside the box lay a small green meteor rock, about the size of his fist. In front of him, Hudson visibly winced. He looked up at her. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Use it," she informed him, voice already tinged with pain as she took a step forward. "Go ahead. The affects of it are no worse than the fallout from the red Kryptonite."

Lex slammed the lid shut and set the box aside angrily. "I've seen what this shit does to you, Hudson. And no matter what you and your father may think of the Luthor name, the last thing I have any desire to do is hurt you."

"Why?"

He sighed. "Because, it's more than obvious to me that you're doing a damn fine job of it on your own."

She grew silent with his words, quiet tears still coursing down her face. She let out a breath and turned away, moving back to the telescope where she stopped and stared, fingers stroking restlessly against the eyepiece.

"I used to sit here and stare out at the stars for hours, wondering where I came from," she told him after a few minutes of silence between them. "I made up this entire story in my head that I was some princess and my parents had to hide me from some evil dark lord to protect me, so that one day I could return to my home and lead my people. But, the reality has turned out to be nothing like the fantasy. I have no home to return to – Krypton is gone. And those benevolent parents of mine," she laughed bitterly, "apparently see me as some kind of conqueror sent here to rule over the human race."

Lex watched at her in disbelief. "Hudson – "

"What if that monster is who I _am_, Lex?" She whispered brokenly, sobbing as she continued, "What if it had been better if that bullet today had killed me?"

"Jesus," Lex muttered, moving over to grab Hudson by the shoulders and turn her to face him. "Stop it, Hudson. This self-flagellation doesn't look good on you."

"Let me go!" Hudson told him angrily through her tears but didn't try to pull away.

"What you need to get through your head is that you _are_ here, and you can't change that. Your arrival brought the meteor shower and Lana's parents died and the affects of the rocks are far-reaching and there is _nothing you can do about that_." Lex sighed and squeezed her shoulders gently. "But what you also need to accept is that there are two people in the house across from here that love you, and would give the world to keep you in their lives. And Lana loves you, even with everything that has happened – she's forgiven you."

She gazed up at him, and Lex knew what was coming. "And you?"

Shaking his head, Lex pulled her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her and pressing his cheek against her hair. "I don't think I have to answer that," he replied softly.

Hudson trembled in his embrace, another volley of tears being released on his shoulder. Lex held her until the sobs subsided and her shaking ceased. He stroked her hair for its warmth, and the memories it invoked. He whispered soothing words because there was little else left to say. Regrettably, the actions he performed were all very automatic, with little forethought behind them. The pain still lingered, the shadows of betrayal lurked in the back of his mind. She was being honest with him now, sharing her life with him, but how long would it last?

When she finally pulled back, Lex reached up to help her wipe the traces of tears from her cheeks. "I feel like such a crybaby the last few weeks," she admitted with a rueful half-smile.

"We all fall apart sometimes, Hudson."

"You don't."

Lex shrugged lightly. "You'd be surprised."

Letting out a breath, she ran a hand through her hair with a soft laugh. "I'd like to hope that the worst is over. I feel like I'm running on automatic lately – never able to sleep, barely able to think."

"I've been the same way," Lex admitted. "I don't think I've slept more than an hour at a time since before the wedding. Amazing what one's body can become accustomed to."

Hudson regarded him quietly for a moment, and a hundred thoughts seemed to flit across her expression.

Lex frowned as he returned her stare. "What?"

"Would you… will you stay here with me tonight?"

"No, Hudson." He wasn't even going to begin to go there just yet. "We're talking, and that's a start. But you can't expect me to just pretend and go on as if nothing happened."

"No, I didn't mean that," she hastened to reassure him. "I mean, not like that. I just thought… Lex, I feel so safe with you. I don't care what's happened; that hasn't changed. And maybe, if just for tonight, we pretended that things are the way they used to be, and just held each other – "

"We can't go back, Hudson."

"I'm not asking for that. I'm asking… I'm asking you to let me try and win back your trust."

Lex wanted to tell her no, and it was on the tip of his tongue to do so. But he was tired, just as she claimed to be, and he knew it had little to do with physical exhaustion. He was tired of fighting everything and everyone around him. He was tired of being pushed aside, unwanted, betrayed, and left alone to die… he was tired of being cold, and maybe Hudson wouldn't be able to make that go away, maybe he would feel like this until the day he died, but he had to know. He had to prove to himself that he could beat this; that he was stronger than anyone around him believed him to be. The temptation to close himself off from the world at large was far too alluring. And maybe that's what Hudson meant when she spoke of her feelings on the red Kryptonite.

He wasn't ready for that; he wasn't ready to become his father.

And so, once more, he was placing his life in her hands. _Could she be his Angel again_?

"A few hours," he told her. "Until you're asleep. Just don't expect to find me here in the morning." He took off his coat and tossed it to the couch.

"I won't." Hudson shook her head and flashed him a tentative smile before moving over to the hammock.

"The hammock?" Lex shook his head. "I'm not sleeping in that, Hudson."

"It's really comfortable. I promise." She held out her hand to him. "Come on."

Sighing in annoyance over the fact that this seventeen-year old habitually lying alien female still had such power over him, Lex placed his hand in hers and allowed her to pull him down into the swinging contraption with her. Getting into a position that didn't include a twisted tangle of arms and limbs took a great deal of effort, some cuss words from him and a few giggles from an all-too-amused Hudson. When they were finally both lying on their sides, facing one another, the obnoxious swing settling, Lex realized that it wasn't as uncomfortable as he'd thought it would be.

"See? Not bad."

Lex grunted and closed his eyes.

Hudson moved a cautious inch closer to him, tucking her hands beneath her cheek. "Lex?"

"Hmmm?" Heat emanated from her body, soothing his nerves.

"Do you… do you remember how it used to be? Do you remember that first summer together?"

"I remember you used to whine a lot to get your way. Oh, wait. You still do that."

She snorted. "No, I meant – "

"I remember, Hudson."

He did. He remembered their first kiss and he remembered hot summer days spent at the pool or in the park or sequestered away in his study, making out on his couch like a couple of kids hiding away from their parents. Which, technically, they had been, himself included. And god, it seemed like an eternity ago.

"Do you think we'll ever be like that again?"

"No."

He opened his eyes to see the sadness that masked her face. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers through the silky strands of her hair. "We've changed, Hudson, both of us, and everything around us. We can't repeat the times we shared." Lex offered her a slight smile. "But that doesn't mean the future doesn't hold happier times for us. It doesn't mean we can't make new memories that are just as precious to us as the past."

She bit her lip and seemed to search his gaze. "Can we?"

Lex shrugged and closed his eyes. "We'll have to wait and see, Angel."

Moments after speaking, Lex was fast asleep.


	31. My First Taste: A Day in the Life

**EPISODE TWENTY-ONE**

**A Day in the Life**

_Say a prayer for me  
__Help me to feel the strength I did  
__My identity has it been taken  
__Is my heart breaking on me  
__**Empty (The Cranberries)**_

****

**6:18AM**

I wake up with AJ licking my fingers, which are hanging over the edge of the hammock. Grumbling at him about 'doggy germs', I pull my arm back up against me, and tuck my head away from the gray dawn that is streaming in through the window, in an attempt to go back to sleep. Shifting uncomfortably, I realize the warmth that had been pressed against me all night is missing. I sigh, knowing that Lex had told me he wouldn't be here when I woke up, but that didn't mean I hadn't held out hope that he would be.

Flopping over onto my back, I open my eyes and stare up at the dusty rafters where the web of a spider gleams like silver thread from the morning light. I'm going to have to get a broom to take care of that since there is nothing less pleasant than the thought of being watched by spiders while sleeping. Well, aside from sleeping with said spiders. I allow a quick shudder as outside the barn our rooster crows its morning wake up call. I'm late, as usual.

I sit up and glance around the loft, hoping for some evidence that Lex had been there last night, but the area is sadly devoid of anything remotely reminiscent of him. He has a way of doing that; when he stayed with us for the few days his father had disowned him, there was no trace of him after he'd left. It was like it had never happened. And that's kind of how last night feels to me, as if he had never really been here. It was all just some fabrication of my hopeful and overactive imagination. I'm beginning to realize that I'm craving forgiveness from Lex the way I once craved his love, and the strength to tell him the truth. I succeeded in acquiring both of those, so perhaps it is only a matter of time before Lex will truly put all of this behind us, and we can move on.

I don't know what it is specifically that I am hoping for from him. But I do know that I haven't gotten it, yet.

Hearing my father enter the barn beneath me, I quickly slip off of the hammock and search for my ropers, grabbing and tugging them on as I hop on first one foot, and then the other, toward the stairs.

"I'm up!" I holler down to him. "And on my way down."

"Hudson Kent, did you sleep in the barn again?" My dad is looking up at me with an expression of extreme exasperation as I hurry down the steps. "Contrary to popular opinion, you aren't a horse. You have a bed, you know."

I stick my tongue out at him.

"No one thinks I'm a horse," I grumble, even though I've referred to myself in that term on more than one occasion. It's the legs I'll never grow into, though Dad claims it's my appetite.

"And Lex came over late. We talked, and then fell asleep."

"Lex?" My dad looks at me warily, and then glances up at the loft.

"He left early, I guess." Shrugging, I move past him and grab the wheelbarrow to fill with grain.

"H.C., just because Lex now knows doesn't make everything hunky dory, you know."

I blink and glance over my shoulder. "Dad, did you just say 'hunky dory'?"

Slipping on his gloves, he shakes his head. "Don't change the subject. This doesn't make Lex Luthor your best friend and confidant. It doesn't mean you should suddenly trust him with everything."

I sigh. "Dad, Lex _is_ my best friend, and has been for a very long time. If I don't trust him with everything, then how is he supposed to ever trust _me_?"

"Just… be careful, H.C."

"Always," I reply with a grin.

Of course, what no one seems to understand is that I trust Lex a hell of a lot more than myself at the moment. If I decide to go off half-cocked on another red Kryptonite spree, then it might very well take my parents, Lana _and_ Lex all working together to bring me down from it. And I'm not completely too sure of myself just yet to say I'm not capable of doing bad things without the influence of the Kryptonite. My parents believe in me and the choices I make because they weren't there, they didn't see the things that I did and they sure as hell had no idea what I was thinking. That's the scariest part of all – my thoughts. I had a few of them when it came to dealing with Van; the desire to take the easy way out and just snap a few of his bones. It never lasted, and I was horrified every time my mind went in that direction. But still, the fact that they existed _at all_ is what is truly terrifying. And I think Lex might be the only person in the world who might understand that.

What that says about either of us, I really don't know.

Chores go by quickly, especially since I speed through them whenever my dad isn't looking. Generally he doesn't like it when I do things like that, but getting up late has put me behind and I'm hungry and… well, it's just easier this way. Still, I get _the_ look from him whenever he goes to do something I've already done in the last few seconds, that familiar expression that tells me he's caught between the desire to yell at me and pat me on the back. I get that look from just about everyone I know, now that I think about it.

After the animals are fed and everything is picked up, I head inside to shower and change. The routine that I've known all of my life isn't very easy to fall back into, and there are mornings when I'm showering that I feel as if I'm still washing away my sins of the summer, cleansing myself or whatever. I'm sure Lex would have something to say about that if I ever told him my thoughts, but there are things that are better left to yourself, I guess. I've given him too much information to process as it is. I'm fairly certain he's sitting in his study right now, staring at his desk, processing everything I've told him and coming up with question after question that he wants to ask me. Unfortunately, Lex isn't the type to just be upfront like that. Only a few times has he ever actually come to me and asked for the answers he's sought. Normally, he dances around such things, maneuvering you into position until you offer the information without him ever bringing the subject up. I've seen him do it to others, and I know he's done it to me. I bet he's hell in a boardroom.

Mom's making French toast for breakfast, with sausage and bacon. The smell of the food causes me to move just a little faster as I'm getting ready, and I realize that was something I missed a lot during my time in Metropolis. Well, mom's cooking, of course, but mostly breakfast. I can't remember ever sitting down and eating breakfast in the entire summer that I was there.

"Good morning, honey," my mom greets as I jog down the back stairwell into the kitchen. "I hear you slept in the barn, again."

I glance back at my dad, who's reading the paper at the table. "Tattle-tale."

Mom smiles. "Juice or milk? Bacon or sausage?"

"Yes," I reply with a nod as I sit down at the table in front of my plate, which is piled high with a couple sandwiches' worth of French toast.

"You know, honey, one of these days your metabolism might just catch up with your eating habits," she tells me as she sets a couple of pieces of bacon and sausage on my plate.

"Not gonna happen."

Reaching out, I grab the powdered sugar to sprinkle over my toast, and then top that with the homemade maple syrup over both my toast and the sausage and bacon. Mom watches me with an horrific expression on her face before shaking her head and walking off to pour me my requested glasses of milk and orange juice.

"Get your homework finished?" Dad asks from behind his paper.

I swallow the quarter slice of toast that suddenly appears stuck in my throat, and shrug. "Umm, mostly."

The paper lowers and I get that _other_ look – like I'm about to be grounded. "H.C., you're starting out the school year on rocky ground. You've already missed a week – "

"I know." I swirl a piece of bacon around in the syrup gathered on my plate. "I'll get it done before class today."

"Be sure that you do. You don't want to be held back a year, do you?"

"God, no!" I widen my eyes in horror at the thought. "Four years of high school will be quite enough, thank you very much."

"Don't wish for high school to be over too soon, H.C.," my mom tells me as she hands me the juice and milk, and then sits down at the other side of the table. "You're going to miss it when it's gone."

Somehow, I doubt that. I mean, it's not like I'm Miss Popularity or anything like that. And I've had just about enough of teenage angst that I think I can take. Adults always like to pretend that being a teenager is like the greatest part of your life, but I think it's simply because they don't remember what it was like. But, I'm not about to get into that argument again because I invariably always lose. Parents like to believe they know everything.

The phone rings, and mom is first to her feet to get it while my dad and I continue to eat. I add some more powdered sugar and ponder the feasibility of having my homework done before class. There are some lab questions for Biology that I need to get typed out and, in English, and our teacher wanted us to find a poem to present orally to the class.

A poem, for crying out loud! As if that's going to happen! I hate poetry. I think I'd rather spend a quiet evening with a case of Kryptonite.

"H.C.?" Mom holds the phone out toward me. "It's Lex."

All thoughts of poetry gone, I jump up from my seat and take the phone from her hand, quickly picking a sliver of bacon from my front teeth. "Hi, Lex."

"Good morning," he replies, all proper and gentleman-like. Sometimes Lex just cracks me up. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. Well, when you weren't snoring in my ear."

I can actually hear Lex twitch. I swear I can!

"I do not snore, Hudson Kent."

"Yeah? Neither does my dad." I dip a sausage link into the syrup. "And I've got a piece of pretty ocean front property to sell both of you."

Mom laughs beside me while my dad snaps the paper loudly. Lex just sighs in my ear. "And here I was going to ask you if you'd like a ride to school."

Like I'm going to turn that one down. "Yes! I'd love one."

"Except, I didn't ask you."

I chew on the sausage. "Except, you did, and you're just teasing me anyway. Beside, at the rate I'm moving, I'll probably miss the bus and I need a ride. And you're a nice guy like that."

"Hudson?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you eating in my ear?"

"Nooooo. I'm eating into the phone. You just happen to have your ear pressed against it."

Lex makes a noise of disgust. "And how the hell does the fastest being on the planet miss her bus so often?"

I make a face and take another bite, chewing loudly. "Lex, your phone better not be tapped."

There's a loud clatter from my dad dropping his fork, and my mom is looking up at me anxiously. I grin and wave my hand toward them, indicating that I'm just teasing. Neither of them look very amused. In fact, I can see the lecture building in my dad's mind already. Hell.

"You don't think I keep track of such things?" Lex asks, obviously offended.

I continue munching on the sausage link, licking the syrup off of my fingers, wondering just how honest he wants me to be in this newly formed relationship of honesty that we have. There have to be limits, right? Surely he doesn't want me to tell him every little thought that I have.

"Don't answer that," Lex remarks suddenly with a sigh.

Apparently the answer to my question would be no. "When are you going to be here?"

"Mmm. Five minutes."

I frown and move back to the table to grab my glass of milk. "Make it ten. I still have to do my hair and type up my Science homework."

"And then there's the fact that you obviously haven't finished your breakfast."

"That, too." I grin.

It's so much easier now that Lex knows the truth. It's like this enormous weight has been lifted off of my shoulders, and I never realized just how upsetting lying to him all of this time has been to me. I have to admit, I feel a little safer knowing that Lex is on my side, that he's looking out for me. At first, I thought my admission would destroy us, and everything that had ever existed between us. But now I know that isn't true. Lex has been incredible about everything, and just when I thought I couldn't possibly love him more, I realize that I do.

Not that such a realization makes everything any easier, but there it is. I love Lex. And I can't imagine that there will ever be a time in my life when I don't love him.

"I'll see you in ten minutes, then."

"Drive the Ferrari."

Lex sighs. "Hudson, I'm not driving the Ferrari."

"Oh, come on. It's the only car of yours with any real flash."

"I'm hanging up now, Hudson."

"Killjoy."

The phone goes dead in my ear. I pull the receiver away and stick my tongue out at it. Sure, Lex can't see it, but it makes me feel better.

**6:43AM**

"See you later, Mom!" I call out as the screen door slams behind me and I make my way across the yard to Lex's car. It's a black Mercedes, which I guess is more appropriate for working in Metropolis and all, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Pulling the door open myself, I slide into the seat and comment, "Chivalry is dead."

"But Women's Lib lives on," he replies dryly, shifting the gears into reverse. "And since when did you become incapable of opening your own door?"

"I don't know. I thought it would be nice."

Lex ignores that, and I take the moment of silence to settle into my seat and get comfortable. It's weird not leaning over for a kiss or having Lex reach out to touch me in some manner or anything like that. I have trouble understanding how it was that we were once so close, and now it's as if we can hardly think of anything to say to one another. I know it's going to take time and stuff, but that doesn't mean I don't wish Lex would just smile at me or touch my hand or relax around me, at least.

"I was thinking over our conversation last night," Lex begins quietly. "The time you spent with Lucas… You were careful around him?"

I chew on my lower lip a moment, realizing that the offer for the ride to school wasn't as altruistic as I'd originally believed. As suspected, Lex hasn't stopped thinking about everything I've told him.

"Well, umm, what do you consider 'careful'?"

Lex glances over at me. "The things you've done around me? Not careful."

"Ah." I make a face. "Well, then… kind of."

"Christ, Hudson." Lex sighs and shakes his head, glancing out the windshield for the next few seconds as he focuses on the road. "I can't locate Lucas. He's disappeared off of the radar completely. And while I can't help but wonder if my father finally got a hold of him, I'm more concerned that he's off looking for ways to capitalize on his information regarding you."

"He doesn't know anything specific."

"He doesn't need to. I didn't know anything specific, either, Hudson." He stabs a finger at me as he speaks. "And I want you to remember that Lucas doesn't care about you the way that I – " He stops abruptly and clenches his jaw.

I bite back the smile that threatens. It's mean of me to feel so victorious when Lex accidentally reveals his true feelings. It doesn't happen much, and when it does, it's always tempting to do a little victory dance. I swear this must be how a prisoner on Death Row feels when granted a pardon.

"He's dangerous, Hudson," Lex continues when he appears to have collected himself. "Don't think that just because my father didn't raise him that he hasn't been influenced by the man. Lucas _is_ my father -- if he'd been raised on the streets."

"Lucas won't hurt me," I assure him with a slight nod.

"Why, Hudson? Because you gave him a nice fucking blow job?"

Wow. He really isn't going to let that go, is he? Face burning in a mixture of humiliation and anger, I turn and glance out the window, eyes widening as I catch the scene in the field we're passing.

"Lex, stop the car."

"Look, I'm sorry about what – "

"Stop the car!"

Before the tires come to a complete rest, I push the door open and speed away, ignoring Lex's call from behind me. Just up ahead, the Miller's barn is engulfed in flames. I stop behind the tractor, watching as the family races frantically to stop the burning, but the water from their simple hose isn't doing anything. The sound of approaching sirens can be heard in the distance but I know they won't reach the farm in time, and the panicked cry of their horses from inside the barn spurs me into action.

Both doors are blocked with flames but the window for the grain elevator around back is open. While the family is occupied, I leap up through the opening, only to land in a burning stack of hay bales. Cursing once at the stupidity of farmers that still insist on keeping their hay near their livestock, I push away from the fire, smacking at the burning sleeves of my jacket as I hurry to the stalls.

The horses are freaking out, and remain unwilling to move out of their stalls even as I open the doors. Above us, pieces of the roof begin falling in, raining a debris of burning wood onto my head. I slip off my jacket and toss it over the head of the first horse, covering its eyes and pulling it out of the stall. Quickly, I repeat this process with the other three horses until they are all out of the confining space of their stalls. And then I speed through the far wall, bursting the burning slats of wood into a gaping hole in the hope that the horses will follow. I race back behind the tractor and stop to watch as Anna Miller calls out to her husband that they can get inside, and then the horses come galloping out.

It'd be nice if I could stick around and help the family catch them, but I know Lex is probably three seconds short of a nuclear meltdown, so I turn and speed back to where the car is parked on the shoulder of the road.

"What the hell was that!" Lex demands as I near the Mercedes.

"There was a fire – "

"I can see that!" Lex stalks over to me and takes my jacket from my hands, shaking it at me. "And you and your parents wonder how I could have possibly known when you run around pulling stunts like this! What if someone had seen you?"

"They didn't." I take my jacket back from him. "And they'll just think the horses broke their way through that wall and everyone will be happy."

"That was stupid, Hudson!"

"I couldn't let the horses die…"

Lex glares at me before turning to walk back to the car.

Noting the set of his shoulders, I call out, "I'm okay, you know. Fire doesn't hurt me."

He stops at my words, hesitating only a moment before turning back to me. "And that," he tells me, "Is the most difficult thing to get used to."

I smile. "I know. Mom still panics over these things."

"You'll have to tell me about some of those moments," he responds with a half-smile. "Come on. Get in the car."

Lex moves back to his door and I climb in on the passenger side, tossing my burned jacket behind the seat. We sit there quietly, and I wonder how late I'm going to be to school today, when he angles slightly in his seat to face me. Astonishment fills me when he pulls out his handkerchief and begins wiping at my cheek.

"You have soot on you," he tells me.

"Spit on that thing like my mother does and I won't be responsible for my actions."

Lex smiles and grabs my chin, turning my head to get at the other cheek and a spot just above my eyebrow. "You're going to tell me that this is just a typical day for you, aren't you?"

"Something like that." I wrap my hand around his and squeeze it gently. "I'm okay, Lex. Really."

He visibly relaxes and I'm amazed by the fact that even though he knows what I am and what I can do, Lex is still worried about me getting hurt. I know that says something about the connection between us, that no matter the anger and hurt we might cause one another, the love and caring is still there. It's different now, there's no arguing that. And maybe it's going to take me a little getting used to when all I want to do is lean over and kiss him, and climb into his lap and let him do all of those amazing things to my body that I know he can do. Instead, I just have to sit here, and let him clean my face off, and try to forget how good he smells or the way the morning light causes flecks of gold in the blue of his eyes.

Dammit.

"We probably ought to get you to school," Lex tells me softly before slipping his handkerchief back into his pocket and straightening in his seat. He flashes me a quick smile. "Let's try to make it there without pulling over for another emergency, all right?"

"All right."

**7:12AM**

Principal Reynolds is glaring at me as I walk through the doors. His arms are crossed over his chest and he's standing feet apart, like some gladiator waiting to take on the next lion. I offer him a sheepish smile as I skirt around him toward the hall.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Kent."

Stopping at his words, I turn back, my face warming slightly under his scrutiny. "Uh, yeah. I was, uh, running late this morning. Stuff on the farm. You know how it is." Okay, he doesn't live on a farm so he probably doesn't know how it is.

"Was that Lex Luthor's car that just drove off?"

I hold back the sigh that threatens. "Yes. He gave me a ride."

Reynolds nods once before turning on his heel and starting past me. "I'd like to see you in my office, Miss Kent."

"But, I should really get to cl – "

"Now!"

Wincing slightly at his tone, I let out the sigh I've been holding and follow behind him, past the classrooms to the principal's office. I swear, nothing can make you feel like you're eight-years old again more than walking by those secretaries in the office, while they stare at you behind their pointed-glasses, obviously knowing you're about to be lectured. The first time I was ever sent to the principal's office, I was six-years old and got in trouble for bragging that I could run faster than any boy there, which I then proved over and over again. But bragging wasn't accepted in Kindergarten, and since I was a year older and supposed to know better, it didn't go over very well. That was my first lesson in humility. I suspect there'll be plenty more before my school career is over.

"Have a seat, Miss Kent," Principal Reynolds invites as he closes the door behind me.

I slump into the chair across from his desk, slipping my backpack between my feet and fixing my gaze on the window behind him. At least I don't have to watch my fellow classmates outside playing dodge ball or swinging on the bars. They're in class, and I'm not. And the only thing that sucks about that is the work I'm going to have to make up.

"Do you know why I asked to speak with you?" He begins as he sits down and leans forward across his desk.

"Because I was tardy?"

He flips open a folder in front of him, and I suppose I should feel an ounce of pride for being important enough to have my file as a permanent fixture on his desk. Or maybe not.

"You've already missed more than a week of school this semester, and the year has just begun," he points out, glancing up at me.

"My parents spoke with you about that."

Reynolds nods. "Yes. You ran away from home." Folding his hands, he fixes me with a steady gaze. "I understand that being a teenager can sometimes be difficult, but often teens choose to deal with their problems in ways that only lead to _more_ problems. A slump in grades, rebelling against parents, running away from home, juvenile delinquency – you're on a steady path toward your own destruction, Miss Kent, and I don't want to see that happen. You're a bright girl, with plenty of potential, and I'd like to help you reach that potential."

I wrinkle my nose, not liking where this conversation is heading at all. "What happened over the summer won't happen again, Mr. Reynolds. It was just... circumstances. Things are better now."

Another nod, and I can tell that he doesn't believe me.

"Just the same, Miss Kent, I want you to begin meeting with the school counselor on a weekly basis – "

"What!"

"Beginning this afternoon after school lets out," he finishes, picking up a pen to scribble something in my file.

"That isn't fair," I argue, knowing that by now Kaela would have just tossed him out the window and been done with it. "Just because I was late this morning – "

"If the trend continues throughout this semester, Miss Kent, I can assure you that you won't be moving up to the twelfth grade at the end of the year." He holds an envelope out to me. "This is a letter to take home to your parents regarding your sessions. I expect you to bring their signed acknowledgment back to me in the morning – on time."

The anger in me is so quick to flare anymore that I'm a bit surprised when I succeed in tamping it back down. I grudgingly take the letter from him, contemplate ripping it in two, and then finally stow it away in my backpack. The school counselor. I can't believe he thinks I need to see the high school equivalent of a shrink. I'm not insane – I'm an alien! There's a big difference.

My parents are going to flip!

"I know you think this is some form of punishment I'm inflicting on you," Reynolds begins. "But I'm trying to help. It's obvious there are things going on in your life that you don't know how to deal with."

He has no idea.

"I believe talking to someone might help."

I don't bother laughing. He wouldn't get the joke, anyway. "Can I go now? I'm late for class."

Reynolds frowns at me for a moment before nodding and closing my file. "I expect you to make your appointment, Miss Kent."

Gritting my teeth, I stand and grab my bag, saying nothing in response as I exit the office.

**9:24AM**

"Where were you this morning?" Lana whispers as she slips into the desk beside me.

"Lex drove me to school and there was this… thing that I had to take care of on the way."

She raises an eyebrow and smirks. "Is that what they call it now?"

I roll my eyes and lower my voice further, "A barn was on fire."

"Oh." She looks disappointed that Lex and I weren't having sex in the front seat of his car. I know how she feels.

"Then Reynolds caught me coming in late."

Lana winces in obvious sympathy. "You can copy my History notes over lunch. You didn't miss much. Just another discussion on the Fall of the Roman Empire. Tomorrow we're supposed to be watching a video about it, so at least there's no homework."

I nod, glancing up as Mrs. Henderson enters the room and the last few students take their seats. She turns to the chalkboard and writes _"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood", _as the chatter in the classroom slowly diminishes. Setting the chalk down, she turns to face us.

"T.S. Eliot wrote this. What do you think it means?... Lana?"

"That the beauty of the words can mean something to the reader long before they actually understand the meaning behind them."

Mrs. Henderson smiles and nods. "W.H. Auden said of poetry "_One demands two things of a poem. Firstly, it must be a well-made verbal object that does honor to the language in which it is written. Secondly, it must say something significant about a reality common to us all, but perceived from a unique perspective. What the poet says has never been said before, but, once he has said it, his readers recognize its validity for themselves." _Now, I'm hoping that each and every one of you has found a poem that speaks to you in its own way, one that is valid for your life. Lana, would you like to come up here and be the first to share yours with us?"

Nodding, Lana picks up the slim notebook from her desk and heads up to the front of the class. I probably should have asked her for help with finding a poem to read, but I ask for her assistance with schoolwork too much as it is. Someday, she's going to think we're friends simply so I can have her help me graduate. I mean, it's not like I'm stupid or anything – I can pass any test they hand me in math or science without thinking about it. And if I have time to read through the textbooks, I can make it through anything else, too. The problem is, I don't always have time -- even if I can read faster than anyone else; and I have a horrible habit of forgetting. After all, it's not like studying is the highest of priorities on my list; other things seem to command my attention most of the time. What am I supposed to do? Let someone die because I have a history exam the next morning? What's more important – homework or looking after those I love?

I glance back toward the front, focusing my attention on my friend as Lana begins to read her poem:

"_Twice or thrice had I lov'd thee,  
__Before I knew thy face or name;  
__So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame  
__Angels affect us oft, and worshipp'd be;  
__Still when, to where thou wert, I came,  
__Some lovely glorious nothing I did see.  
__But since my soul, whose child love is,  
__Takes limbs of flesh, and else could nothing do,  
__More subtle than the parent is  
__Love must not be, but take a body too;  
__And therefore what thou wert, and who,  
__I bid Love ask, and now  
__That it assume thy body, I allow,  
__And fix itself in thy lip, eye, and brow. _

_Whilst thus to ballast love I thought,  
__And so more steadily to have gone,  
__With wares which would sink admiration,  
__I saw I had love's penance overfraught;  
__Ev'ry thy hair for love to work upon  
__Is much too much, some fitter must be sought;  
__For, nor in nothing, nor in things  
__Extreme, and scatt'ring bright, can love inhere;  
__Then, as an angel, face, and wings  
__Of air, not pure as it, yet pure, doth wear,  
__So thy love may be my love's sphere;  
__Just such disparity  
__As is 'twixt air and angels' purity,  
__'Twixt women's love, and men's, will ever be."_

"That was 'Air and Angels' by John Donne," she tells us.

"And why did you choose this particular poet?" Mrs. Henderson asks.

"He's always been a favorite of mine. His words are just so lyrical, they're like music."

"And the poem?"

Lana's gaze catches mine for a moment before she looks back to Mrs. Henderson. "I chose this poem because it reminds me of how I feel about someone close to me. The love I feel for them, how I view them is otherworldly, like an angel. And yet it's something that will never truly be tangible between us, like air; I can grasp at it all I want and come away with nothing."

See, now I didn't get any of that out of the poem she just read. In fact, it really didn't make any sense to me at all. I'm not ashamed to admit that my brain tuned out about halfway through her reading, and I spent most of my time zoning out on the poster of Shakespeare that is hanging on the wall behind her. But I am kind of curious as to who Lana is attributing her poem to. Is it Whitney? Though she claims to only regard him as a friend any longer, I can see how she would regard her love for him like air, and something that might never be real again.

I tear out a piece of paper as Lana return to her seat and scribble _So, who is such an angel to you? _Folding the paper into a tiny slip, I pass it over to her desk when Mrs. Henderson isn't looking. As I wait for a reply, Scott Mallory stands up to read his poem, and I begin doodling on the back of my notebook, my mind wandering to what the counselor is going to speak to me about. Will they have me lay back on some couch and tell them about my childhood? I don't see how I'm supposed to discuss my problems with someone when I can never tell the truth about what's bothering me.

Lana slides our note under my hand before returning her attention to the front of the room. Making certain no one is watching, I open it to read:

_No one. I just had to come up with something to tell her. I really think the poem is pretty, but I don't have anyone I think of when I read it. What did you choose_?

I grab my pencil and respond, _Nothing. You know me and poetry mix like Paris Hilton and class. I start to read one and my eyes cross_.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lana shake her head as she reads the note, mouth pursing slightly. She flashes me a quick look of disappointment before quickly writing her response and handing it back to me.

_I could have helped you pick something. Or you could have asked Lex. He probably has tons of poetry he could help you out with. Mrs. H isn't going to let you just skip this project, you know. Next week we're supposed to write our own poem, and what are you going to do then? H.C., you help everyone else out. Maybe you should let one of us help you once in a while._

It's a familiar lecture. From her, from my parents, from Lex. And I know they're all right. The only problem is, I'm this alien being who is capable of doing anything. Well, almost anything. It's kind of hard to ask for help when I expect so much from myself. Not to mention, it feels silly when it comes to school work. It's not like this stuff is necessarily difficult, I just don't care for poetry. It bores me. And I certainly don't have the time to just sit and pour through volume after volume of the boring stuff to find a couple of words that scream out with meaning to me. Math and science make sense. English makes sense if you want to be a journalist like Chloe. Poetry, just doesn't make any sense.

Or maybe I've just become jaded in my old age.

**11:50AM**

After piling my lunch tray with food, I head to the back of the cafeteria where Chloe and Lana are already seated in the far corner, the best place, according to Chloe, to view our classmates.

"Hey, guys," I greet as I slide into the chair and grab my milk to open it.

"So, what did Mrs. Henderson say to you when she kept you after class?" Lana immediately asks me.

I frown at the reminder. "That I have tonight to find a poem to present in class tomorrow or I get an 'F'."

"Rumor has it one Hudson Kent was seen being dragged into the principal's office early this morning," Chloe remarks with her eyebrows raised. "Care to comment? Or would you prefer to let conjecture run wild?"

"You two are trying to ruin my appetite, aren't you?" I demand.

Chloe smirks at me. "Like such a thing would be possible."

Flashing a quick glare toward her, I dig into my spaghetti for a moment, wondering why I don't bring my lunch anymore, especially when this stuff tastes like noodles with ketchup poured over them. Chloe begins to tap her fork impatiently against her plate as she waits for an answer. I continue to take my time, washing the bland lunch down with a sip of milk as I think about my reply.

Finally, I admit, "Mr. Reynolds wants me to start sessions with the school counselor."

"No way!" Chloe eyes widen as if this tidbit is much juicer than she anticipated it to be. "For being late?"

"No. He thinks I'm on the road to becoming a juvenile delinquent."

Lana chokes on her water at the comment and gives me an expression of disbelief. "You're kidding?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" I point toward my backpack at my feet. "He even wrote a letter to my parents that I'm supposed to give them. My first session is today, after school."

Lana's brow furrows and she shoots me a quick look, filled with meaning. Like me, she's wondering how, exactly, I'm supposed to discuss my problems and my feelings. And if I don't communicate, it will likely only make things worse for me. Like the school counselor might decide I need to be put on drugs or something, and then would come doctors' visits and more complications and maybe my parents should have just considered home-schooling to begin with?

Chloe waves a hand in dismissal. "Eh. It'll be nothing, H.C. You'll see. You'll be asked how you feel about school, how you're doing, do you have friends, do you have suicidal urges, stuff like that. It's par for the course. If you weren't considered psycho, you wouldn't be a teenager."

"I've never been told to visit the school counselor," Lana points out.

"Exactly." Chloe pops a French fry into her mouth and smiles.

Lana makes a face at her before turning back to me. "I'm sure Chloe's right, Hudson. Everything will be fine. And I'm sure your parents will understand. Who knows? They could tell Principal Reynolds that they don't feel you need to talk to anyone and the sessions will end. Just make it through today, and you can have your parents step in for you."

"Right." I push the spaghetti away and start in on the chocolate pudding.

"Oh! H.C., do you think you could handle the story on the basketball try-outs this afternoon?" Chloe asks, pulling her bag on to the table to dig through it. "I'm supposed to meet with my contact at the Ledger about that story they ran on the farm animal attacks last week."

"Yeah, I read about that," Lana comments. "Aunt Nell and I have been careful about locking the barn up tight every night."

"Well, I don't know if it will help or not."

I smirk. "Why? Can our mystery wolf now open doors?"

Chloe shrugs. "Possibly. I'm looking into it. I think we're either dealing with a mutated wolf or a human being who's into animal sacrifices."

"So, it's either a werewolf or a Druid," I quip.

"Oh, wonderful." Lana rolls her eyes. "Chloe, did you ever think of writing a human interest piece sometime? Something happy and positive and full of flowers and puppies?"

"That's why I have H.C." Smiling, Chloe gets to her feet, hooking her purse over her shoulder. "I've got to run by the Torch and get my recorder. See you in Science."

We wave goodbye as Chloe darts off, leaving her tray and half-eaten lunch behind in her haste. I reach out to grab the small plate of fries, making a face at my first bite as I realize they're barely warm. Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see Lana watching me, shaking her head just a little as I continue to eat. She turns away to sort through her books, finally sliding a folder toward me.

"Here are my History notes. We're supposed to have our first test next week."

I nod and glance briefly at her notes, deciding that I can just as easily ask Lex for a quick history lesson. After all, he knows more than any of my teachers do, and he can probably cover a year's worth of Roman history in an hour-long discussion. Maybe less. Lex is brilliant like that.

"You're worried about the counselor session, aren't you?"

I glance up at Lana, brow furrowing at her question. "What makes you think that?"

"Because you just dipped a fry into your milk," she pointed out. "And ate it."

I shudder at the thought, and realize that there is this odd taste in my mouth that isn't entirely unpleasant, but very strange. No longer wishing to drink my now salted milk, I grab Lana's water to wash the flavor away.

"Nice," she comments with a sigh and shake of her head.

"Sorry."

I wipe my mouth and offer the bottle back to her. When she refuses it, I take another sip and go back to playing with my fries, though I make certain to stay away from the milk this time.

"I am a little nervous, I guess," I answer softly. "What if I'm asked something that I can't answer, and then they think I'm psychotic or something?"

Lana laughs. "No one is going to think you're psychotic, Hudson. They'll just chalk it up to you being a surly teenager, I'm sure. You never know – this could turn out to be a good thing. Maybe it will help to talk over the normal, every day teenager issues with someone, so you can deal with your special issues on your own."

"Special issues? Lana, you're already making me sound like a basket case."

"You said it, Hudson. Not me."

I stick my tongue out at her.

**1:35PM**

It's hard not to be a little jealous when I see all of the girls lining up for the girl's basketball try-outs. I mean, I'm not particularly fond of basketball as a sport, and can't imagine being totally dedicated to it, but that doesn't mean I don't wish I could join in, be a member of the team. Be noticed. There's nothing wrong with working on the school paper, it's a step above being a 'band buddy', which thankfully I have no musical talent whatsoever so it was never even considered as an option.

Coach Barrett is the girl's basketball coach. He's the freshman and sophomore gym teacher, and he also teaches Social Studies. He's the only teacher at Smallville High that regularly wears shorts to teach his class in, even in the middle of winter. And you can bribe him if you're late to class or decide to cut class by bringing him Krispy Kreme donuts. I've never met a student who didn't really like him.

"Coach B?" I call out as I approach the stands where he is resting one foot on the first row while watching some of the potential players.

"Kent." He nods as I walk up to him. "Here to try out finally?"

I shake my head regretfully. "No. I'm doing a story on the try-outs for the Torch."

"Damn shame," he replies, standing straight to talk to me. "You tower over more than eighty percent of the girls here. You'd be a natural."

It's nice to hear. "Sadly, I'm not very graceful, Coach. I'd just trip over my own feet constantly, and embarrass the team."

"We'd knock that right out of you." The coach slaps me on the shoulder as he moves past and blows the whistle around his neck. He looks back and tells me, "Stick around, write your story. And maybe I can convince you to give it a shot in the interim."

Smiling, I pull out my notebook and climb up to the third row to sit and watch as Coach Barrett begins dividing the potentials into groups for try-outs. He sets up two teams and pits them against one another, occasionally stopping the game to replace a player, mixing them up until he seems to find the perfect set. Then he pulls one of the groups out and starts all over again. I make a few notes on my paper as to who is present for try-outs, and who I remember from last year's team before quickly losing interest and doodling in the margins. It's one thing to play a sport; it's entirely another to watch try-outs for it. I think Chloe is giving me these kind of assignments to punish me for quitting last year or something.

"Hi, Hudson. Haven't seen you around the gym in a while."

I glance up to see Miss Watson walking up the bleachers to sit beside me. I give her a quick smile. "I've been… wrapped up in other things."

"That's too bad. I keep hoping each year that you'll decide to try-out for the cheerleading squad again."

The thought that she still wants me is kind of thrilling. And tempting, as well. I know that I once said it wasn't important to me anymore, and it really isn't; popularity isn't exactly the highest priority on my agenda. But it would still be fun to be a part of something, to get to know some of my classmates a little better before high school ends and we all move off into our own lives. As it is, the only people I get to know out of my circle of friends are the ones trying to kill me. And those really aren't the kind of memories I want to take with me from my high school years.

"It would be fun," I tell her honestly. "But I don't know if it's for me."

"Well, you'll never know until you try," Miss Watson responds with a smile. "Besides, you're far too bright and likeable to fade into the woodwork like you tend to do. You should be enjoying your high school years, Hudson. Making the most of them."

There's this sneaking suspicion in me that Principal Reynolds has been talking to her. Maybe he's been talking to all of the extracurricular instructors at Smallville High, and next someone will ask me to play on the football team. After all, such a thing isn't totally unheard of in middle Kansas.

"Maybe next year," I lie.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she replies with a smile, patting my knee before she gets up and walks off toward the exit.

Great. Basketball, cheerleading, and counseling. My parents will be so thrilled.

I return my attention to the try-outs, silently making my own picks of which students seem to be the most talented, and those who seem most enthusiastic about playing. There are a few who appear to have never played before, but are showing a natural talent that Coach Barrett is obviously taking an interest in. I recognize two of them, though I think the third is a sophomore. Sometimes, when I sit here and watch my classmates, dressed in their gym shorts and ponytails, and I think of Lex and the time I spend with him – one situation simply doesn't correlate with the other. It's like I live two different lives, as two different people. There's H.C. Kent – quiet student, beloved daughter, deliverer of produce and all-around likeable girl. And then there's Hudson Kent – one-time girlfriend to Lex Luthor, sort of pretty alien with superpowers who likes to run around and save people, and capable of wreaking unexpected havoc when slipped a chunk of red meteor rock.

It's a miracle I don't often confuse the two.

Certain that I have all that I need until the Coach releases his picks for the team, I pack my notebook and pen into my backpack and stand to head back to the Torch office. I still have some time before my session with the school counselor to copy Lana's notes from History and maybe get caught up on my Science homework.

I skirt the edge of the basketball court along the wall, making my way toward the gym doors when I hear a cracking sound above me. Turning, I look up toward the backboard above me, just as one of the girls makes a dunk shot into the hoop. The bolts on the poll either loosen or snap and suddenly the board is falling toward my unsuspecting classmate.

Tossing my backpack away, I race toward her, slowing just as I reach her to push her out of the way of danger. I feel the backboard glance off of my shoulder before it hits the ground, the wood splintering across the floor.

"Kent!"

I turn to see Coach Barrett is sprinting toward us as I reach out to help the girl – I think her name is Samantha – to her feet.

"Kent, are you all right?" He demands.

I nod. "Yeah. Fine."

"But I could have sworn that thing hit you." He reaches out to turn me around, checking my back.

I glance over at Samantha, who thankfully seems to shaken to have seen anything. "No, Coach. Nothing hit me. It was close, though."

He frowns as he turns me back around. "Too close. That was a brave thing to do, but stupid, too." The coach glances at Samantha. "You okay, Howell?"

"Y-yeah." She nods, eyes wide as she looks at the shattered backboard, and then at me. "Thanks for pushing me out of the way, H.C."

I give her a smile. "No problem. By the way, nice dunk."

She grins and I turn to collect my backpack when the coach calls out," Kent? You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Fine, Coach." I give him a quick wave before hurrying out of the gym.

**2:50PM**

The counselor's office is sparse and small, causing me to feel slightly claustrophobic. The shelves are empty, the desk uncluttered, but there are boxes in the corner that lead me to believe the person is new to Smallville High. I also get the feeling that I'm they're first victim. Or whatever. I sure as hell don't want to refer to myself as a patient. I'm just a student who missed a few days, and there is absolutely no reason for me to be here!

Repressing the urge to just get up and walk out considering the consequences of that action would likely be worse, I pull at a thread on my tennis shoes and squirm in the leather chair. The blinds behind the desk are open, and I can see into the parking lot as it fills with students getting into their cars or on the bus to head home. A few are hanging out, sitting on tailgates of pickup trucks, talking and laughing, sneaking cigarettes here and there. I envy them. Hell, I even envy my fellow classmates who are currently sitting in detention.

"Miss Kent? Hudson?"

I turn in the chair to see a man enter through the door behind me, the file that had previously been sitting on Principal Reynold's desk in his hand. He glances down at me, flashes a quick smile as I nod, and then pushes his glasses up on his nose as he moves around behind the desk.

Silently, I examine him, while he does the same to me, though more discreetly, pretending to look through the file when, in fact, his eyes are watching me. He's wearing the most horrid sweater vest known to humankind – it's bad enough that he's wearing one at all, but this particular abomination is in putrid shades of green, yellow and brown. His hair is kind of long, and parted down the middle, causing me to want to refer to him as Moe. I'll probably refrain from doing so, though, because behind the extremely thick bifocal glasses, he's kind of cute, in a Trekkie kind of way.

He finally closes the folder and meets my gaze, offering another small smile. "I'm Dr. Jones, but please feel free to call me J.J."

"Can I call you Indiana, instead?" I ask innocently.

Doctor Jones, or J.J., frowns in apparent confusion. "Pardon?"

Not only does he wear sweater vests, but he isn't up on his pop culture. Sad.

"Nothing." I shrug and slump further into my chair.

"Have you ever visited with a counselor before, Hudson?"

I shake my head. "No."

"Well, I don't want you to worry. I'm harmless." He smiles at his little joke, though it quickly fades when I don't respond. He makes another attempt at gaining my trust by telling me, "I'm new to Smallville. Just moved here last week. It seems like a nice little town. The people are certainly friendly."

"It's okay, I guess."

"Have you lived here all of your life?"

I nod. "My parents have a farm that's been in my dad's family for three generations." I frown as I realize he just succeeded in getting me to speak a full sentence.

"You're adopted, is that correct?"

"What's that have to do with anything?"

J.J. quickly shakes his head and gives me an apologetic smile. "Nothing. I'm just making conversation, Hudson. That's what these sessions are about – talking."

"You're not going to ask me what my childhood was like or anything, are you?"

He chuckles. "Only if you want me to. For now, I think we should just try to get to know one another. It'll make talking a little easier, don't you think?"

"I guess."

I toe the bottom of the desk in front of me for a moment while he continues to watch me. There's something unsettling about him, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I could swear that we've met before, but I would think I'd remember anyone that looked like him. I don't know what it is exactly about Dr. Jones that is making me feel this way, but there's this part of me that I can feel already beginning to trust him, and there's this other part of me that feels he's a threat to me. Maybe it's just the potential of alternately having someone I can talk to who, at the same time, could easily destroy my life if I told him too much.

"Would you like to ask me any questions?"

I consider that, knowing that he phrased it as a question to be nice, when in reality he's demanding that I ask him questions. It's the same psychology all adults like to pull, to make you think that you're in control, when in truth it's the exact opposite. Lex uses it all of the damn time.

"What made you decide to move to Smallville?" I ask curiously.

"That's a good question." He seems mildly surprised. "I wanted to go somewhere a little more quiet and peaceful than the city had to offer."

"I'd think counseling students about bringing guns to school and joining gangs would be infinitely more interesting than discussing their cow-tipping practices."

"I get the feeling there's a lot more going on in the lives of Smallville High's students than just cow-tipping," he comments quietly, eyebrows raising slightly as he regards me.

I shift uncomfortably as he continues, "I've been reading some of the back issues of your school paper, the Torch. There are some interesting stories there." J.J. pauses. "You're a staff member, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Kind of."

"Do you enjoy writing?"

I shrug. "Yeah. I guess. My friend, Chloe, runs the paper. And I kind of do it as a favor to her, since no one else wants to. She's the real reporter. All I'm really good at is sentence structure. She always accuses me of burying the lead, though."

The doctor laughs, and I find myself allowing a slight smile in response. "Do you think this is something you might want to do as a career?"

"No. I don't know. It's not like it's a passion of mine or anything," I tell him.

"What is a passion of yours?"

Lex Luthor.

"Hmmmm… I don't think there's anything I'm really passionate about."

Besides Lex. Well, and taking care of the people I love.

"You're young," he replies with a nod. "You still have time." Another pause as he watches me again, and then, "Do you have a boyfriend, Hudson?"

I suppose that's a harmless question.

"I did," I answer. "We… well, things just didn't work out and we broke it off last year. He, uh… " I don't really need to get into specifics. "We're friends now, though. In fact, he's my best friend."

"I was going to say, it must be tough to see someone you obviously cared about every day at school – "

"Oh, well, he isn't in school. He's… um, older."

"He's in college?"

"Well, no." I swallow and tell him, "He's graduated. He works for his dad. He's… uh, Lex Luthor, actually."

J.J. raises an eyebrow at me. "I think I remember reading something in the paper about a year ago or so. You were at a club together? So, you're _that_ Hudson Kent?"

I force a smile. "Uh, yep. That's me."

He nods, continues to eye me thoughtfully. "It couldn't have been easy, dating someone so much older than you. Not to mention the simple fact of who he is. And the life he leads must be far different from your own."

He's starting to sound like my parents. And every other person who has ever judged the relationship Lex and I have shared. "We worked it out," I respond stiffly. "We've never really noticed those things about each other."

"I see." J.J. glances down at the folder beneath his hands, quietly formulating his next question. "Was his marriage last Spring a factor in your decision to run away?"

Wow. I really walked into that one, didn't I?

"No," I reply quickly.

J.J. stares at me, silently.

"Well, maybe. Partly," I add. "But there were a lot of other things going on in my life that you wouldn't understand."

"Hudson, I know that when you're young it's difficult to believe, but everyone has been a teenager, including myself." He smiles patiently. "You'd be surprised at how much I'd understand."

"You'd be surprised at how much you wouldn't," I snap, and inwardly curse at myself for responding. That was stupid.

Now he's really curious. I can see the questions forming in his eyes, but I think he's realized that I've reached my limit. I don't really want to talk about any of this anymore. Especially if he's going to continue to dwell on my summer in Metropolis. I don't need anyone to remind me of the mistakes I've made. All I need to do is look in the mirror, listening to the thoughts in my head, see my parents or my friends – it all comes back to me. No counselor, no matter what degrees they might hold, is going to sit there and tell me that what I did was wrong. I already know that. And I'm the only one suffering the consequences.

"You know, I kind of need to get home," I tell him. "My parents didn't know I had to stay after school, and they're expecting me to get my chores done."

Doctor Jones seems to consider this, and for a moment I think he's going to deny me, but then he nods and leans back in his chair. "Very well, Hudson. I think we've had a good start." He reaches into a drawer and pulls out a pad of paper, scribbling onto the lines printed into it. "I want to meet with you again next week, same day, same time. Be sure to alert your parents ahead of time that you'll be late. All right?" He holds the appointment slip out to me.

Frowning, I take it from him, glance over his barely-legible scribbles, and shove it into my pocket. "Yeah. Sure."

I plan on having my parents get me out of these stupid sessions anyway.

**3:51PM**

Mom and Dad are in the barn when I get home, still laboring over emptying the boxes that were packed up, and deciding what to throw away. I made a comment the other day that we should be forced to sell the place more often, just to clean out the junk that gets collected. Unfortunately, neither of them thought my joke was very funny.

"Where've you been?" Dad asks as I enter the barn, tossing my backpack onto the work bench. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago."

"I had to stay after school," I explain.

"You didn't get detention again, did you?" Mom flashes me a worried look.

I sigh and pull open a box to begin emptying. "I wish. No, I was late to school this morning – "

"Why were you late?" My dad demands, turning to fix me with a stern gaze. "Lex was driving you – "

"I made him stop because the Miller's barn was on fire."

"I heard about that." Mom offers a smile in my direction. "Luckily, they didn't lose their horses, and now I see that's due to you."

I shake my head. "No, they didn't. But, the detour made me late, and Principal Reynolds was there when I walked in and, well… " Sighing, I move over to my backpack and dig through it for the letter he gave me. Shamefully, I hand it over to my dad.

Turning back to the box, I busy myself putting tools away on the wall over the workbench while my parents read over Principal Reynolds letter. I hear a grunt from my father, and a mew of sympathy from Mom. Unfortunately, they seem to be suppressing the expressions of outrage I was hoping to hear. I lean back against the bench to watch them, waiting for some vindication in my distress at the day's events.

"I think this is a good idea, H.C.," my mom begins, taking the letter from my dad to read over it again before lifting her eyes to mine. "We could all use someone to talk to."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I respond, holding my hands out. "I _can't_ talk to anyone, Mom! You know that. And besides, I'm not crazy!"

"Seeing a counselor doesn't make you crazy, H.C." She laughs. "And while you can't talk to the doctor about certain issues regarding your life – "

"You mean, the _alien_ issues?"

She ignores me and continues, "You can at least talk about school and friends and the usual problems associated with being a teenager."

"But all of those 'usual' problems," I reply with air quotes. "Are tightly wrapped up in those _certain_ issues."

Mom laughs at my careful response, making me frown. I turn to my dad, instead.

"Dad, surely you see how this can't be a good thing, right?"

He rubs a hand over his face, sighing softly, and I'm already dreading his reply.

"Well, H.C., your mom may be right about this. Now, before you go getting yourself all worked up, just hear me out." He waves the letter toward me. "Principal Reynolds has obviously taken an interest in you, and the best thing we could do is just to go along with it, meet with this counselor, answer his questions and have done with it. We don't need to draw any more undue attention to you, H.C. And if your mom and I step in and refuse to allow you to attend these sessions, it might come back to bite us in the you-know-what."

My mouth moves for a moment before I realize nothing is coming out. I'm in shock at his reply. I was certain this would be something they'd back me on. "But… what if he asks me questions I can't answer?"

"I think as long as you keep him focused on school and your social interactions with friends, everything should be fine, H.C.," Mom assures me. "He has no reason to expect that your problems stem from anything other than usual teenage things. If he asks about why you ran away, there's no need to bring up Jor-El or the red Kryptonite."

"Your mom's right, H.C.," my dad agrees with a nod. "It would be safer if you just played along with this. I doubt it will continue very long. They just want to make certain that you aren't going to flunk out of high school, and frankly, I'd like to be certain of the same thing."

"I'm not going to flunk out," I mutter.

My mom walks up to me and gives me a hug, laughing softly. "Don't let it worry you. I'm sure you'll only be expected to attend a few sessions, at most." She pulls back and smiles. "I take it you had your first session today? Was the counselor nice?"

"Yeah. I guess." I shrug. "He seemed familiar somehow, though I can't quite put my finger on it. Anyway, his name is Doctor Jones. We talked about Lex, mostly."

"Is that so?" Dad raises his eyebrows, mouth tightening.

"There you go." Mom pats my arm. "Focusing on boyfriends is what any normal teenage girl would do."

"Except that Lex Luthor is far from the kind of boyfriend any normal teenage girl would have," my dad grunts.

"Oh, speaking of Lex, he called and left a message asking if you'd like to have dinner at the mansion tonight," Mom informs me as she starts out of the barn.

"Can I?" I glance at both her and my dad.

They exchange a quick look, one of those soundless conversations that has everything to do with living together for years and not wanting their daughter to hear what they really want to say. Invariably, my dad will look like he wants to say no, my mom will raise her eyebrows in encouragement and nod a little, he'll sigh and look away, and I'll flash them both one of my ultra-pleading expressions. Rarely have they ever denied me after one of their silent conversations, and it makes me wonder why we don't just skip straight to giving me what I want, and not waste time trying to make hand signals with our eyes.

It must be a parental thing.

They seem to be taking longer than usual to decide, and I'm sure it's because of the letter I just handed them. So, I add, "I missed History this morning because of being in the principal's office and it's on the Roman Empire, which Lex can help me out with. Plus, in English I have – "

"All right, all right," Dad finally agrees, throwing his hands up in resignation. "You can go to Lex's after you finish your chores and help your mom get dinner ready. But you'd better get an 'A' on your next History exam."

I grin. "Yes, sir!"

**5:02PM**

I blame habit for making me enter the mansion through the kitchen door. Ever since I returned to Smallville, I've been hoping to see Dodd, to question him about our encounter in Metropolis. That moment is still in there, with all of the other junk that's crowding my memories, and I want so badly to ask him about it, to ask him what he is, how it was that he could dematerialize like he did, and fly. Is he like me? Are we both Kryptonians? Or was he just affected by the meteors like so many others? If I'd been in my right mind, I would have questioned him then, instead of simply chasing him away. And now, it seems, I may never have the chance to get the answers I seek because he hasn't returned to Smallville.

There's an older guy who's in the kitchen now, a chef from Chicago named Sal. He's overweight and smiles a lot and always seems as if he's been getting into Lex's wine cellar. His apparent love for cooking with garlic will certainly keep the vampires clear of the mansion, if nothing else, and he seems determined to fatten Lex up -- which is a good thing considering he generally forgets to eat most of the time. I also have to give the guy props for his spaghetti which is ten times better than the stuff Dodd used to make.

"There's the little farm girl!" Sal greets loudly, giving me a big smile. I swear, one of these days he's going to start hugging me or something. "Lex informed me that you would be joining us for dinner. I was going to make chicken parmesan but do you know what he told me? That he is ordering out, instead!"

I smile at the indignation in his voice. "Lex doesn't do it often. Consider it a well-deserved vacation."

"Hmph," he snorts loudly. "Can I get you something to drink? A snack?"

"No, thanks." I wave at him as I hurry through the kitchen toward the hall. "I'd better wait to see what Lex has planned for dinner. Talk to you later, Sal!"

Lex is sitting at his desk when I walk into the study, frowning at something on his monitor. I toss my backpack onto the couch before approaching the desk.

"Where's Dodd?"

He glances up at me, and frowns some more. "Well, hello to you too, Hudson. My day was fine. How was yours?"

I roll my eyes. "Hi. It sucked. But seriously, where is he?"

Not even a minute in his presence and already he looks exasperated. I think that's a new record for me.

"I don't know, Hudson." He leans back in his chair. "Apparently Helen must have had him fired. I haven't seen or heard from him since I returned from the island. Why?"

I shrug. No reason to tell Lex anything if Dodd never did. "No reason. Just missed him. Sal's kind of… well, off-his-rocker, you know?"

"Not to mention he puts away a good deal of my wine," Lex mumbles.

I grin and sit down in the chair across from him. "So, what's for dinner?"

"I guess I should be thankful that wasn't the first question out of your mouth."

"Oh, ha. You're about as funny as a chunk of meteor rock, Lex."

He gives me a look that's impossible to interpret, and I find myself wondering if this is how our relationship will be from now on. I'm never really going to know what he's thinking, and I'll second guess everything, and he'll be equally certain that I'm always keeping things from him, or that there's a hidden meaning behind everything I say. It's like walking on egg shells, and I hate it. But, I tell myself again that I have to give it time; I have to give us time. I can't expect everything to magically be better overnight.

"We're having sushi," he responds finally, nodding toward the corner.

I follow his gaze to see a little table set up that I hadn't noticed on the way in. "Sushi?" I make a face. "The last time we had that, you made me drink acetone."

"That was saki, Hudson. And you don't have to drink it if you don't want to." He pauses as I turn back to face him, and inclines his head toward the couch. "I take it you have homework?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Well, mostly I just had to give my parents a good excuse for coming over." I stretch my legs out in front of me and settle down into the chair. "But, if you feel yourself longing for a little reminiscing of your time in high school, you could give me a lecture on the fall of the Roman Empire, or help me pick a poem to read and decipher to the class."

Lex smiles, standing to move over to the bar and pour himself a glass of scotch. "Sounds like you had quite a day."

"You don't know the half of it!" I lean forward, resting my chin on my hand. "When I arrived this morning, Reynolds was waiting for me, like some predator ready to pounce. And then you know what he does? He tells me I have to start seeing a counselor! Can you believe it? Like I'm crazy or something!"

"I'd think Reynolds was conversing with my father, if I didn't know how much he hated him."

"Huh?"

Lex turns to face me, leaning back against the bar. "My father made the same request of me. He's claiming that Luthorcorp's insurance company won't sign off on me because of everything I've recently experienced. I'm a risk. And they want me to see a psychiatrist."

I can't help but find the humor in the situation, and smile up at him. "Well, I guess we might as well be crazy together, huh?"

"You can be crazy without me," he replies. "I told my father where to stick it."

I laugh. "Oh, I can't imagine he liked that at all. What'd he do?"

Lex shrugs. "He hasn't done anything yet, though I imagine he may decide that I can't work for him. And I'm reaching the point that I don't really give a damn anymore, not if I have to keep jumping through all of these hoops to do it." He takes a sip of his scotch before asking, "What about you? I can't imagine that your parents would agree to such a thing, considering."

"That's what I thought," I tell him with a sigh. "But they think it will be a good idea, and maybe they have a point. If we argue against it, it might raise more suspicions or they'd send child services after me or something. I guess I shouldn't go rocking any boats or anything until I'm at least eighteen."

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'm sure you're getting a lot of this undo attention from Reynolds because of me."

"I'm sure running away and missing the first week of school this year didn't help any."

"It's possible." Lex glances up as one of his housestaff enters the room.

"Mr. Luthor, your dinner has arrived. Shall I have it brought in here?"

Lex nods and I get to my feet to grab a bottle of water from the small refrigerator.

"Hungry?" He asks me as I move to stand beside him and watch as two Asian men enter, carrying a stack of containers between them.

"Even acetone is better than nothing," I reply with a grin.

"Brat," he mutters before taking my hand and pulling me toward the table.

**7:35PM**

"So, then he burnt this… symbol into my chest. It stands for the House of El – my father's family, I guess. And he told me I had to obey him or everyone I cared about would be hurt." I sigh and pick up my chopsticks to play with the tuna sashimi on my plate. "That was when I got the bright idea to destroy the ship, in the hope that it would make him go away."

Lex has been silent the last few minutes, simply listening to me as I fill him in on some of the gaps regarding who and what I am. He takes a sip of saki, brow creasing slightly in a frown as he reclines back across some silk pillows, still watching me. He's like some king regarding his subject, and god there are times when I think my heart will burst with love for him.

"And that didn't turn out very well," he comments softly.

"Not beyond putting a huge crater in the ground, knocking out the power around town and killing my mom's baby."

"That wasn't your fault, Hudson. You need to stop blaming yourself."

"That's… not an easy thing to do."

Lex reaches out and lays his hand over mine. The tips of his fingers are warm, and caress my skin gently. "I know. Sometimes guilt seems like the lesser evil, as opposed to admitting you made a mistake and moving on."

It's another one of those traits we have in common, Lex and I. Ever since the day we met at the bridge, I've known he wears his guilt for various infractions like a mantle around him, protecting him from admitting to the fact that he might be just as fallible as anyone else. And only recently have I come to realize that I do the same, that maybe I hold myself on some higher plane because I have these super abilities and I should be more careful and I shouldn't allow the people around me to be hurt, ever. My mom and dad would tell me that being an alien doesn't mean I have to hold myself to higher standards than everyone else around me. For some reason, I really don't think Lex holds that same opinion. After all, if, as a Luthor, he should be so different, than certainly he believes the same of someone who isn't even human?

And that just worries me that I won't always be able to live up to his expectations, now that he knows the truth.

"I talked about you… well, us, with Dr. Jones today," I admit quietly, my hand turning over beneath his to catch his fingers between mine.

"I thought my ears were burning." Lex allows a small smile. "What did you tell him?"

I shrug. "Just that we've never really looked at the huge differences that exist between our lives and ages and stuff. It's not like I can admit to the whole different species thing."

"Mmm. If you did, he'd probably think _I_ was the one who wasn't human."

"Does it bother you?" I ask, meeting his gaze. "I mean, do you find it creepy or anything?"

His fingers squeeze mine. "No. Nothing like that." He sets his empty cup to the side and sits up, facing me. "It's fascinating, actually; how you're so strong and invulnerable, yet you're one of the most gentle people I've ever known."

"I'm not always gentle," I remind him.

Lex frowns, and nods slightly, gaze turning inward as he grows silent and thoughtful. I want to ask him what he's thinking, but a part of me is afraid to hear it. He's still working all of this stuff out in his mind, and I can only imagine what half of his thoughts are. It's not like I probably haven't thought of them myself, but it's still a little frightening to know that he's sitting there, contemplating the fact that I'm an alien and I can perform all of these feats of strength and speed and really, when it comes right down to it, no one can stop me.

That's my greatest fear. And I wonder, too, if that same fear doesn't live in the hearts of my parents, and Lana, and Lex.

As if uncomfortable by the sudden silence between us, Lex shifts, pulling away from me and climbing to his feet. He holds his hand out to help me up.

"So, what is this homework you need to do?" He asks, moving over to the couch where he sits and watches me.

"It's for English." I follow him over and open my backpack, rifling through it for the worksheet with the information on the project. "We were supposed to find a poem that 'speaks' to us or whatever, present it to the class, and explain what it means to us." I pull out a book and hand it to him. "This was something I checked out of the library but everything in it is so stupid. None of it means anything to me, that's for certain."

Lex chuckles as he reads, "'Best Loved Poems of the American People'." He glances over at me and shakes his head. "You can't really expect to find a poem with any meaning in a compilation, Hudson. Most of these are nursery rhymes to read to a child."

I roll my eyes. "I tried reading through one of Lana's books… Donne somebody or other – "

"John Donne."

"Yeah. Him. But it put me to sleep. I slept right through Lab today."

"Reading a poem silently instead of saying a poem is like the difference between staring at sheet music and actually humming or playing the music on an instrument," Lex responds, and I can tell by his voice and inflection that it's another quote.

I make a face. "So you're trying to tell me that if I read these stupid things out loud, they'll somehow sound better?"

Lex watches me silently for a long moment, and then begins, "Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she's got the Mercedes Benz, she's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends. How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat, some dance to remember, some dance to forget."

"Wait. I know that." I frown as I think it over, repeating the words in my head before it finally hits me, and I glare at Lex. "Hey! That's 'Hotel California'."

He nods. "Sounds a little different when not paired with music, doesn't it? Maybe not as appealing?"

"I didn't know you listened to the Eagles."

"Show me a fifteen-year old teenager that hasn't," he responds as he stands and moves toward the book shelves near the door. "But that's not the point, Hudson."

"You mean, you have one?"

He pauses to give me one of his trademark 'You will bow before the wrath of me!' looks, before continuing, "Lyrics need music, just like poetry needs to be spoken aloud to have it's greatest impact."

"Oh." I glance at the book from the library and doubt that any of those could be saved by being read out loud.

"Here." Lex walks back over to the couch, sitting beside me and handing me another book, open to a specific page. "This was my mother's favorite."

"_Leaves of Grass_." I nod. "I remember you telling me about it. Walt Whitman, right?" I ask, checking the cover.

"Yes. This particular poem… " Lex hesitates and I glance up to find him watching me. His mouth tightens into a thin line as he admits, "It reminds me of you."

"Me?" My voice most certainly did not just squeak!

"Read it."

He stands and moves toward the bar, away from me, and I can see the tension in the set of his shoulders. He just gave away one of those secrets he so often closely guards. A little shiver runs through me and I glance down at the page.

"Aloud, Hudson," he reminds me from across the room.

"Oh. Right." I take a breath, and begin, _"Whoever you are, I fear you are walking the walks of dreams, I fear these supposed realities are to melt from under your feet and hands; Even now, your features, joys, speech, house, trade, manners, troubles, follies, costume, crimes, dissipate away from you. Your true Soul and Body appear before me. They stand forth out of affairs—out of commerce, shops, law, science, work, forms, clothes, the house, medicine, print, buying, selling, eating, drinking, suffering, dying…"_

I pause, frowning, and suddenly Lex is standing over me, hand cupping my chin, continuing in a hushed voice, "_Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you, that you be my poem; I whisper with my lips close to your ear, I have loved many women and men, but I love none better than you_."

Swallowing at the sudden warmth in the room, I look back down at the poem quickly, noting he said each word perfectly. The next stanza catches my eye and I find myself reciting to him, "_O I have been dilatory and dumb; I should have made my way straight to you long ago; I should have blabb'd nothing but you," _I raise my eyes back to his and whisper_, "I should have chanted nothing but you_."

Lex's fingers are stroking my jaw line now, and it's the damned anticipation that's killing me. I know that look in his eyes, I've seen it so many times before, but I didn't believe it would ever be focused on me again. I thought that maybe I'd killed it between my lies and the truth. Except now he's looking at me just like he did earlier with the sushi, like he's going to play with me for a bit, stroke me with his chopsticks and catch me on his tongue and swallow me down all in one bite. And I'm using every ounce of control I have stored up within me not to be the one to make the first move, to just sweep him up in my arms and race for his bedroom and take everything that has been denied to me for so long. I quietly school myself to wait, though, because I know that Lex needs to be in control here. If I take that away from him now, I may never get him back.

Lex crouches down in front of me, glass of scotch held carelessly in the hand between his legs while the other continues to stroke my jaw, fingers trailing down my neck.

"_I will leave all, and come and make the hymns of you; None have understood you, but I understand you; None have done justice to you—you have not done justice to yourself; None but have found you imperfect—I only find no imperfection in you; None but would subordinate you—I only am he who will never consent to subordinate you; I only am he who places over you no master, owner, better, God, beyond what waits intrinsically in yourself_."

I suck in a sharp breath at the words of the poem, and then his mouth is on mine and everything else is forgotten. He presses my legs apart, situating himself between my thighs while his hand curls in my hair and tugs me close. For a moment, I wish that I could feel pain, just to know what it's like to have him holding me like this, so possessively, and angrily. I can feel the heat of his remaining anger emanating from his skin, and I pretend that it burns me, like my father branded me with his name. Beneath Lex's onslaught, all I can do is respond; it's all that I want to do.

God, I'd forgotten how completely I belong to him.

"Lex… " I want to tell him it's okay to hurt me, that I deserve no less. "Lex… "

"Shhh." His teeth clamp down on my lower lip and he pulls until I meet his gaze.

"Don't ruin this," he whispers before kissing me again, gentling only slightly as if fearing he might have caused me pain.

I know he's right. Any words spoken now would only destroy what I know we both desperately want. There's been enough of recriminations, of guilt and accusations passed between us. What really matters is that we're past all of that; we've made it, we're here now, and we both still want and need each other.

**9:52PM**

I stomp into the kitchen and toss my backpack into the corner before toeing off my tennis shoes. It's tempting to slam the door behind me, but the kitchen light is off and it's quiet in the house, which means my parents are likely in bed. The last thing I need to do is wake my dad up and have him asking me all kinds of questions about homework and what happened over at the mansion. Especially when I'm just mad enough to tell him the truth.

Moving toward the front room to turn off the light my parents left on for me, I stop when I see my mom sitting in the easy chair, reading a book. She looks up and gives me a weary smile.

"Hi, honey. You're home early."

I look around for my dad as I plop onto the couch. "Yeah. Where's Dad?"

"He went to bed early." Mom sets her book on the end table, pausing for a moment before she adds, "He gets tired so easily lately. Ever since Jor-El… "

She trails off and that familiar flash of guilt echoes through me. I've noticed the same changes that she has, but I've tried to pretend they weren't really there. Dad sleeps a lot more than he used to, and sometimes during chores I'll see him just stop, and stand some where, like he's resting. It scares me; I'm so used to my dad being the hardest working person I've ever known.

"How was your evening?" Mom asks in a thinly veiled attempt to change the subject.

I shake my head. "Men are asses and I don't see the point in their existence."

My mom laughs. "I take that to mean you and Lex had a fight?"

"He's a jerk. And a selfish ass. And lots of other things I'd get in trouble for saying."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I rub at my eyes, sighing. "I don't know. I guess. It's just… it's like he's never going to let the fact that I kept the truth from him for so long go…."

_The kissing had been nice. More than nice. I was all prepared to tell my parents that the homework took longer than I thought it would when Lex suddenly pulled away and stood up. He turned and moved toward his desk, and told me over his shoulder, "Well, I think you've found a poem you can work with."_

_I just sat there, like a bump on a log, unable to think of anything to say. Lex sat down at his desk and focused his attention on the monitor; I pulled out my notebook and began copying the poem. This continued for the next hour, this strained silence between us until I just wanted to jump up and scream at the top of my lungs. When I finally moved from the couch to put the book of poetry away, I seemed to find my voice again and marched over to confront him._

"_Why did you do that?" I demanded._

_He just smiled at me, like he does when he's inordinately pleased with himself and pissed off at the same time, and he replied, "Now you know how it feels to be teased, to have something dangled in front of you and yet, never quite getting it."_

_I thought my head was going to explode. "I gave the damned truth, Lex. What more do you want from me?"_

_Lex shrugged. "Maybe one day you'll get lucky, and I'll give in, too…."_

"So I called him an ass and left," I tell her, concluding my story.

My mom shakes her head, smiling at me as she reaches out to pat my knee. "You learned your subtlety from your father, didn't you?"

"Well, seriously, Mom. It was rude."

"I'm not defending what he did, H.C., or his behavior in all of this. But I do think you need to take a moment with each of his outbursts to think how all of this must be making him feel. Aren't you the one always telling me that until you came along, Lex really had no one in his life he could trust? And then he even has that _one person_ ripped away from him when he finds out you've been keeping this secret from him for so long. He's not going to just 'get over it' because you want him to."

I sigh, digging my toes into the rug beneath the coffee table as I think about what she's saying. "I know you're right. It's just… I'm so ready for everything to be okay between us and I think he knows that and now he's just using it to get back at me."

Mom flashes me a sympathetic look. "Sadly, I don't think he's been taught any other way to react, H.C. The only acceptable way to express your hurt is to hurt that person back." She pauses and purses her lips. "Sometimes I can't believe I worked for that monster of a father of his."

"I think it's hard for any of us to accept that Lionel Luthor really is as bad as the rumors say." I meet her gaze. "But Lex isn't like him, Mom."

She hesitates a moment before giving me a small smile and nodding. "I know, honey." Standing, she reaches behind the chair to turn out the light. "Come on. Let's get to bed. Maybe you can actually try to make it to school on time tomorrow?"

I say goodnight to my mother in the hall before heading into my bedroom and shutting the door behind me. Of course, I know she's right when it comes to giving Lex the time he needs to forgive me and allow us to move on. I do think we took a great step tonight when I allowed him complete control of the situation - even if I didn't respond very well by the end of it. Still, it's frustrating because I miss him so much. Having him kiss me tonight was just like that feeling you get when you've gone all day without food and you suddenly remember you haven't eaten and now you're starving and you take that first bite and swear it was the best thing you've ever tasted. And I totally don't think I'm exaggerating because Lex's kisses are just like that. I could live off of them.

As I change into my nightshirt, I imagine that – being a part of Lex's life day in and day out, kissing him whenever the need and desire strikes me, never having to go home, and knowing that he'll always be there. I can lay here in bed, and think about being married to him, and still be angry as hell at the way he treated me tonight. I guess that's what love is like. I guess that's why we continue to make it through so much together. I don't think it's possible for us to ever give up on each other.

The phone rings, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I jump to grab it before it wakes my father up.

"Hello?" I glance at the clock, wondering who would be calling this late.

"Hudson."

I consider hanging up on him, and I know that's about as childish a response as I could possibly conceive. Sure, my mom was right in that he has good reason to still be angry with me but I just hope, for his sake, that no one slips me any red Kryptonite as long as he keeps this crap up. I'd be far too tempted to get my own revenge in on his ass.

"Lex," I respond stiffly, laying back against the bed to stare up at the ceiling. "What do you want?"

I'm sure it's more than I could possibly hope for to hear an apology from him.

"What happened tonight… things got out of hand, Hudson."

"Oh? So, now you're going to just take it all back? Pretend it never happened?" I ask, unable to stave off the hurt and anger. A part of me wonders if maybe he doesn't really care about me like he once did, and I've simply been tricked into believing it.

"No, I didn't say that," he responds calmly. "What happened – it's what I wanted. I took what I wanted, do you understand that, Hudson? And I'd do the same damn thing again if given the chance.

"I miss touching you, Angel," he admits, albeit grudgingly by the tone of his voice. "I've missed the warmth of your mouth. And I would have taken it further but I realized what I was doing wasn't for the right reasons. I was still too angry with you. That's what I mean when I say things got out of hand."

Tears burn my eyes and throat. I bite my lip to keep from screaming. "You're going to hate me for the rest of my life because I lied to you, aren't you?"

"Dammit, Hudson," Lex snaps in frustration. "I don't hate you – God, not even close! My feelings for you haven't changed, but that doesn't make any of this any easier. Can't you understand that?"

I roll over onto my side, cradling the phone close to my cheek as I close my eyes. "Yes," I whisper, trying to understand what he's feeling. I know I can only marginally begin to do so. "I wish that it wasn't all so complicated."

Lex makes a noise of agreement. "Yes, it is complicated, Angel. But you were the one that taught me how to have faith in us. I find myself hoping that you haven't abandoned that now?"

"No!" I tell him earnestly, sitting up and wiping at the tears on my face. "More than anything I believe in us; I know that we can make it through this."

"Good. Because the moment Hudson Kent gives up, the world's in a lot of trouble."

I smile at his words, sniffling slightly.

"You're not crying, are you?"

"No."

Lex chuckles. "Get some sleep, Angel. I'll pick you up again in the morning."

"Okay. Uh… Lex?"

"Hmmm."

"I do love you. I hope you know that."

There's a moment of silence, and then, "_Sometimes with one I love, I fill myself with rage, for fear I effuse unreturn'd love; But now I think there is no unreturn'd love—the pay is certain, one way or another_."

My brow furrows as I try to make sense of the words. "Is that Whitman, again?"

"Goodnight, Angel," he replies.

And the phone goes dead in my ear.


	32. My First Taste: Genesis

**GENESIS**

**EPISODE TWENTY-TWO**

_We often do good in order that we may do evil with impunity. _

**_Francois De La Rochefoucauld_**

Lionel Luthor slid his identification card through the slot, frowning impatiently while the computer processed his code, correlated it with his password and finally sent the necessary signal for the door in front of him to open. The highly automated and vastly secure facility was located in the West Bottoms; just one of dozens of old, dilapidated structures that once housed ornate department stores and expensive apartments back in the 1920's. During that time period, Metropolis had only a fledgling downtown, while it's twin across the river, Kansas City, was at its prime – cattle money filled its coffers while the sweet sounds of Jazz filled the air. Sadly, once the stockyards closed their doors, Kansas City stagnated, and eventually people began to migrate across the river to Metropolis, where a spark of new life and enterprise was just taking hold.

Luthorcorp was responsible for seeding much of that life. Its foundations were built at the very moment the rest of the country began to notice the city. And once Luthorcorp became the city's largest employer, feeding the thriving economy and making waves in corporate circles all over the world, Metropolis was well-prepared to take its rightful place at the helm of America's most influential and populated cities. It outshined the Big Apple, and had more stars in its crown than the City of Angels. And Lionel was well aware of his large part in creating the city's destiny; even if there were those who might forget it, he would not. Like a king of a small country, he jealously guarded both land and denizens of Metropolis as if each and every molecule that created them belonged to him, were owned by him. He was loathe to relinquish control of his domain, even if it were to his own flesh and blood. This was why certain measures were being set in motion in order to assure his continued dominance.

There were those who might refer to Lionel as an evil man, but he preferred to see himself as a pragmatist – there was nothing he wasn't prepared for, no recourse that he didn't already have a plan waiting in the wings for. Occasionally, life enjoyed matching his will in a game of chess, to which he always came out the victor. Even death was a dominion that would hold no sway over Lionel Luthor, of that he would make certain. Little scared him; such certainty came with the power and wealth that was at his fingertips. Lionel knew that there were those who claimed he'd sold his soul to the Devil, but such rumors were complete and utter nonsense. There was nothing, not man or beast or nature itself, that had such control over him. Besides, if anyone was the holder of souls, it was him.

"Mr. Luthor." Dr. Teng turned in her chair to stand and greet him as he entered the lab. "We weren't expecting you."

"I'm on my way to Smallville," he explained, glancing over the charts laid out on the table. "And thought I would stop in to check on the subject."

"Everything is on schedule. At the current feeding rate, the subject should be a full grown, healthy adult male within four months."

"I would prefer to test him away from the lab before we reach that stage, doctor," Lionel informed her, picking up one of the spreadsheets and glancing over the data. "It's important that we know the body is able to function away from feeding tubes and lab tests."

"Of course, Mr. Luthor. But aren't you afraid he will be discovered?"

Lionel smiled. "That's part of the test, Dr. Teng."

She frowned, apparently not understanding his plans; unfortunately for her, Lionel had no intention of sharing them for the moment.

He handed the spreadsheet he was holding over to her. "And what of the procedure?"

"We had our second successful surgery yesterday," Teng informed him. "The primates have responded perfectly. But, I would feel much more comfortable, Mr. Luthor, testing on something a little more advanced than monkeys."

Lionel raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Dr. Teng, are you suggesting that you wish to move the testing of this procedure on to human subjects?"

She shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze, her personal moral structure obviously at war with her scientific mind. Besides, Lionel knew that she very much wanted to be paid – she had debts back in her own country that needed to be cleared before she could ever hope to return home. An unsuccessful procedure meant no payment. And for Lionel, it meant a whole hell of a lot worse.

Smiling at her inability to form a reply to his answer, Lionel assured her, "I'm certain my people can locate some… willing subjects for your tests. I should have them to you by next week."

Teng let out a soft breath and nodded, but still seemed unwilling to speak.

"Is there anything else that you need to complete your work, Doctor?"

She shook her head. "No. Everything is proceeding according to schedule."

Nodding, Lionel stepped away from her, moving up to the plate glass that overlooked the tiny, enclosed sterile environment. A technician was monitoring life signs on the equipment, while a nurse hovered beside the incubator. Cradled within the confines lay an infant, ten months old in appearance, five days old in reality. Lionel smiled at the child, pleased to see how healthy and active he appeared to be.

"Are the programs working successfully?" He inquired.

Teng stepped up beside him. "We began feeding them into the child's brainwaves yesterday. All preliminary tests suggest that he will have a post-graduate education, as well as full knowledge of each of the skills you proposed by the time he reaches adulthood."

"Good." Lionel smiled. "I would hate the young man's body to be out of shape because he wasn't properly trained in physical fitness."

The doctor glanced up at him, expression guarded. "I would warn you again, Mr. Luthor, that what you wish to do is dangerous and could end up in your death."

"I have faith in you, Doctor Teng," Lionel replied, turning to head toward the exit. He looked over his shoulder at her. "Besides, better to die in the pursuit of science than as a feeble man in his bed. Hmmm?"

* * *

"…Scientists are calling today's impact one of the most significant astronomical events of the last century. The enormous solar flare has already caused power surges and... "

"Lex? Hey, Lex, are you hearing this?"

"I'm not deaf, Hudson," came the reply from behind the desk. "But I _am_ busy."

"According to NASA, the sun took a direct hit from a comet today," she informed him from her perch on the couch in front of the TV. It was a small concession Lex allowed her when he was too busy to join her in the theatre – he had a TV brought in so she could spend time with him in the study. Even though she was really supposed to be studying.

"It's caused one of the biggest solar flares ever to be recorded."

"Mmmm. And this affects me how?"

She flashed him a quick frown over her shoulder. "I'm just saying. It's kind of a relief to hear about a cosmic disaster that has nothing to do with me."

"Hudson, you _are_ a cosmic disaster."

"Oh, I get it. Too busy to hear about anything interesting, but not too busy to insult me." She shifted on the couch to face him. "Lex, let's do something."

"You're supposed to be doing your homework," he commented, not looking up from the monitor.

"I've done most of it…"

"Most isn't all." He glanced over at her. "Finish all of it, and we'll go somewhere."

"Promise?"

Lex sighed with annoyance but gave her a quick smile. "Promise."

Hudson looked back at the TV, catching more information about the solar flares before returning her attention to the book and paper on her lap. She should have been thankful that she was getting this time with Lex, whether they were actually having any fun or not. He spent so much time in Metropolis anymore that she hardly ever had the chance to see him. It would be easy for her to run to the city over lunch or on the weekends, but both Lex and her parents had cautioned her against doing so too often; it increased her chances of someone noticing her frequent and too-fast trips. Only on those evenings when Lex decided to return to Smallville earlier than midnight did Hudson get the chance to come over, sit with him in the study and enjoy a little time together. When they couldn't actually talk, she at least had the pleasure of knowing that Lex still wanted her presence in the room.

Quickly, she sped through the rest of her math problems, and then tucked her book away, announcing, "Done!"

Lex glanced up and gave her a frustrated expression before closing his laptop. "Very well. What would you like to do?"

Hudson nibbled on her lip for a moment before suggesting, "Well, I could take you on a trip… "

He raised an eyebrow at the suggestion but didn't reply.

Encouraged by his reaction, she continued, "I mean, I don't know how it works but somehow when I have someone with me, the speed doesn't affect them or hurt them or anything. And then you could see how fast I go and we could go somewhere cool like LA or New York or something."

"Interesting proposition." Lex stood and walked over to the couch, slipping his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he stared down at her. "I'm a bit surprised at the offer, though."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I'm not certain. Perhaps because you've kept the majority of your abilities to yourself. Sure, you've told me about them, but you haven't exactly been forthcoming with the demonstrations."

Hudson glanced down at her hands. "I… I guess it's because I can't help but feel like a circus freak or something, you know? I just… I don't want to be put on display."

Lex reached out to take her hand, pulling her to her feet. "I would never put you on display, Hudson," he told her softly, fingers moving to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I can't help my curiosity. And I'm not going to apologize for that."

"You shouldn't have to." She shook her head and tried to smile. "You've been very patient with me. And I think I'm ready to share it all with you."

Smiling slowly, Lex began, "I'm glad to – "

"Well, there's a delightful face I haven't seen in a while."

Hudson jumped back from Lex as Lionel strode into the study, fear immediately flowing through her with his presence. She would never allow herself to forget that he had had her blood in his possession, and while it was entirely possible that he didn't know it was hers, there was still the chance that Helen told him before handing it over. Nothing explained why he hadn't come after her or done anything about it yet, and Hudson feared doing something that might change his mind.

"How have you been, Miss Kent?"

"Ummm, fine. Thank you, Mr. Luthor." She turned and quickly began shoving her homework into her backpack. "I probably ought to get home, Lex. Mom is expecting me for dinner. Thank you for the help with my schoolwork."

Lex nodded and took her arm, guiding her toward the door. "I'll stop by later," he told her softly, hand slipping around her back, briefly caressing. "I'm sure he won't be here long."

"Okay." Hudson turned, smiling up at Lex nervously before leaning up to kiss his cheek. "See you."

Quickly, she hurried down the hall toward the door.

Lex watched her go, silently mulling over the change in her reluctance to share her life with him. Just knowing the truth should have been enough, but he was quickly discovering that wasn't the case. He wanted to be a part of it all, to know everything; the Kents really couldn't protect her the way that he could, but he needed information in order to do so. She was reticent when questioned about her biological parents and the planet she came from, and he hoped that her decision to truly share her abilities with him would mean a change in that as well. He understood that she didn't know everything just yet, but was hoping that with his help, her cooperation and a lot of research, he'd be able to help her understand how she got to Earth, why she was there and what her presence meant.

"I'm surprised to see you've renewed your acquaintanceship with Miss Kent," Lionel intoned behind Lex, the unmistakable clinking of the brandy decanter following his words.

Lex turned, shrugging as he watched his father pour the liquor into a tumbler. "There was nothing to renew. Our friendship was never called into question."

"Even after everything that happened with Helen?" Lionel raised his eyebrows in surprise. "She must be a very understanding young woman." He took a quick swallow of the brandy and waved a hand toward his son. "How was your session with Dr. Foster?"

Walking back over to his desk, Lex replied, "Fine. She hasn't declared me insane yet, if that's what you're looking for."

"And I would never expect her to do so," Lionel told him with a slight frown. "If I could relieve you from the sessions, I would, son, but Lloyd's of London – "

"Yes, I've heard it all before," Lex interrupted, busying himself with papers that didn't need to be rearranged. He noticed that a page of Hudson's notes on the Fall of the Rome had slipped in between his outline on research development at the plant. There were barely-legible scribbling scrawled across the lines, interrupted by the occasional doodle of birds, rabbits, slightly square-shaped cows and a car that had vroom-vroom! written after it. In the margins were the words '_Lex knows more than the text books_' and '_**His** Empire would certainly never have fallen_'. He grinned as he remembered having said those comments to her during their lesson.

"You say that as if you don't believe me." Lionel was staring at Lex, scowling slightly over the tumbler as he took a sip.

Lex lifted his gaze at his father's words, a biting retort on the tip of his tongue. He held it in check, reminding himself that earning his father's animosity after having settled things between them was not the goal. There were things to be learned from Lionel Luthor, be they good or bad, and if he ever wanted to one day best the man, he was going to have to learn to think like him. Whether or not such a thing were possible remained to be seen. Sometimes Lex didn't believe his father thought along the same lines as normal people.

"Why wouldn't I believe you, Dad?" Lex asked, folding Hudson's sheet of notes up and slipping it into his pocket. "It isn't like you've lied to me before or anything."

"And things were going so well," Lionel lamented, spreading his hands before him. "It seems whenever you spend time with Miss Kent, you come away with an attitude, son."

Lex chuckled at that. "The farm girl teaches the rich boy how to have an attitude?" He scoffed. "That's stretching it, even for you."

Lex glanced up to find Lionel smirking slightly, gaze unfocused and thoughtful. Something about the look bothered him, but he couldn't explain why. Maybe it was simply their discussion about Hudson that left him uneasy. He didn't want his father thinking about her, let alone discussing her. In fact, the further he could keep his father from the Kents, the happier and safer he'd feel.

* * *

Lex had barely rapped his knuckles against the screen door when Martha Kent was already calling out to him to come on inside. Pulling the door open, he stepped into the kitchen only to realize the family was smack in the middle of preparing for dinner – Martha darting back and forth between the stove and refrigerator, Hudson chopping vegetables at the center island, and Jonathan washing his hands in the sink.

"I'm sorry," Lex instantly apologized. "I didn't realize it was so close to your evening meal."

Hudson rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, please. Your special high-powered Luthor nose picked up the scent of taco meat back at the mansion. You knew damn well what time it was."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response, Hudson Kent," Lex replied blandly, refusing to show the shades of his embarrassment at such an accusation to the Kents.

Martha gave Hudson a playful smack as she moved past her. "Our daughter seems to believe that since she lives her life for eating, everyone else should as well." She stopped in front of the stove and picked up a plastic fork to stir at the beef that was simmering in the frying pan. "You're free to join us, Lex. There's plenty of food."

"I don't want to impose –" His comment ended abruptly as a chunk of onion slapped him on the cheek. He caught it before it fell to the floor and tossed it onto the island before glaring over at Hudson, who was the only one in the kitchen currently chopping onions.

"You know it's no imposition, Lex," Martha laughed and shook her head. "After all, weren't you the one asking to be a part of this family? Take your coat off and stay awhile."

"Yeah. You can chop the lettuce." Hudson held up the head of crisp, green lettuce and waved it at him.

The whole idea of a family preparing a meal together was one Hudson had introduced to Lex. As were homemade tacos. As a teen in Metropolis, Lex had spent more than his share of late nights visiting Taco Bell after a particularly good buzz. He'd never touched Mexican food in any other form until dinner with Hudson and her family when they first became friends, and he discovered homemade tacos were one of her favorite foods. After a sampling, Lex was surprised to discover they could be considered one of his favorite foods, too. Then again, the Kents were also responsible for introducing him to the truth of the existence of aliens, so he supposed it all kind of made sense in some weird way.

As usual, Jonathan didn't say anything one way or the other as to Lex being welcome to dinner, but he did nod as he walked by him and gave him some semblance of a smile. Slipping off his light jacket, Lex hung it beside the door, then moved over to join Hudson.

"Watch this," she told him, and her hand moved so fast that it was little more than a blur as it finished chopping the onion in less than a second.

"H.C., stop playing in the kitchen," her mother admonished. "It's too dangerous."

"Like I'd let the knife slip and cut Lex open, spewing his guts all over my food and effectively ruining my dinner," she huffed.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to ruin your dinner with my death or anything," Lex remarked sarcastically.

She gave him a grin, then held the knife out to him, handle first. "Here. You can do the honors with the lettuce." She paused, eyeing him a moment. "You, uh, do remember how, right?"

Lex snatched the knife from her hand and set the head of lettuce in place on top of the cutting board. He glanced over at the tiny slivers of onion once more, wondering if the amazing feats that Hudson performed would ever become less than astounding. Thinking it doubtful, he carefully began slicing the lettuce into perfect uniform strips, receiving a groan of annoyance from the girl beside him for his trouble.

"I'm sorry about my father's impromptu visit," he told her softly after a few seconds passed silently between them.

She shrugged and leaned her chin on her hand as she watched him work. "I had to get home for chores anyway. What did he want?"

"He claims he just wanted to check up on me. But I doubt he came all of the way out here to do what he could have done with a phone call." Lex flashed her a quick look. "According to my people, he's been spending a lot more time out at the caves, lately."

"Your people?" Hudson's voice was a hushed whisper. "Lex, do you actually have your father followed?"

He shrugged. "He has me followed."

"Oh. There's a comforting thought." She glanced over to the table where her father was sitting, going through the mail. "Why don't we discuss this later, hmm?"

"Fine with me."

"The meat is done," Martha called out. "H.C., how are the toppings coming?"

"Almost done – that is, unless Lex chops off a finger."

Martha smiled at Lex, flashing him a look of sympathy before she began spooning the taco meat into a bowl. Sliding off of the stool she'd been sitting on, Hudson began gathering the little bowls of toppings scattered around the island and carried them over to the table. He hadn't really meant to do so, but Lex found himself surreptitiously watching her movements as she helped her mother prepare for dinner; the kiss they'd shared the week before had been just enough to remind Lex of what he'd been missing for the last six months.

Not that he'd been living the life of a monk since his return from the island – sex was an escape, after all, a few moments of bliss in which to forget the anger and pain that plagued his life. Since returning, Lex had spent far too much of his time trying to forget about those three wasted months of his life, wondering at what juncture he'd made his most fatal mistake, hating the woman he'd made his wife and trying to forget that the one person he believed in had been lying to him during their entire relationship. Even his work at Luthorcorp wasn't quite enough to keep his mind occupied with other problems, and his only moments of peace came during quiet meditation in his study to the sounds of the ocean, a good fuck with some nameless socialite in Metropolis and the occasional moment like this, with the Kents. That was something he didn't understand, since they were the cause of the majority of his troubles at the moment if he really sat and thought about it; and still just being here with them as he was now was oddly comforting.

And Hudson, as usual, was the key to everything. Her lies had pushed him blindly into a relationship that almost destroyed him, and her truths had come almost too late, leaving but a thread of the sanity he still clung to hanging within him. He still wanted her, that much was certain. Even now, standing here in her parents' kitchen, with her dad sitting only feet away from him, Lex wanted to pound himself between her sweet thighs until his name was the only word she could speak. Part of him wanted to see if there were any possible way of hurting her; and part of him wanted nothing more than to simply get lost in her touch and her sweet kisses and pretend the last year had never occurred.

"…you're waiting for."

Lex snapped out of his reverie and glanced over at Hudson who was watching him with undisguised amusement. "I'm sorry. What?"

"I said the cows are already home, if that's what you're waiting for." She pointed a slim finger at the lettuce that was still sitting in a pile on the cutting board.

Barely refraining from rolling his eyes – a horrible habit he'd picked up from her – Lex scooped the lettuce into an empty nearby bowl and handed it over to her before wiping his hands on the dishtowel. He followed her to the table and sat down in his usual spot, across from Hudson, and Martha immediately began passing the bowls of food around to him.

"So, Lex, have you settled back in to your life?" Hudson's mother asked with a soft smile as she sprinkled freshly shredded cheese onto her tacos.

"Yes," Lex replied instantly with a nod. They didn't need to know about the nightmares that kept him awake at nights or the need he sometimes felt to just start screaming in the middle of a conversation. This life that he'd settled back into… wasn't much of one. He supposed that everyone probably felt as if he should just be happy to be alive, and that was why he never told them his true feelings. Why he never admitted to that part of him that wished he'd never been found.

"There are rumors going around that the Sharks might be sold?" Jonathan commented, glancing over in Lex's direction.

"Oh! That would suck!" Hudson gave Lex one of her perfect pouts. "You can't let your dad sell the Sharks. They're like a Metropolis institution!"

"I'll be certain to tell my father that you said so," Lex replied with a smirk at her before glancing at Jonathan. "Personally, I believe it's just a rumor to build interest back up in the team among the fans. Sales have been slacking off the last two years, and nothing will motivate fans like the fear of losing their team. With enough protests and rallies, including coverage in the media, season ticket and individual game sales will likely soar, and a story will run at the end of the season that the negotiations fell through, and the team will remain in Metropolis. For the time being."

Jonathan shook his head as he took a sip of iced tea. "Nothing like a well-placed lie to boost your bottom line."

"Most of business is a lie, Mr. Kent," Lex replied as he stared down at his taco, wondering if he'd catch hell again for trying to eat it with his fork. "It's all based on bluffing."

"Sounds like high school."

Lex looked over at Hudson with a hint of a smile. "It's really not that much different from high school."

"See?" She smiled at her parents. "Who needs a degree?"

All three adults replied at once, "You do."

Hudson made a face at their reply, and returned to her meal.

Lex smiled at her response, watching her silently for a long moment. He realized that things were different, that sitting here at the table having dinner with the Kent family wasn't like it had been in the past. Sure, her parents were still cautious of his role in their daughter's life, and maybe they had every right to be, but the entire family seemed more relaxed. There wasn't this barrier of secrets between them, with the Kents continually walking on eggshells around him and his own anger at their distrust mutually fighting for domination. If he weren't already wary of how long this peace would last, he'd almost be foolish enough to believe he were considered a part of the family.

* * *

Hudson sat down on the threadbare couch, watching Lex as he moved up the last step into the loft. She was pleased to notice that the physical affects from his time on the island had become non-existent – the color was back in his face and he'd regained the weight he'd lost, filling out an already far too lanky frame. Unfortunately, the emotional scars were still quite deep, and Hudson knew there were things he hadn't shared with her.

They were obvious in the tense set of his shoulders, and the ever-present wary gaze that he now regarded everything and every one with. She wanted him to smile again, to laugh, to not look as if all he wanted was for the entire world and every person on it to simply disappear. She wanted him to be happy again.

"You don't have to rush back home, do you?" She asked as he stopped beside her desk, picking up her science book and flipping through it.

"No." He shook his head, tossed the book back to the desk and slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he turned to face her. "Why?"

Taking a deep breath, Hudson stood. "I thought we could go somewhere – I mean, that I could take you somewhere. To one of my favorite places."

"You aren't going to try to make me climb up into that ridiculous tree house again, are you?" Lex asked with a sardonic smile.

Hudson rolled her eyes. "No. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it, at least once. Boys are supposed to like tree houses."

"Yes. Well… " Lex ran a hand over his head and glanced away. "I'm not you're typical 'boy'."

And for that, she was beyond grateful, though she knew Lex wouldn't accept such a compliment. Truthfully, Hudson doubted she would have trusted Lex as much as she did if he were just like everyone else. But she knew he understood how it felt to be different, to feel alone, to be afraid to tell anyone what you were truly thinking and feeling. He knew about secrets, and maybe that was the only reason he forgave her for keeping hers.

"I'm not taking you to the tree house, though," Hudson told him. "It's better than that."

Lex eyed her somewhat suspiciously. "You're being very secretive," he pointed out.

Hudson smiled and held out her hand. "Do you trust me?"

If he didn't, he certainly didn't show it. Instead, he placed his hand in hers and responded, "Yes."

She was surprised, but she kept that to herself. Trust was the last thing she expected to earn from him, but she supposed if she held her past actions up against those of others in his life, she still came out on top, secrets or not. It wasn't as if she'd ever tried to kill him or anything.

Pulling him close, she gave him a grin and wrapped her arms around him. "I hope this doesn't bother you," she began before slipping one arm under his legs and lifting him up.

"Hudson, what – " Lex began struggling.

"Trust me," she told him, cradling his body as close to her as possible. "Tuck your head against me, and hold on. You're going to be fine."

And then she sped out of the barn.

Her speed was one of the most baffling aspects of Hudson's abilities to her. While they all confused her and she never tried very hard to figure out why and how they worked, her ability to travel at the speeds she did was certainly cause for a question or two. From her perspective, it was a lot like moving through time while everything around her came to a stop. She could see every little detail of the countryside around her, birds in mid-flight, trees bent in a wind she couldn't feel; she felt Lex gasp against her, and then realized that even he was able to see what she was, and that was something she'd been counting on. In the past, no one she'd carried in this manner had ever been conscious – Lex was the first. But all of her past passengers, including Lex, had always survived her speed with no obvious affects.

The trip to the top of a butte in the middle of Utah – a trip of almost 1,050 miles last time she checked Mapquest – passed by in a blur. Hudson could have made it in less time, but she didn't wish to push it in case something went wrong and she couldn't run the risk of harming Lex. When she came to a halt, she held him only a moment longer before slowly setting him to his feet. He stumbled at first and she reached out to grab him, but he waved her away, eyes staring in shock out across the empty landscape before finally swinging around to face her.

"What – what the hell was – " He glanced at his watch, swaying dangerously enough for Hudson to take hold of his arm to help steady him.

"Are you all right?" She asked nervously, chewing on her lower lip. "I've never done that with anyone conscious before. I slowed down, so I wouldn't hurt you."

"I'm fine." He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers along the bridge of his nose. "You're fast."

Hudson bit her lower lip and nodded. "Yeah."

"How fast?"

"I don't know. I've never really bothered to make the calculations."

"You should." Lex opened his eyes, focusing on her. "I might enter you in the Kentucky Derby," he teased.

"Wrong species. For both horse _and _rider, actually."

Lex smiled slightly at her response. "You can't tell me you actually get a thrill out of my cars," he commented, waving a hand toward her. "I know I've just been ruined for them."

Smiling, Hudson turned away, kicking at a rock that went sailing over the edge of the cliff. And kept going. She watched it land in a puff of dirt about a mile out. "It's not really the same thing."

"That it isn't." Lex moved up beside her, and they watched the sun slowly sink behind the horizon spread before them.

"So, what is this place?" He asked finally, reaching out to place his hand against her back, fingers slowly caressing.

She shrugged. "Just somewhere that I come when I want to get away." Giving him a small smile, she sat down, tucking her legs beneath her. "I first found this place after my dad told me the… truth about what I was. I've been coming here ever since."

Lex sat down beside her, resting his arm around a raised knee. "How old were you?"

"Thirteen." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her face reddening slightly as she told him, "Something happened at school that not only embarrassed, but kind of angered me. Anyway, I was there in the cafeteria, just so upset I couldn't see straight, and the next thing I knew, I'd set my milk carton on fire. I knew it was my fault because my eyes had kind of itched and stung just before it occurred. Of course, the principal explained it away by saying someone in the vicinity had matches, but I knew better. I went home and… dad told me everything. He showed me the ship."

"Thirteen," Lex repeated. "Not a very good age to be told you're an alien."

"I don't think there _is_ a good age to be told you're an alien."

"Mmmm. Probably not." Lex slipped a hand behind her neck, petting her skin gently while his fingers twisted in the lengths of her hair. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Hudson. It means a lot."

"I just… I don't want any more secrets between us, Lex. I want to know that I can talk to you about anything."

Lex nodded, and Hudson felt his fingers tightening across the back of her neck, pulling her toward him. "You can."

She jumped slightly as his lips touched hers, and she couldn't help but remember what happened the last time he kissed her. Brow furrowing, she reached up between them, pulling away from the kiss, her fingers pressing against his lips to stop him from moving back in.

"Is this for real this time?" She asked softly. "Not just another lesson?"

Lex didn't answer. Instead, he pulled her fingers away and leaned in for another, deeper kiss. His tongue insistently pushed past her lips, and Hudson whimpered in capitulation, suddenly not caring if it were another lesson or not. She scrambled up on to her knees, never breaking away from his mouth, arms winding about his shoulders as she climbed into his lap. She felt Lex's hand curl into her hair, tugging and pulling her closer, as his teeth grazed against her lips. She knew then that he was realizing something she'd always wanted to tell him – he couldn't hurt her. She was the one who had to be careful, to hold back the need that was swelling within her until she thought she would explode from it, but not him.

"I've missed you so much," Lex whispered into her mouth, slipping a hand beneath her shirt to slide against her stomach.

Hudson choked back a sob at his words, knowing there was no way possible for her to express just how much she longed to have him touch and kiss her again. She figured that someday she would have just dried up into a little husk while she waited, and maybe he just didn't understand that she would have waited for this moment forever, if he'd forced her to.

She was working at the buttons of his shirt as Lex pressed her back against the rock beneath them. He kissed the corners of her mouth, her cheeks, her eyelids, the edge of her jaw. She arched her head back and he brought his mouth to her neck, teeth gripping the skin harder than before but always, always his tongue followed, caressing and cooling as if in fear of harming her. Hudson's body shuddered under the onslaught; it didn't hurt but the sensation was different, deeper, sending mini-bolts of electricity right to her bones with each bite. Lex worked his way up to her right ear, nipping at the lobe before drawing it into his mouth, each wave of teeth and tongue causing separate ripples of pleasure. In the months that they'd been apart, Hudson had forgotten how good Lex was at this; that he could play her body like a fine-tuned instrument, fingers brushing over chords of skin, like the stroke of a harp across her ribcage.

"We should probably go back to the mansion," Lex whispered into her ear. "This can't be comfortable."

"I don't care." Hudson yanked impatiently at the last button on his shirt, only to hear the unmistakable pop of it tearing off. "Please, Lex…"

She felt his lips curve into a smile against her cheek, and he shifted over her, the length of his erection pressing into her thigh. "I'm not in the mood to wait, either."

* * *

Lex drew his fingers down the curve of Hudson's stomach, circling her belly button and then moving across her abdomen. His hand turned, knuckles brushing lightly against her hip and thigh, and then he brought his hand back up to do it all over again. Closing his eyes, he listened to the sound of her heart beating beneath her breast – the thumping sound slightly faster and irregular compared to a human's heartbeat. So many things were explained now that he knew the truth; why her skin was so warm, even in the middle of winter, why she never seemed to tire, never seemed capable of eating too much. The many, many times she saved his life in impossible circumstances.

Lifting his head, he turned to look at her. She was staring up at the night sky, gaze thoughtful. He reached up to touch the underside of her chin. "A million dollars for your thoughts."

Hudson smiled. "Isn't it supposed to be a penny?"

"Luthors don't do anything cheap, Angel."

Laughing, Hudson angled her head to meet his gaze. "Maybe you should try. I don't know what I'd do with a million dollars."

"Your life is that perfect?"

"I have you back in it, don't I?"

Lex just shook his head and returned to laying against her breast. "So, your thoughts for free, then."

Hudson sighed, and grew silent once more, and Lex wondered if she had been thinking something she'd rather not share with him. It wasn't the best way to rekindle their relationship.

"I was just wondering what Krypton was like," she told him quietly after a few moments. "Did it look like Earth? What were the people like? Were my parents very much in love?"

"Is the information you know about it on the walls in the caves?" He found himself asking.

"No. Everything there is… well, mainly stories made up by the Kawatchee. I learned about Krypton from a man named Virgil Swann – "

"_The_ Virgil Swann?" Lex lifted his head to look at her in astonishment at the name of the billionaire.

"You've heard of him?" Hudson looked perplexed.

"I only did a paper on him back in school," Lex told her. "He was my idol for years. I always thought I could use my father's money for scientific research as Dr. Swann does, for learning about the universe around us, and our purpose here. Of course, things don't always turn out the way you expect when you're young."

"There's nothing stopping you from doing such research someday, Lex," Hudson commented. "When Luthorcorp is yours."

"Sometimes I think my father is going to live forever." Lex kissed the soft skin beneath his lips before asking, "So, what did Dr. Swann tell you?"

Her fingers moved over the top of his scalp gently. "He said that one of his receiving stations picked up a signal the day my ship arrived. He spent years trying to translate it before finally discovering a mathematical key hidden within it."

"What did it say?"

She paused, breath catching for a moment before she answered, "This is Kaela-El of Krypton. Our infant daughter, our last hope. Please protect her and deliver her from evil."

"Your parents loved you. They wanted to protect you."

"Hmm." Hudson gave a non-committal shrug. "He said he followed the signal billions of miles into space, hoping to find a point of origin. But at the end, there was nothing there; nothing left of the planet I came from."

Lex leaned up on his elbow to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry, Angel." He watched her as she continued to gaze up at the stars. Finally, he asked, "What about the ship? Are there any clues – "

"I destroyed it, Lex," she told him, shifting her gaze to his. "Just before I left for Metropolis."

"You – what? Why?"

Sighing, she sat up and reached for her clothes, slowly dressing as she explained, "You remember Walden and his ranting about me? Well, I don't know how far off he was." She fumbled with her bra for a moment before Lex reached out to help her. "Thanks… Anyway, the ship was – it started speaking to me. It claimed to contain the consciousness of my father or something within it. Hell, the caves claim the same thing –"

"The caves _talk _to you?" Lex asked in disbelief.

Hudson shrugged into her jeans, ignoring him. "It kept telling me that I had to leave, that it was time to accept my destiny and that if I didn't do what it said, it would harm the people I loved – you, my parents. So I used a piece of Kryptonite and destroyed it." Standing, she yanked her top over her head. "That's what caused the explosion on the farm. And everything went wrong." She took a breath and glanced over at him.

"Why didn't you just ignore it?" Lex asked, picking up his clothes to dress as well. "Surely a ship couldn't do that much damage."

"You'd be surprised." Hudson frowned, gazing out into the darkness. "If my father truly programmed it to do and say those things… " She shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know what kind of people my parents were or what they truly meant to accomplish by sending me here."

"By the sound of the message Swann translated, it seems they only wished to protect you."

"Maybe." Hudson glanced over at him. "But how do you explain everything else? How do you explain what the caves did to Walden?"

Lex shrugged as he buttoned his shirt. "I don't know, Hudson. But that's why we should do research. I can help you – every ounce of information I can gather is at your disposal." He reached out and took her hands into his. "Perhaps with Swann's help, we can discover your reasons for being here, and what the future holds for you."

Hudson appeared hesitant, and Lex couldn't understand why. Surely she was eager to answer the questions regarding her existence. Who wouldn't be? He understood that she was fearful of what could happen to her, but Lex always believed that one could be prepared for any eventuality as long as they had the proper information. And without that, he couldn't protect her the way he hoped to.

"We should probably get back," she said, ignoring his offer with her obvious change of the subject. "It's getting cold, and I don't want you to suffer any relapses of your malaria."

"Don't worry. I'm completely cured."

She furrowed her brow at his comment. "How is that possible? I thought malaria stayed with you for the rest of your life?"

Lex gave her a small smile. "Yet another benefit from your arrival, I suspect." He leaned in and kissed her quickly. "You're a miracle, Hudson Kent. And I'm glad to have you in my life."

Returning his smile, Hudson reached out to gather him into her arms. "Does that mean you're going to get used to being carried?"

"Not likely," he scoffed.

She smiled and turned to speed back to Smallville. Taking a few steps, she slowed and stopped, expression falling into a frown.

"What is it?" Lex asked.

"I… my speed is gone."

She took a few more steps, jogging slightly, until she neared the edge of the bluff, and she stopped again, setting Lex to his feet. He could see that she was about two seconds short of outright panic.

"Has this happened before?" He questioned in a calm voice.

"Only when Eric took my powers." At Lex's curious gaze, she amended, "Long story. But when you asked me that first time about hitting me with your car? I really didn't have my powers then. I was as weak as you… er, that didn't come out the way I meant it to."

Lex waved a hand in dismissal. "But you had your abilities only a few hours ago."

"Yeah. And I still have my strength." She worried her lower lip before taking a few running steps again, only to be moving no faster than any other being on the planet. It was obviously frustrating her.

"Don't worry," Lex told her, pulling out his cell phone. "I'll have the helicopter pick us up, and when we get back to Smallville, we'll try to figure this out. All right?"

"Yeah."

Sighing, Hudson kicked at the ground beneath her feet in aggravation, then looked at her hands, as if they had the solution to the mystery of her missing speed. Lex watched her quietly as he called the transportation office at Luthorcorp and arranged for the helicopter to pick them up. Of course, giving them directions on how to locate them proved a challenge, but Hudson seemed assured of the fact that they were located on a bluff northwest of I-70 at mile marker 203.

Lex took her word for it.

* * *

"So there we were, stuck in the middle of Utah. And me with no way to get us home." Hudson sighed and sipped at her orange juice. "It was kind of humiliating."

Martha smiled and patted her daughter's arm as she moved past her with the platter of pancakes. "I'm sure Lex doesn't think any less of you, honey." She glanced back at Hudson and winked. "After all, you're back together, aren't you?"

Hudson grinned, face warming a little as she caught a glare from her dad. "Yeah. Yeah, we are. I think everything's better now. Not the best, of course, but better."

"What about your other abilities?" Her dad asked from the table where he quickly piled a few of the pancakes onto his plate. "Any changes?"

She shook her head. "No. Nothing I've noticed, at least. When the helicopter dropped us back off at the mansion, I tested my speed again. And it was fine." She plopped down into a chair at the table and gave her parents a wry look. "By that point, I was wondering if Lex didn't think I was just making it up to get a ride in the helicopter."

Jonathan frowned. "I wish you had told us before you left what you planned on doing, H.C. I don't like the idea of you just running around willy nilly with Lex, showing off your abilities."

"Why not? He needs to see them."

"Because anything can happen," he snapped. "And I just don't think Lex is prepared for all eventualities at this point. Both of you are treating this entire matter like it's some sort of game."

Hudson sighed loudly but didn't argue. It was futile to disagree with her father, especially when she knew he was right on some counts. She didn't believe Lex saw it all as a game, but she also didn't think Lex was as concerned with the consequences of protecting her secret as he should be. Not for one second did Hudson believe he would ever purposely cause her harm, but she knew Lex and she knew how proud he was. The idea that he wasn't capable of protecting the people he loved was unthinkable to him.

And no matter what she said or how much she argued, she knew he would never accept her ability to take care of herself. She thought that maybe this need to play protector stemmed from his powerlessness to save his mother, and the death of his baby brother, Julian. In Lex's mind, he should be able to conquer anything, even disease.

In many ways, the same could be said of her parents. They didn't believe in Lex's capability of looking out for her because they felt that only they harbored that capacity. Only they knew what was best for her. And Lex was simply another factor in the equation that raised the danger for her.

And here was Hudson, stuck in the middle. Helpless to get any of them to understand that she was the only one capable of protecting herself, as well as them. They all seemed to forget that she was the invulnerable one here, the strong one. If she had to walk around with a target on her chest, then so be it. As long as they were safe.

Finishing her breakfast quickly, Hudson glanced up at her parents as she was going through her book bag, making certain she had all of her homework.

"Oh, is it all right if I go to Lex's tonight?" She asked. "I'll come home and get my chores done and have dinner and everything, but I was kind of hoping to stay over… "

She distinctly thought she heard her father growl at the request. Not that she could really blame him; she was his daughter, after all, and it's not like they all didn't know what she planned on doing when asking to spend the night at Lex's house. Still, after what she'd admitted to doing in Metropolis all summer, sleeping with Lex was almost wholesome.

"That's all right with me, H.C.," her mom finally replied when it was obvious Jonathan didn't plan on doing so. "As long as it's all right with your father."

And that was her way of forcing him to accept what his daughter was asking permission for.

Frowning at both of them, he gave a quick nod. "As long as you get your chores done, and are back here in time to get your chores done tomorrow morning."

"I promise!" Hudson told him with a bright smile as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Thanks! See you after school!"

Hudson raced to the end of the drive, checking her speed and pleased to see that everything seemed in working order. She stopped abruptly when she glimpsed one of Lex's cars coming around the corner. Grinning, she stepped out near the edge of the road and stuck her thumb out, flagging him down. The Porsche rolled to a stop beside her, and the window slid open.

"Hey, gorgeous." Lex smirked up at her. "Going my way?"

"Doubtful," she answered honestly. "Unless you are planning to go back to high school?"

Lex shook his head. "No. But I can certainly make a detour… for you."

Laughing, Hudson hurried over to the passenger side and climbed into the car. "Morning." She leaned over and kissed Lex's cheek. "How are you?"

"Good." Lex switched gears and they tore off down the road. He glanced over at her and said, "I've been doing some thinking about the way your speed went away last night."

"Oh?" She rolled her eyes. "Have any startling epiphanies?"

He flashed her a quick glare. "Have you noticed any other changes in your abilities?"

"Nope. Everything's perfect." She watched him as he nodded and grew thoughtful.

"Well?" She prodded. "Are you going to share?"

"I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the solar flare?" He glanced over at her with a raised brow.

"I didn't even think you heard me when I was talking about that."

"Well, I did. And I went back last night and made a few calculations regarding the speed with which it would take for the affects of the radiation to reach us. After all, your speed disappeared after this significant event occurred. It could hardly be coincidence."

Hudson made a face. "What does the sun have to do with me and my abilities? I'm not even from here."

Lex shrugged. "That could be the key – the fact that you aren't from here. You know, I bet I could set up some experiments that we could conduct together to find out if –"

"You are _not_ going to stick me under a giant magnifying glass to see if you can set me on fire!"

"I daresay the experiments would be a little more sophisticated than that, Angel."

She shook her head. "My parents always said to me – they said, '_H.C., one day a strange man is going to ask you to let him conduct experiments on you and, no matter how enticing it sounds, just say no_'."

"You're not remotely amusing, Hudson."

"Neither are you."

Lex pulled the car up to the front of Smallville High, put it in park, and turned to face her. "Hudson, I'm serious. If you want to figure out why your speed just gave out last night, then you have to be willing to test out some theories."

"Lex." She brought her gaze to his and smiled a little, wondering why the conversation made her feel so uncomfortable. "I'm really not that curious. I mean, nothing else has happened; everything seems fine. And the idea of being treated like a bug in a Petri dish – "

"I would never do that you."

"I know," she replied with a nod, placing her hand against his thigh to assure him. "I'm just saying, something as drastic as experiments really isn't necessary. Weirder things have happened to me, Lex. This just really doesn't register on the 'need to know' scale."

Surprisingly, Lex looked disappointed, and Hudson didn't really know how to account for that. Was he bored and looking for something to do? Or did he feel this was the only way to be a part of her life and secret? She sighed and leaned forward to kiss him.

"I need to get in there before I'm tardy again," she told him. "Love you."

She pushed open the door as, behind her, Lex made some noise of acknowledgement. She winced at the lack of reply, or maybe it was a reply of some sort in Lex's mind; she really didn't understand. Either way, it hurt inside to not hear him tell her he loved her, no matter if she didn't' deserve to hear it at this juncture or not.

_Give him more time_, a small voice said.

Turning, she leaned back in before closing the door. "Oh, I can come over tonight… if you still want me there?"

Lex gave her a quick smile. "Of course, I do. I shouldn't be getting back from Metropolis too late."

"Okay. See you then."

Hudson closed the door and stood back, watching as Lex drove off. She glanced up at the sun, frowning a little at its bright rays as she contemplated his hypothesis. It was insane, of course. What the hell did the sun have to do with her abilities? Lex needed to stop watching Sci-Fi.

Shaking her head, she turned and hurried to class.

* * *

"You appear to be in a particularly happy mood today," J'onn commented to his patient as she sat across from him, flashing him a big smile and chewing on her bubble gum loudly.

"I am," she told him with a nod and another grin, before blowing a large bubble and popping it.

"I take it this isn't simply because it's Friday and school is out for the weekend?"

Hudson's eyes sparkled. "No. I mean, the end of the school day is always cool, but today is very special."

"And why would that be?"

"Lex and I made up yesterday." She popped another bubble and grinned hugely. "We're back together."

"I see."

J'onn folded his hands and leaned across his desk, regarding the young woman thoughtfully. She'd become much more relaxed with him during last week's session, though not quite comfortable enough to speak of anything that seemed to be bothering her. Mostly she filled their session with the trials and tribulations of understanding poetry and why all English teachers seemed to believe such nonsense was needed to succeed in the world. But at least she was talking, beginning to trust him, and hopefully that would lead to her willingness to share thoughts on her life with him. J'onn knew discussions of who she truly was would never occur in this office, and he didn't believe such revelations were needed.

But Hudson Kent was confused about a lot of things going on in her life, and the people around her, and if he could find some way to give her guidance, to help her to understand what her abilities meant for the world around her, then he will have accomplished his mission. After all, they were, the two of them, alone among the inhabitants of this world, and one alien needed to look out for the other.

"And you believe things will be better this time around?" J'onn questioned, paying close attention to Hudson's body language and expressions.

Hudson nodded and glanced down at her hands. "Yeah. Yes, I do. Third times a charm, right?" She looked back up and smiled as she returned to smacking her gum. "And, uh, well things are different now."

"How so?"

She hesitated briefly in her reply, and J'onn felt a thread of concern whisper through him. He already knew what she would say.

"Well, we were keeping secrets from each other before. But we're not anymore."

He could probe her mind to be certain what she meant, but he knew she would likely feel it, and J'onn was ninety-nine percent positive that he knew what secrets she was referring to. He was surprised that her parents would have allowed such a thing, and angered by it. While time spent with Lex Luthor proved to him the man cared for Hudson Kent deeply, time spent with Lex Luthor also proved that he was a dangerous man who lived in a dangerous world. Both wives had caused enough problems in Hudson's life, and that was nothing compared to the damage his father could create. And, truthfully, J'onn wasn't too certain that Lex himself would not betray Hudson if given the right opportunity. Greed among the human race was a powerful motivator.

"Secrets are called such because they're meant to be kept," J'onn pointed out quietly.

Hudson frowned, pursing her lips slightly. "I suppose that's true. But shouldn't you trust the people you love not to use those secrets against you? Maybe it's not possible to share everything with the people around you but… if you want them to be a part of your life, to share your life, then maybe you should be honest about those things which affect you the most."

J'onn smiled and straightened the glasses that fit so awkwardly on the face he'd adopted. This was the thing that made Hudson – Kaela-El – so special; she wanted to trust people, wanted to give every person around her the opportunity to be trusted. If it came right down to it, he doubted that she would ever truly believe that anyone would be capable of meaning her harm, no matter how many times they may have proved otherwise in the past. It was naïve and foolish and very dangerous, but it was what made her the person she was.

"Do you believe sharing these secrets has brought you closer together?"

Another moment of hesitation. Hudson reached up to play with her gum, latching on to it with her fingertips and stretching it while holding on to the other end with her teeth. She twirled it around her finger before sucking it back into her mouth. J'onn couldn't begin to describe how revolting the entire action was.

"In a way, I guess." She kicked her feet against the floor and squirmed beneath his gaze. "Things are… different."

"Different?" He prodded.

"I don't think Lex trusts me anymore," Hudson admitted softly. "I mean, he says that he does but I just don't feel it – not like I used to. And I know that's my own fault, but it still kind of hurts. I love him, you know? And I'm sorry for everything that happened between us but I don't know how to make him understand that."

J'onn shrugged. "Sometimes these things take time."

She crossed her shin over her knee and began playing with the blue laces of her tennis shoe. "I guess. I just… I wish everything could go back to the way it used to be."

"Back to your secrets?"

"Well, no." Hudson's brow furrowed as she seemed to consider his question, and she shook her head. "Not that. I just want him to look at me the way he used to, without all of this doubt in his eyes. I want him to…"

When she didn't finish her statement, J'onn gently pushed, "You want him to what?"

"Tell me he loves me again." Her skin changed to a dark shade of red at her admission and she ducked her head. "I've told him but he hasn't… " She sighed.

"How does that make you feel?"

Hudson's head popped up and she flashed him an odd expression. "Now you really sound like a shrink."

"I'm sorry." J'onn smiled and softened his tone, "I just thought that maybe it would be a little uncomfortable to say 'I love you' to someone, and not hear it in return."

"It is." She blew a small bubble that exploded loudly when she brought it back into her mouth. "I feel kind of stupid for saying it, like maybe Lex is laughing at me. But, you know what the real problem is?"

"What is that?"

"It's that I know I shouldn't." She spread her arms wide, becoming more animated as she spoke. "I mean, Lex has been married twice and both women betrayed him. And he was really in love with Helen, you know? He trusted her, maybe more than he ever has me. And he has this bizarre relationship with his father that I'll just never understand – I doubt words of love have ever been truly spoken between them. But, here I am, demanding that he just give his love to me in return, even though he's been burned time and again for doing so. I know I'm not entitled to his love, and I know that maybe I ruined my own chances of ever having it again… but it just doesn't seem fair to me that I poor my heart out to him and he gives me… nothing."

J'onn opened his mouth to reply, but Hudson suddenly continued.

"Okay, he doesn't give me nothing – Lex gives me a lot. And he puts up with me, which really can't be the easiest thing to do. He has to be a saint for that, you know? And I can tell that he's so afraid of love now that I'm really going to have to work to get him not to be and, dammit – er, sorry – but darnit, I shouldn't feel resentment for having to do so. But I do. I've stood by him when the rest of this town would have rather told him to go to H-E double toothpicks, and I think that should count for something!"

"Uh… H-E double toothpicks?"

Hell," she mumbled, face reddening once more.

"Ah." J'onn bit back a smile. "It's all right to curse in here, Hudson. I won't tell anyone."

Hudson quickly shook her head. "If my mom ever found out I was cussing in front of a teacher or whatever, she'd kill me."

"I promise never to tell." J'onn leaned back in his chair. "You do understand that it's all right to have these feelings of resentment, don't you, Hudson? It's normal, and nothing you should worry over. You're seventeen, and you have a lot of other things to contend with in your life right now. You want this love to be simple, but isn't. Love rarely is. What you need to ask is if you believe, in your heart, that Lex will eventually return your love? If the answer is no, then maybe you need to reconsider renewing this relationship."

By the expression on her face, J'onn knew she didn't like his suggestion. If there was one thing about Hudson Kent he'd come to learn, it was that Lex Luthor hung the moon in her world. She would wait until the end of the world for his love, if that was what it took. And J'onn couldn't help but fear for her.

"Well, our hour is up, Dr. Jones," Hudson announced as she waved the wrist with her watch at him. "Time for me to head home. Chores, you know."

"I take it you're seeing Lex tonight?"

Another blush. "Am I that transparent?" She grinned as she slipped her backpack onto her shoulder and stood.

"Like cellophane."

* * *

Lex woke up screaming.

He'd been drowning in the cockpit again. The window had exploded, sending tiny shards of glass into his skin, and the cold water had engulfed him, wrapping around him like a too-thick blanket, suffocating him. He was drowning for a second time, only there would be no angel there to save him. He was alone. It was how it was meant to be.

But this time, Louis had been there, his grinning face leering at Lex from outside the cockpit. His tangled hair danced around his head in an eerie impression of Medusa, and when he swam forward, his body was more shark than human. Lex had gasped for air, moved for a chance to escape, but he was trapped; and Louis continued forward, slipping his hand around Lex's throat, tightening his grip, laughing as Lex screamed.

The light slid away, and darkness ascended.

Warm arms embraced him as he screamed. He fought from being pulled further into the dark beneath him, but the hold on him was too tight. He couldn't struggle forever; he couldn't do it alone.

"Lex…"

He took a deep breath to scream again, and realized that his lungs were filling with air this time, and not water. He gasped, choking slightly on his indrawn breath.

"… a nightmare, baby. It was just a nightmare. Shhhhh. I'm here."

Hudson was holding him. Or rather, Lex was clinging to her, fingers tangled and pulling in her hair, face pressed against her neck. He took another, steadier breath and released his hold, ashamed that she was here to see him lose control; that she was witness to how much his subconscious dominated him when he let his guard down. She kissed his temple and stroked his back, and he was reminded of the times his mother had held him in a similar manner. The thought angered him and he pushed away from her, kicking at the sheets tangled around his legs as he got to his feet.

The storms during the evening had cooled the temperature in the mansion, and his skin was slightly chilled as he walked over to the bureau to grab the small decanter of scotch. He splashed two fingers worth into the tumbler and swallowed it back before pouring another.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He glanced into the mirror to see Hudson sitting up, leaning back against the headboard, her knees pulled to her chest. She was regarding him intently, and he hated that she likely noted the sheen of perspiration on his skin, and furrowed set of his brow.

"Not really," he replied, looking down at his glass.

"It might help if – "

"I said no, Hudson!" He snapped, turning in time to see her wince reflexively at the tone of his voice. He pushed the remorse that he felt aside, remembering the last time he'd allowed a woman to manipulate him with his guilt complex.

Never again.

"I'm sorry."

And yet, when it came to Hudson… Lex sighed and ran a hand over his scalp in frustration. "No. You have no reason to be. I just… there's nothing to talk about."

She clearly didn't believe him. Lex thought, even with all of the progress they'd made in the last two days, that she might just leave. But she surprised him with a quick nod and sympathetic expression.

"You know I'm here to listen, right?" Hudson asked softly, laying her chin against her knee. "I mean, when you're ready."

Lex doubted that he would ever be ready to talk about his time spent on the island, or his belief in the existence of Louis. But he gave a slight acknowledgment to Hudson's words before moving over to the dresser to grab a pair of pajama bottoms.

"I'm going to go downstairs for awhile," he told her, while slipping the bottoms on.

"Should I go home?" Hudson pulled the sheet back to get out of bed, but Lex quickly walked over to her and slipped the sheet back across her bare skin.

"No." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Stay. I'll only be a little while." Lex forced a half-smile. "And I probably won't be able to fall back to sleep without you here."

Those were apparently words Hudson wanted to hear. She flashed him a smile and pulled him down for another kiss. "I'm not going anywhere, then."

Nodding, Lex waited until she lay back down, and then pulled the sheet over her to tuck her in.

Darius was wandering the hall when Lex reached the second floor. He stopped the security guard, asking him to send a cup of hot chocolate and some cookies up to Hudson since he knew she always woke up hungry. The man nodded and moved off toward the kitchen, and Lex continued on to the study.

A fire was still going in the hearth, warming the room considerably compared to the rest of the mansion. Outside another storm was looming; lightning flared across the sky a few miles out and the wind was picking up, slamming branches and scattered leaves into the stained glass windows. Lex tried to ignore the high-pitched whistling through the fireplace flew that sounded too much like voices calling to him. He turned on the stereo as he made his way behind his desk and sat down. He had to think about something other than the nightmare, and his time on the island. And Louis.

Numbers. Numbers worked. Grabbing a pad of paper and pen, Lex began recalling his conversation with Hudson in Utah, and everything she told him about her arrival on Earth. He factored in the information she shared regarding Krypton that she learned from Dr. Swann, and began making calculations. Before long, he opened his laptop, and the hidden file he'd started almost three years ago on Hudson.

She didn't know about it, and Lex didn't believe that she ever really needed to. There was no harm to it as long as he kept it for himself, and perhaps if this honesty between them continued, then maybe he could bring himself to share it with her. For now, the information he gathered, combined with everything she told him, could help piece together clues as to what her purpose was, if any. He wanted to help her with that, if nothing else, to find her place in this world; he knew, better than most, how horrible it felt to know that you were at odds with everything around you. Having a destiny was different from actually accepting it as your own.

"Liar."

Lex started at the sound of Hudson's voice, glancing up quickly to find her standing just inside the doorway to the study, sheet wrapped proactively around her body. He closed the program, and lowered the monitor, raising an eyebrow in question at her accusation.

"You said you'd be back to bed," she told him, moving across the room toward him. "And that was two hours ago."

He looked down at his watch and sighed. "Sorry. I hadn't realized that much time had passed."

"No biggie."

Lex pushed out from the desk, making room so that Hudson could curl into his lap. It always amazed him how deceptively light and fragile in appearance that she was. Especially now that he knew the truth of everything she was capable of doing. While she was tall, reaching only a few inches under him, her bones were incredibly petite, enough so that one couldn't help but fear them breaking in a gentle wind. When she climbed onto his lap, it felt like he were holding a child – a child capable of picking him up as if he were little more than a feather and carrying him thousands of miles in mere moments, but a child just the same. If he were forced to describe Hudson's physical appearance (aside from the fact that she had a tendency to move around like a bull in a china shop), he would call her delicate. And she was far from it, which explained why no one ever suspected her of being the one responsible for the fantastic rescues that constantly occurred in Smallville.

"Thank you for the cookies. I was hungry."

He smiled and kissed her temple, arms wrapping around her tightly. "I thought you might be."

"So, what have you been doing down here that's kept you away from bed and me?"

Chuckling at the petulant tone she used, Lex picked up the pad he'd been working the computations on and held it before her. "I was using the information you gave me about Krypton and your arrival to figure out how fast your ship must have been going."

Hudson's brow furrowed and she leaned forward in his arms, staring at the figures. "You can do that?"

"Mmm." He pointed at the notes in the margin of the paper. "The numbers would be more accurate if I knew the exact coordinates, though."

Sighing, Hudson reached out for a piece of paper and began scribbling over it. Lex watched what she was doing silently before she returned to rest against his chest and waved toward the page.

"I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but that's the information I remember written on Swann's star charts."

Eyebrow raised, Lex leaned forward and scanned the numbers. He shook his head. "You mean to tell me you have a photographic memory as well?"

"Something like that." He felt her slim shoulders shrug.

He turned to look at her with a grin. "Hudson Kent, you have absolutely no excuse to not graduate at the top of your class, do you understand me?"

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and nodded toward the desk. "Do they help or not?"

Picking up the nearby pencil, Lex began calculating the numbers and comparing them to those he'd already worked through. "Hudson, do you realize that your race achieved travel at lightspeed equivalent of two point five warp speed?"

Turning to look at him, Hudson rolled her eyes. "Lex, your inner Star Trek nerd is shining through."

"I'm serious." He tossed the pad back to the desk and returned to holding her as she wriggled around in his lap enough to face him. "If Krypton was, in fact, located 50 light years from here, and you traveled for approximately two and half years, then your ship would have been capable of going twenty-one times the speed of light."

"That's… really fast."

"Faster than you."

Hudson poked him in the stomach. "If you're so smart, then maybe you can answer another question for me that I've had ever since my dad told me the truth."

Lex shrugged. "I'll try."

"Okay, so according to what Dr. Swann told me, Krypton is no longer there, and it's very probable that the meteors all over town are pieces of the planet. Which means," she took a breath, "it blew up. But how did those meteor rocks follow me - at twenty-one times the speed of light, according to your calculations – through space?"

"Well, I suppose that would depend on how soon your ship launched from the planet's destruction." At Hudson's frown, Lex explained, "If the planet was destroyed shortly after your ship was launched, then it's possible that the meteors were caught within the engine's wake just as it jumped into lightspeed."

"How?"

"If you'll excuse my inner Star Trek nerd," Lex replied with a slight grin. "The nacelles of the Enterprise create a 'warp' in space, like a bubble, and if anything were within the proximity of them when they were fired up – such as meteors - it would be caught within that bubble and carried with it. The same principal could have applied to your ship, causing the rock from the planet's explosion to be caught within the engines backwash. If that is, in fact, what occurred to your homeworld."

Hudson grew silent, thoughtful as her fingers picked at the edges of the sheet. "I can't help but wonder why it was just me. Why didn't my parents come, too?" She glanced up at Lex, as if hoping for another explanation.

"I don't know, Angel." He brushed her bangs from her brow and kissed her. "But they must have had a very good reason. I can't imagine anyone choosing to send you away."

Flashing him a quick smile, Hudson burrowed her face into the crook of his neck. Her voice was muffled when she told him, "Let's go back to bed. I have to get up soon and go feed cows."

Lex stood, lifting Hudson into his arms as she squealed in delight. "Do you think there were cows on Krypton?"

She rolled her eyes as he carried her from the study. "Of course there were cows on Krypton, Lex! Can you imagine a world without cows?"

* * *

Her parents were quiet during breakfast, which Hudson didn't really mind since she wasn't in the mood to answer questions regarding her night with Lex. She had a wonderful time with him, and hadn't realized how much she'd missed just being able to sleep beside him in his enormous and comfy bed until she had the chance to do so again. They played chess in front of the fire, and he solidly kicked her ass as always, and then they played pool until Lex's hands began roaming. At that point, all other activities became forgotten in place of sex. Clothes went flying as Hudson sped them up to his room.

But his nightmare had frightened her. She'd never seen Lex so scared as he was before she could fully wake him, and his frustration and anger afterwards were just as difficult to bear. She thought this was the kind of thing he should have been discussing with the therapist he was seeing, but now Hudson realized that it was likely exactly the subject he wouldn't want to share with a stranger. Lex had always been about control – keeping control of himself, especially in front of others; having control of every situation, including those things which were out of his sphere. She knew he was angry at himself for letting her see his reaction to his nightmare, let alone confessing to someone else what it was that plagued his subconscious. Worst of all, she didn't know how to help him, especially when she knew he didn't want her help.

She'd asked him about his sessions with Claire Foster, but he'd told her they were over and done with. Five sessions, it was all he had been forced to sit through. Obviously, he'd never shared his experiences on the island with her, either, and Hudson wondered if keeping all of that bottled up inside of him wasn't the problem. Not that she thought his sharing such personal information with a total stranger would be easy for him, but her own sessions with Dr. Jones were quickly becoming a lifeline for her. She loved being able to share things that the people close to her simply wouldn't understand, or would argue with. It was nice to, for once, just be a normal teenager with normal problems.

But with Lex, things were different, and they always would be. Lex was her rock. It shouldn't be that way, but there it was. Especially now, that he knew her secret, that she could rely on him to be there to help her when she needed him. His was the steady hand when she thought she was falling apart. If she lost that, where would leave them?

"Deliveries need to be made this morning," her dad told her, interrupting her train of thought. "I need you to help me move the herd to the south pasture this afternoon."

Hudson nodded quietly in reply.

Her mom, apparently noting her unusual reticence, asked, "Honey, are you all right?"

"Yeah. Just thinking." Hudson gave her a small smile.

"Anything you'd like to talk about?"

Hudson thought about it and realized her fears and disillusions regarding Lex were probably better left unspoken with her parents. Maybe noticing these things was just a part of growing up and realizing that not everyone could be who you wanted them to be. Just like daddy's weren't always right.

She shook her head. "No. I mean, it's just little stuff. Teenage stuff."

Martha smiled. "You realize, of course, that your father and I were teenagers once, too."

"Really?" Hudson teased. "Did you have the wheel back, then? Or did that come later?"

"Smart Alec," her mother smiled, slapping her thigh lightly.

"I'd better head out for chores," she told them, getting to her feet and grabbing her plate to carry to the dishwasher. "Anything you guys need me to pick up in town?"

"Oh!" Her mom jumped up and hurried over to her purse, pulling out her wallet to dig for some money. "Could you pick me up a few packets of yeast? Also, a ten-pound bag of flour and five-pounds of sugar."

"Mmm. Making something yummy?"

"Not for you. The PTA is having a bake sale next week to raise money for the Christmas Carnival."

Hudson sighed and rolled her eyes as she took the money and slipped it into her pocket.

"We could use more staples for the fence," Jonathan told her. "You know the ones? Fifty pounds, one and a half inch?"

"Yeah." She nodded as her mom handed her more money for the hardware store. "Anything else?"

Her parents shook their heads and returned to their breakfast. Grabbing her jacket, Hudson headed out to the truck, checking on the boxes of fruits and vegetables she had to deliver before climbing into the cab. There didn't appear to be a delivery for the mansion today, which depressed her just a bit, even if she didn't need an excuse to drop by and see Lex.

It was going to be hard to slip back into the habit of simply appearing on Lex's doorstep whenever she felt like it. Lurking deep in the back of her mind was Hudson's fear that she'd one day show up – and there'd be another Helen or Desiree answering the door, looking at her curiously as if she didn't belong. And there was the new fear of Lionel, of what it was he did or didn't know about her, and if he truly were watching Lex so closely, then how dangerous did that make it for her? Hudson certainly didn't regret telling Lex the truth, and she would never wish to go back and change it. But that didn't mean her life wasn't suddenly a hell of a lot more complicated. She was slowly beginning to understand why her parents had been so against her sharing her secret with Lex.

"Speak of the devil," Hudson mumbled to herself as she came around the corner on route W to find Lex standing along the side of the road, glaring at his Aston Martin as he dialed his phone. He glanced up at the sound of the truck, and flipped his phone closed, slipping it into his pocket. Hudson pulled the truck up behind the sports car and hopped out with a smile.

"Hey. What's up? Checking out the scenery?"

Lex gave her an impatient glare. "A goddamned deer ran out into the road. I swerved to avoid hitting it, and up here. Now my fucking car is stuck in the mud."

Hudson couldn't contain her smile. "You didn't want to hit the deer – Lex, that's so sweet!"

He rolled his eyes. "Have you ever seen what a deer can do to a two-hundred and fifty thousand dollar sports car?"

"Aww. You're such a sap, Lex. Who knew?"

"Are you going to help me or are you just going to stand there and make jokes, waiting to be discovered by David Letterman?"

Hudson raised her eyebrows as she moved around to the back of the car. "Somebody's testy this morning. You weren't like this when I left."

"I'd just had sex when you left, Hudson," he reminded her. "And my car wasn't stuck in the road."

"Well, maybe if you drove slower…"

"Can you save the lectures for later? I have a meeting to get to in Metropolis."

"With who?" Hudson turned to stare at him, disappointed.

He sighed, running a hand over his scalp. "That bitch, Claire Foster. She had the gall not to pass my psychological evaluation. So I figure telling her to go to hell is much more effective than over the phone."

"Do you really think telling her to 'go to hell' is going to convince her to sign the form?"

"No. But it'll make me feel better."

Hudson allowed a small smile. "Lex, maybe you should just talk to her. If you can't talk to me about your experience on the island – "

"How am I supposed to talk about it to a complete stranger?" He demanded. "It's not easy for me, Hudson. Things happened out there. I lost control…"

Moving over to him, Hudson wrapped her arms around his waist and caught his gaze. "Lex, nothing you did could compare to the rampage I went on. I have difficulty talking about it, too – and most of the time I try to pretend it never happened. But talking to you did make things better, if only so I could get it out in the open and let it go. I think you need to do the same. If you don't want me to know about your loss of control, then maybe you should tell a stranger? Someone who doesn't really care in a personal manner."

Lex was silent for a long moment before he finally begrudgingly asked, "When did you get so wise?"

"I learned everything I know from my boyfriend," she replied cheekily.

He rolled his eyes and gestured toward the car. "Well? Are you going to get that thing out today?"

"You're starting to sound like my father," Hudson muttered as she pulled away from Lex to move back behind the car and slip her hands beneath the fender. "Pick up the tractor, Hudson. Lift the truck over you head, Hudson. Hudson, it'd be easier to milk the cows if you just picked them up…"

She thought she heard Lex chuckle behind her but she could have been imagining it.

Careful not to bend or damage the vehicle, Hudson wrapped her fingers beneath the car and lifted – only it didn't go anywhere. Frowning, she applied more pressure, lifting upwards once more. But still, nothing happened.

"Damn." She looked over her shoulder at Lex. "I think my strength is gone now."

"Are you certain?" Lex's brow furrowed. "Your speed came back easily enough. Try again."

Sighing, Hudson gave a quick shrug and reached back under the car to give it another try. Bracing her legs beneath her, she threw all of her weight into it this time, and Lex's Aston Martin lifted free of the mud.

And kept going.

Hudson gaped as the sports car went sailing hundreds of feet into the air down the road, and over the tree tops toward the east side of town. Panic sweeping over her, she turned quickly to find Lex watching his car as it disappeared from view, a curious and strangely calm expression schooled across his features. He met her gaze, and his eyebrows raised slightly in question. Mentally cursing the shock that had immobilized her, Hudson sped off down the road in pursuit of the getaway sports car, hoping to catch it before it landed.

Unfortunately, she was seconds short, breaking out of her run just as the car impacted with the road ahead of her. She stared in stunned silence as a hubcap rolled off toward the ditch beside the road, glass splintered across the lanes and the hood ornament bounced to a rest in front of her feet. The Aston Martin resembled more of a squashed bug in the road than it did a car at the moment, and Hudson found herself mentally calculating exactly how many years it would take her to pay Lex back at the current rate of her allowance.

It came out to be a very, very long time.

* * *

"I really am sorry, Lex."

"Hudson, I told you not to worry about it. I have a garage full of cars."

That really didn't make her feel any better about the incident.

Lex had appeared at the scene of the mangled car, driving the Kent pickup truck. It would have normally been an amusing moment for Hudson, but she'd been too busy pacing around the scattered parts of the Aston Martin, wondering how in the hell she was supposed to explain this one. Lex appeared nonplussed throughout the ordeal, making a call to the local salvage yard to pick up what was left of the wreck and answering the complicated questions of the towers. When Sheriff Adams happened by to write a report, Hudson had become so shaken that Lex finally sent her to the cab of the truck to wait for him as he smoothed everything over. Adams hadn't seemed too happy, or accepting of whatever story it was Lex fed her, but she'd eventually waved him away, and turned to climb back into her car.

"What did you tell Adams?" Hudson asked, glancing over at Lex who had insisted on driving back to the farm.

"That we were taking my car back to your farm so your dad could work on it… and it fell off of the back of the truck."

Hudson grimaced. "I could see why she wouldn't accept an explanation like that."

Lex shrugged. "She had no choice. There was really no other logical explanation she could come up with for it."

She nodded and let out a short breath as Lex reached over to pat her leg. "Stupid powers. I can't believe that happened."

"One of these days we'll look back on this and laugh."

"I suppose." Hudson smirked a little. "It was kind of funny, watching your car just soar through the air like that."

"I said one of these days, Hudson," Lex reminded her with half-glare. "Today is not that day."

"Oh. Sorry."

Hudson didn't know if he was teasing or not, but she felt bad enough as it was, and didn't want to push her luck. She hunkered down on the seat and wondered what her parents were going to say about all of this. Obviously they would tell her to lay off the use of her abilities until they were certain that whatever was going on was over with. But what if it wasn't just some passing problem? What if Jor-El was doing this to her out of some form of revenge for her coming home and not accepting her destiny – whatever the hell that was. What if this was the way her abilities were going to behave for the rest of her life – sometimes there, sometimes not?

"You've got that look again."

She glanced over at Lex. "What look?"

"The one that says the weight of the world is on your shoulders."

"Maybe it's just the trauma of seeing you driving my dad's pickup."

Lex flashed her a quick smirk. "You don't think I fit in as a farmer?"

"About as well as I fit in as a cook."

He visibly flinched at the thought, receiving a smack from her for his trouble.

Chuckling, he reached out to take her hand in his. "You're not facing this alone, you know. You can talk about what's worrying you."

"I know." Hudson sighed and scooted closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "It's just… I can't help but wonder if this is the way I'm going to be from now on or maybe it's leading up to something worse."

"I still say it's just the effects from the solar flares, and that once the radiation passes out of our atmosphere, you'll be fine," Lex explained, glancing down at her for a moment. "We could answer this question this afternoon if you really wanted to. The labs are empty --"

"Let me think about it. Okay?"

Lex smiled and kissed the top of her head as he pulled up in front of the Kent farmhouse. "Okay, Angel."

Her mom and dad were waiting inside the yard where they were working on the begonias together. They both stood, frowning as she pushed the gate open and moved up the walk with Lex close on her heels. Her dad's gaze flickered to the back of the pickup truck where all of the boxes still sat, waiting to be delivered.

"H.C., what's going on?" He asked.

"We had a bit of an incident," Lex supplied for her while Hudson sighed beside him. She shook her head and wandered toward the house as he continued, "Another mishap with her abilities."

"No one was hurt, were they?" Martha asked, quickly moving to catch up to Hudson as she neared the kitchen door.

"My pride and Lex's car," Hudson told her as she stepped inside and waited for her parents and Lex to join her.

"I don't understand."

Hudson met her mom's gaze and felt her cheeks redden. "I tried to pull Lex's car out of the mud, and I couldn't. So then I tried again, and my abilities came back… and Lex's car ended up out on Hwy 77, in thousands of itty bitty pieces."

"Oh, honey." Her mom stepped forward and hugged her. "I'm sure Lex doesn't blame you."

"I tried to tell her that," Lex remarked. "But she won't listen to me."

"Did anyone see it happen?"

Lex glanced at Jonathan and shook his head. "No. But the Sheriff came by. She really couldn't do anything other than accept that explanation I gave her."

"Then there's nothing to worry about, H.C.," her dad told her. "I'm sure Lex can afford to buy a new car."

"That's not the point." Hudson wandered into the family room miserably. "What if it hadn't been his car? What if it had been him? Or one of you? What if someone had been in the car? I hate this! I hate not knowing anything about myself."

She kicked at the edge of the couch before sitting down and staring at her hands. There were far too many 'what if' scenarios that revolved around what she was and what she could do. And while her biological father had made himself known to her, ready to demand she do this or do that on a whim, he wasn't very good at providing answers to the questions that plagued her. Actually, he wasn't very good at providing answers, period. The person with the most answers was Dr. Swann, and something about that made her nervous. Maybe she just didn't like the fact that someone dedicated to the study of extra-terrestrial beings held her life, and all of the answers to it, in the palm of his hand.

Her mom sat down beside her, slipping her arm around her shoulders. "You can't dwell on what might have happened, H.C., if it didn't. Now that we know all of your abilities are being affected, you'll just have to be careful about using them until we can figure this out."

"And what if we can't figure it out?"

"We will, Hudson," Lex told her from across the room. "I promise."

"Until then," her dad began, sitting down on the other side of her. "I agree with your mother. Refrain from using any of your abilities, just to be on the safe side."

Hudson nodded, and tried to feel a little less helpless. She knew she should probably take Lex up on his offer to run the experiments but something about just the thought made her cringe. She didn't want to be involved in experiments; she didn't like the idea that the only way she'd ever truly learn about who she was would be in a lab. What was so wrong with her just being normal, like everyone else?

Her mom stood and walked into the kitchen, telling everyone she would start lunch as Hudson reached up to rub at her eyes, which were beginning to ache and itch. It wasn't until she felt the burning behind her eyelids that she realized what was about to happen.

"Oh god, no!" She yelled as she jumped up, moving to get out of the room but stumbling against the coffee table as she fought to keep her eyes closed.

"H.C.?" Her dad called out, grabbing her arm but she shook his hand away.

"Get back!" She shouted. And then the pain became too intense and her eyes shot open in time to see Lex directly in her line of vision. "Lex! Get down!"

He ducked just as the curtains behind him erupted into flames. Hudson fought to close her eyes again as her dad shouted for her mom to get the fire extinguisher. She tried to move, to get out of the house, but everyone was in her way and the burning was too intense, and her eyes shot open again, the intense heat erupting across the wall in front of her.

"Lex! Take this!" She heard her dad call out, and then he appeared in front of her, batting at the fire with a blanket.

Hudson quickly spun around, searching for a section of the room not occupied but the burning faded and she realized it was over. Over, and yet the damage was already done. The beautiful lace curtains that were at least eighty years old were destroyed, tattered remains now covered in foam where they dangled from the curtain rod. And the wall over the sofa, scorched in an odd S-shape, the center painting of the farm unsalvageable.

"Angel, are you all right?"

Lex was kneeling down beside her, apparently unafraid that she would suddenly immolate him, searing his skin to little more than ashes. And she'd come so close to doing so, so very close to setting him on fire in a manner much worse than what she'd witnessed Desiree doing to him. Her eyes were dry, but Hudson burst into tears anyway and Lex, unafraid, pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

"Shhh. It's all right. Everyone's all right, Hudson."

"I could have killed you!" She cried against his shoulder.

"But you didn't."

"We're safe," she heard her mother add beside her. "And very little damage was done. We can fix the wall in no time. And I've been wanting new curtains."

Their assurances didn't help. They were being nice because they had to, because there was no other girl in the entire world who walked around setting fire to her own house simply by opening her eyes. Hudson wondered how they couldn't be afraid of her, how they didn't run screaming from the house, never coming near her again. She wondered why her parents hadn't locked her away in some lab a long time ago.

Lifting her head, Hudson met Lex's gaze with trepidation. "I… I think we should try to figure out what's wrong, Lex. I think we need to know if it's going to stop."

Lex nodded silently in reply.

* * *

"There's no one here, I promise." Lex held out his hand to Hudson, who continued to hover just outside the door to the lab.

"What if someone decides to wander in?"

He smiled at that. "Would you go into work on your day off? Seriously, Hudson, I promise everything is going to be okay. Trust me."

Realizing she had no other choice, Hudson slipped her hand into his outstretched one and allowed Lex to tug her into the lab. He switched on the lights as they moved inside, and a bluish tint was cast across the room. Tugging her hand from his, Hudson wrapped her arms around herself protectively, gaze sweeping over the sterile environment that was too much like a hospital, and too little like anything that she was used to. Everything around her was brushed aluminum and shiny, and impossibly more clean than her mother's kitchen. The antiseptic smell overpowered her nostrils until she thought she might gag from the scent.

"How long is this going to take?" She asked quietly, seeking out Lex where he stood in the corner, flipping on a bunch of switches and pushing buttons.

"A few hours, at most," he told her as a handful of monitors flickered to life in front of him. He glanced over his shoulder at her, brow furrowing as his gaze swept from head to foot. "Don't be nervous, Hudson. Nothing is going to hurt you. I promise."

"I know. It just… it smells funny in here."

Lex smiled and turned back to what he was doing. "I guess I'm used to it. All through high school and college, I spent the majority of my time in the labs." He gave a short laugh. "Well, at least when I bothered to show up for school… There. I think we're ready to begin the initial tests."

Walking over to her, Lex took Hudson's hand and led her to the center of the room next to an enormous table. "Wait here."

She watched as he moved away and began collecting objects from around the room: a large piece of scrap metal, a section of rebar, a stop watch. She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, waiting for him to rejoin her. He stopped by once, dropping the items on the table in front of her, and then moved away again to grab a portable cardio/respiratory and oxygen saturation monitor that was standing in the back of the room. Pulling it over, he began separating the leads and reached out to unbutton her shirt.

"What are you doing?" Hudson asked, grabbing his hands to stop him.

"I'm going to monitor how your system reacts to the solar flares that the lab creates – "

"What?" She clutched at the top of her shirt for a moment. "How are you going to recreate the flares?" She asked to distract him, not wanting to admit that she was terrified of being hooked up to anything.

Lex nodded toward the far wall. "With the use of the particle accelerator, I can reproduce the effect of lightning, which carries the same strength of gamma rays that X-class solar flares create. My theory is that it's possible your body stores the sun's energy like a battery, gathering up the gamma rays transmitted through the atmosphere and then releasing them when you use your abilities. When those gamma rays fluctuate, so does the strength of your abilities."

Hudson shook her head. "I don't understand. How can I be so connected to the sun when I'm not from here?"

"That's the whole point." Lex gently tugged her hands away from her shirt and continued undoing the buttons until he could part the material and begin attaching the three leads. "From the coordinates you gave me, I discovered that the system Krypton was located in is home to a Red Giant. Therefore, your physiology would have evolved in accommodation to the gamma radiation emitted by the red star. Not yellow. It's highly probable that this is the reason behind your superhuman abilities."

"Because of the sun?"

"Mmm."

"And you're going to somehow recreate the effects of the sun, except at a higher level?"

"Yes."

Hudson pondered this a moment, trying to ignore the strange sensation of the stickers that were being attached to her skin over both breasts, and one below her left breast against her ribs. She stared across the room at the particle accelerator, wondering why a fertilizer plant would have need of such a thing.

"Lex? Why do you have a particle accelerator?"

"Experimentation purposes." He glanced up at her before reaching out for a plastic device that resembled a clothes pin and was hooked to yet another wire. Picking up her hand, he slipped it over the tip of her index finger. "This is a sat probe. It's going to monitor your oxygen levels."

She was careful not to bend her finger, knowing she would break the device. "What experiments?"

Chuckling, Lex kissed the tip of her nose. "Planning on going into the fertilizer business, are you?" Completely ignoring her question, he handed her the rebar. "Here. I want you to test your abilities with these objects and see if everything is working as it should."

"You make me sound like a computer or machine or something." She frowned.

"Hardly. You're body is really no different from a human's, Hudson. You're simply affected by different things. When a human gets sick, their body begins to shut down. Things don't work properly. Simply look at this as a cold that you have to get over."

She didn't like how easily Lex referred to her as non-human, though she figured it was better than how her parents liked to pretend she wasn't the least bit different than anyone else. Sometimes she found herself wondering if her dad didn't think that if he believed in it hard enough, one day she would wake up to just be a normal little girl, like any other. That was a secret thought she never shared with anyone, because it was entirely too painful to speak aloud.

Picking up the rebar, Hudson quickly bent it in half, waved it at Lex and placed it back on the table. She watched as he frowned at the readings on the monitor.

"Can you burn a hole through that piece of metal?" He asked.

"I feel like a circus freak," she muttered before focusing her gaze on the metal scrap and watching as a small hole appeared - followed by another below it, through the table beneath. She stopped quickly and flashed a quick wince in Lex's direction. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry." He rubbed at his chin for a moment as he continued to examine the readings, then glanced back over at her. "Hudson, when you do these things – even when you lift the tractor – do you ever feel a change in your heart rhythm or your breathing?"

She thought about it and shrugged. "Not that I can think of."

"Amazing." He gestured toward the monitor. "Do you think you could pick that up and run with it without jostling it too much?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Hudson gripped the pole in her hands, lifting it slightly off the ground and clutching it closely to her before glancing over at Lex.

"Five laps around the lab."

Rolling her eyes, she sped away, pleased to see that every one of her abilities seemed to be performing exactly as they should. She circled the room five times as requested and stopped beside the table once more, gently setting the monitor back to its stand. Lex blinked at her, and glanced down at the stopwatch she didn't realize he'd picked up.

"Well, there went a millisecond," he commented with a slight smirk, before turning his attention to the monitors. Again, he shook his head. "Not a single fluctuation. You exert absolutely no energy in the use of your abilities, or it's so miniscule that I would have to monitor you over an extended period of time to get any reading on it."

"I'd prefer we get through this junk as quickly as possible," she replied, picking at the sticker above her left breast. It didn't cause her any discomfort, but she didn't like it being there. She tugged on a bra strap impatiently while she waited for Lex to tell her what to do next.

Nodding once, Lex moved away from her to the computer near the far wall, and the particle accelerator. She knew he had purposely ignored her questions regarding the experiments, and figured it was probably because, like his father, he still conducted tests with the meteor rocks. It wasn't that she didn't believe there might be a practical application for the Kryptonite in some form – there was a use for everything when it came right down to it. Her fears stemmed from the instability of the meteors; too many people had been hurt because of them as it was, and use in the laboratories could only lead to more disaster. Hudson knew that Lex would never release a product that was potentially harmful to the general public. But when it came to the testing environment, there was no way to determine what could happen.

Too, these were meteor rocks. And their effects on her were enough to give her pause no matter who was using them, or for what reason.

A loud hum began vibrating through the lab, bringing Hudson's attention back to Lex, who was walking back over to her. "Could you grab the metal scraps?" He asked as he reached her side.

She did as requested as he looped his fingers around the monitor stand and waved at her to walk with him. Brow furrowing, Hudson followed him through the lab toward a large, glass enclosed room that was empty except for a flat metal bed or table in the center. There was an oval-shaped dome attached to it that served as the entrance.

"This is a containment chamber," Lex explained, pushing in a code on the door to open it. He stepped inside the tiny space, waiting for Hudson to join him before the door slid shut behind them. He keyed in another code on the panel beside them, and the door to the containment room opened.

"When the particle accelerator recreates the proper explosion needed to reach the solar flares effects, the gamma rays will be channeled into this room," he continued, stepping inside. "When I give you the signal, you go ahead and perform each task again to see if they've been affected. And don't worry about your heat vision if it gets out of control – you won't damage anything in here that isn't meant to be damaged."

He turned to go.

"Wait." Hudson reached out to grab his sleeve. "You're locking me in here with this stuff while you're out _there_? And you expect me to be _okay_ with this?"

"There's no reason to be afraid, Hudson. None of this is going to hurt you," he assured her gently, leaning forward to give her a quick kiss. "If it starts to bother you, just tell me you want to stop and we will. Okay?"

She worried her lower lip and glanced around, still uncertain.

Obviously noticing her discomfort, Lex took her hand and asked, "What can I say to make this easier for you?"

"I don't know." She glanced back toward the accelerator. "Maybe… maybe if I understood a little better how you're going to do what you said."

"Okay."

Lex pulled her over to the table where he leaned against the edge and took her into his arms, holding her close as he began his explanation.

"Normally, gamma rays are produced by thermo-nuclear explosions in the sun. A few years ago, through satellite research, they began detecting these gamma rays, called terrestrial gamma rays or TGF's, on earth."

"How?"

"It's called 'Runaway breakdown'. Basically, collisions between extraterrestrial cosmic rays and the atmosphere generate a few very high energy electrons. A sufficiently strong electric field can further accelerate these electrons. Those cause additional collisions, producing more high energy electrons until the whole process avalanches.

"The gamma rays appear when this kind of electron avalanche appears in the electrical field immediately following a strong lightning discharge. Hypothetically, such a discharge could create a high energy electron beam at altitudes between 30 and 50 kilometers. The beam would them produce gamma rays as it interacts with the atmosphere."

"So, with your accelerator you're going to create these huge electron beam?" She asked incredulously.

Lex shook his head. "No. Interestingly enough, even though it is believed that the magnitude of the gamma rays produced should have such an effect, they don't. I can produce the same high energy gamma rays with electronic charges fifty to five hundred times smaller than what should be required."

Sighing, Hudson kicked at the floor before tucking her head under his chin. "As long as this doesn't cause the building to explode or anything."

"Not to worry." He kissed the top of her head and set her away from him, catching her gaze. "We've conducted the same manner of tests dozens of times."

Hudson wanted to ask for what purpose, but knew he wouldn't answer. Instead, as he walked toward the door, she asked, "Lex, why didn't you become a scientist?"

He grinned over his shoulder at her. "I love science, Hudson, don't get me wrong. But you have to know your own strengths. Mine lay in a boardroom, not a lab."

She didn't agree. She figured that was probably his father talking, whether Lex realized it or not.

Letting out a nervous breath, she stared at the door as it slipped shut behind Lex, then followed his figure closely with her eyes as he moved back around to the controls to the particle accelerator. She glanced down at the monitor she was attached to, but didn't understand many of the readings; as much time as she'd spent in the hospital next to the various bedsides of those she loved, she'd never really bothered paying attention to the numbers. From what she could tell, her own heart moved at a rhythm of about forty-five beats per minute. It seemed low to her, but she couldn't remember what the usual number was supposed to be for humans. Lex had been correct, though; her own readings hadn't changed even by a fraction since he hooked her up to the monitor.

"Hudson?" She heard his voice echo through a speaker above. "You ready?"

Well, the logical answer to that, of course, was HELL NO! But she sighed and nodded her head.

Waiting patiently, she listened to the hum around the lab as it steadily increased. Surprisingly, it wasn't as loud as she expected a particle accelerator to be. Come to think of it, she'd never really thought about what an accelerator sounded like. Glancing up at the vents that filtered into the containment room, she waited to feel something that would alert her to the fact that her environment had changed, but nothing really felt all that different.

"Okay, Angel. Try bending the rebar."

She picked up the piece she'd bent and it easily straightened beneath her pull. She held it up for Lex's perusal and shrugged.

"I'm going to try boosting the power," he told her. "The effect created only produced gamma rays equal to that of an M-class flare. Hang on."

Hudson turned back to the monitor beside her and began playing with some of the dials. As before, the readings hadn't fluctuated in the least. All of the tests were beginning to seem a little pointless, and her impatience was growing. If they didn't figure out what the changes in her abilities were caused by, she could end up battling these alterations the rest of her life.

"Hudson, try your heat vision this time."

Turning back to the table, Hudson focused her gaze on the scrap metal. She waited but nothing happened. Frowning, she glanced down at the monitor she was attached to, but nothing had changed on it, either.

"Not working?" Lex asked.

She shook her head.

"I'm going to adjust the settings again. If you feel it come on the way it did back at the house, just try not to hit the monitor."

Bored, Hudson leaned on the table, drumming her fingers against the metal surface as the humming sound oscillated around her. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand and began wondering what she and Lex were going to do when they were done. She was kind of in the mood to go swimming, but Lex never joined her. He usually just sat at the poolside, laptop on the table, working and occasionally nodding in response to her chatter. So it was rarely ever fun, unless she threw him in, which she did once. And only once.

When her vision suddenly blurred, Hudson thought it was her heat vision triggering on, but her eyesight continued to grow more unfocused until the containment room around her disappeared…

_She was laying on a table, the surface hard and cold beneath her. She couldn't move, strapped down as she was by Kryptonite cuffs on her wrists and ankles. The pain continued to rip through her body; it felt as if her blood were boiling and her bones were turning to ash._

"_One, two, I'm gonna cut you! Three, four, I'll be covered in gore! Five, six, gonna get my kicks! Seven, eight, … oh, what rhymes with eight?... Oh! Eviscerate!" _

_Maniacal laughter followed as a shadowed figure hovered beside her. She tried to make out a face, but the bright fluorescent lights above prevented it. "Please, you don't have to do this!" She heard herself beg._

"_Oh, I know!" The man's voice replied sympathetically. "But, you see, Precious, I want to do this!"_

_A glowing green, Kryptonite carved scalpel appeared in her field of vision. She attempted to struggle but it was useless. She was too weak to get away._

"_Nice and pretty those organs of yours are going to look under glass, Precious. Just wait and see! I'll leave your eyes for last, just so you can… "_

_She felt the first slice of the scalpel through her stomach and screamed…_

"Ahhhh!"

Hudson pushed away from the table, tearing the leads from her chest and ripping the sat monitor from her finger. She threw herself against the door, trying to open it but her strength was gone. Instead, she pounded against the metal, screaming for Lex to let her out as the visions of her dissection continued to permeate her mind.

"Hudson -- !"

The door slid open and Lex was holding her, hands petting her hair gently as she trembled in his arms. "Hudson? What is it? What happened?"

She shook her head and pushed past him, pulling out of his arms and quickly fastening the buttons on her shirt. "I have to get out of here!" She told him, voice rising. "I don't want to do this anymore!"

"Okay. Okay." Lex was speaking softly to her, calmly, as he followed. "We don't have to. I told you we could stop whenever you wanted." He paused, approaching her and slowly reaching out to touch her arm. "Hudson, what happened? What scared you?"

"I… I had a vision or dream or something," she replied quickly, stumbling over her words. "There was this man… he… he was laughing and… he had a scalpel made of Kryptonite. He was cutting me up!"

"Oh, Jesus," Lex muttered, pulling her back into his arms. "Easy, baby. I'm never going to let anything like that happen to you. You hear me?" He cupped her face and pulled back to meet her eyes. "Never. No one is ever going to touch you. I promise. I'll keep you safe."

Hudson closed her eyes. She saw it again, and shuddered. "It was so real," she whispered. "I could feel the Kryptonite cuffs holding me down. The blade cutting into my skin… "

"I'm sorry, Angel. I shouldn't have put you through this." He kissed her lips and held her close and tight, again.

She agreed, but refrained from saying so. After all, she was the one who gave in, the one who just had to know what was going on. Taking a deep breath, she told him, "I want to go home."

"Okay." He kissed her temple and stepped back. "You go on ahead of me so I can get everything cleaned up in here. I don't want to leave any trace behind that we were here."

Shuddering once more, Hudson wiped at her tears as she turned and headed for the door. Fingers hovering over the handle, she glanced back at Lex and attempted a smile that she knew didn't come out right. "Thank you for trying to help."

"Anything for you, Angel."

* * *

Lex moved the flashlight over the wall in front of him, brow furrowing as he stared intently at the painting of the two-headed monster. So many of the paintings within the cave walls were vague; like most prophecies, they could be applied to almost anything and anyone if you skewed the facts enough. Or tried hard enough to disbelieve what they offered you, which Lex wondered if Hudson was doing.

He swept the flashlight further to the side, seeing the pictograms that showed one man lifting ten into the air, another showing bolts of fire shooting out of a crudely drawn figure's eyes, a third showing the same crude figure running faster than the wavy lines depicting the wind. Strength, laser vision, speed. He wondered if he could, given enough time, find every bit of truth about Hudson somewhere in the cave drawings; these three were entirely accurate, despite Hudson's wishes for them not to be, and he couldn't help but think her entire story might be told in the rough drawings that had been here for hundreds of years.

His cell phone was in his hand, had been for the last few minutes, and he finally moved to shine the flashlight onto the keypad so he could thumb through the speed dial and call Hudson.

He was not surprised that Jonathan Kent answered the phone. "Hello?"

Lex sighed inwardly. "Mr. Kent? It's Lex Luthor calling." Why he felt the need to constantly identify himself to this man, he didn't know, and promised himself to stop in the near future. "I was hoping to speak to Hudson."

A pause on the other end of the phone, as though Jonathan was considering not answering. Lex nearly hung up before Jonathan's voice came back on the other end. "Just a minute, Lex. She's out in the barn."

"Thank you." He could barely hear the muffled shout of Hudson's name, but seconds later she was at the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Angel," Lex said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Hudson answered, although her voice was still quiet, down from her usual ebullience. He heard her breath blow across the receiver.

He could barely imagine how much what she'd seen had terrified her, but the reluctant part of him was easily overpowered by the desire to know, to protect. "I'm sorry," he said again, and as he spoke, he brought his flashlight back up to the two-headed monster.

"You didn't have to apologize again," Hudson reassured him. "Are you all right? I didn't freak you out, did I?"

"I'm only worried about you, that's all," Lex replied, the light beam steady on the pictograph. He frowned as the cell phone cut out on him, and then gave a burst of static from being underground.

"Where are you, Lex? You sound like you're in a tunnel," she said, and Lex could hear the frown in her voice.

"Close... I'm in the caves. I was hoping you could come by." He paused. "Now."

Hudson was very, very quiet on the other end of the phone for a long moment, and Lex thought he'd lost the call entirely until she spoke again. "Okay, Lex. I'll be there in a minute." She didn't even pause to say goodbye, just hung up.

And it was a literal minute, because Lex was still folding the small flip-phone closed and tucking it in his pocket when Hudson came around the corner, ducking to miss a particularly long stalactite. "That was fast," he said with a small smile.

Hudson just shook her head, arms wrapped around herself as she gazed at the paintings on the wall. "I told you a minute," is all she said, not quite able to look at Lex yet.

He stepped forward and reached out to cup her chin, gently bringing her gaze to his. He leaned in to give her a light kiss. "Did you know that everything you do amazes me?"

Hudson gave him a small smile that was obviously forced. "What are you doing down here?"

"I was thinking over the solar flares and how much their affect on your abilities upset you," Lex explained as he took Hudson's hand and led her over to the wall where the majority of the paintings were located. "I know you would never want to go back in that lab, and I don't blame you; I wouldn't want to, either. So, I thought that maybe we could solve the mystery of you here in the caves, together."

Hudson shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I… doesn't your father spend a lot of time down here?"

Lex nodded. "He does. But we won't come down when he does."

"Still, he'll probably know," she reasoned, pulling her hand from his. "And then he would want to know what we were doing."

Lex frowned and glanced away for a moment, eyes returning to the two-headed monster. He stared at it silently while Hudson shifted once more beside him, her tennis shoes scuffling in the dirt. "Do you know what that means?" He asked, shining the light over the pictograph.

Hudson followed the beam with her gaze but didn't immediately answer. The pause before she spoke was telling. "Does it matter? Everything down here is just a story – a fairy tale concocted by some tribe who probably lost hope when they watched their people being slaughtered by the settlers."

"A fairy tale, Hudson? A being with the strength of ten men? Who can shoot fire from their eyes? Faster than the wind? Doesn't sound like much of a fairy tale to me." He continued to watch her until she looked away. "I thought you wanted to share everything with me, Hudson. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing." She let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I do want to share everything with you I just… this isn't me," she told him, waving her arms toward the cave walls. "I don't have anything to do with a prophecy – I don't _want _anything to do with a prophecy. I just want… I want to be normal, Lex. Can't you understand that? I don't want to know who I am anymore or where I come from. The last time I demanded answers I ended up with an ugly brand across my chest and a chip the size of Texas on my shoulder. Isn't it possible to just accept what I can do and move on? Pretend that none of this exists?"

Lex shook his head. "I've told you before, Angel. There's no such thing as too much information. If you trust me, then you trust me enough to protect you. You wouldn't have told me as much as you have if you didn't. I understand that, but _we_ have to understand about _you_ before I can adequately do that," he pointed out calmly, reaching out and trying to catch one of Hudson's flailing arms. "I realize you're afraid, and that you don't want any of this to be true, but at the risk of being obvious... you can't run away from who you are."

"I'm not running away." She stepped out of his reach and turned, wandering further into the cave. "I just… I don't want to be the person everyone else wants me to be. The Kawatchee expect me to be their savior; Jor-El expects me to be some kind of ruler of humankind. And you… " She glanced over her shoulder at him, confusion marring her brow. "I'm not certain yet who you're expecting me to be."

"I'm not expecting you to be anyone, Hudson." Lex didn't follow her as she ambled further into the cave, because he was nearly certain that his company wouldn't be welcome, at least, not that close up. "I just want to protect you. But to do that, I have to know everything you're capable of. I hate to sound like a broken record, but if you don't know what you can do, how do you know I can take care of it?" Lex raised the flashlight to illuminate the cave paintings. "I know who you are, Hudson. But that's an entirely different question than what you can do is."

Hudson stopped in front of the wall where Lex knew the indentation for the octagonal disk had been located. It was gone now. "I know what I can do. The caves aren't going to help with that." She looked back at him and added, "Ever since they were found, these caves have caused everyone I care about nothing but misery. Come to think about it, everything about me causes the people I love misery."

Frowning, Lex made his way over to her. "Is this about the vision you had?" He touched her back, giving her a soothing caress.

"Yes. No…. Maybe." She glanced up at him, eyes huge in the low light. "I just… I just want to be Hudson Kent, Lex. Why can't I just be her?"

"You'll never 'just be' anyone, Hudson. You're meant for far greater things than that." He pulled her close, kissing her forehead as he shifted the flashlight behind her back. "I know what it's like to fight against a destiny – I wrote the book on it. But no one is saying you have to follow a particular path. You're free to be who you want to be, to do what you want with your own destiny."

He leaned back to catch her gaze. "But Angel, until you understand the person you are, you'll never become the person you want to be."

"Wise words from someone who seems caught in the same vicious cycle," Hudson remarked.

Lex clenched his jaw at her words, pulling away and turning his back to her. He knew what her ploy was, knew that she was almost as good as he was at hurting others with words just to get the focus moved away from them. But the comment still stung; and what was worse was that she was right. Who was he to lecture her on becoming her own person when every time he took the same steps, he tripped and fell flat on his face. He couldn't even hold on to his own damned company.

He fought back the anger that threatened at her need to throw his own weaknesses in his face. "This conversation is about you, not me, Hudson," he informed her in an even tone. "Even if it weren't, you can't start comparing our circumstances. You've got people all around you who love you, who are willing to help you break away from your destiny. I don't have that luxury, and you damn well know it."

There was a long silence between them before Lex felt Hudson move up behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist. "I'm sorry." She pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "But you're wrong on one thing, Lex. You're not alone. I'll help you, but you have to let me."

He had her.

Lex turned in her arms and replied, "And you have to let me, Hudson. I want to protect you, I want to help guide you on your journey. But you have to let me in, in order to do that."

She sighed, and shook her head slightly. "Lex, I want your help. I want you to be there for me when I can't handle things or when I feel alone and scared. I want to know that I can talk to you and that you'll understand like no one else can."

"Of course."

"Then you have to also accept and understand that I don't need protection – not from you or my parents or anyone."

He couldn't accept that. She didn't know what was out there, she didn't understand what people were capable of. No matter what she'd seen in the last few years, no matter what she'd experienced in Metropolis, Hudson still lived her life in an imaginary world, where people were generally good, and meant no harm. She didn't understand men like his father; for all that she feared him, she would never truly comprehend him.

"I want to help," he told her finally, left with little more that he could say. He wasn't going to beg; he couldn't force this.

"I know." She cupped his cheek and her smile appeared genuine this time. "And that means the world to me, Lex. But the best thing you could do for me? Is to just drop this. Let it go. Just… let me be Hudson Kent. While I can?"

"While you can," Lex echoed softly. _While I can_ implied knowledge that there would be a time in the future when Hudson's hand was forced, and she would _have_ to know these things about herself. When the time of idealism was over, and Hudson was ready to step into the real world...

Lex was already going to be there ahead of her.

* * *

"_I just received a phone call from Lex. He was extremely aggravated that I didn't pass him on his psychological evaluation."_

"_As expected. And how did you handle him?"_

"_I explained that I felt there was quite a bit he was holding back regarding his time spent on the island. That he was letting his deep rooted anger at his father get in the way of his emotional and psychological needs."_

"_I can only imagine what he had to say in response to that."_

"_He used some very choice words that included questions regarding my lineage but he surprised me in the end."_

"_How is that, Doctor?"_

"_He has agreed to meet with me again, and continue his sessions."_

"_Is that so? Very good work, Doctor."_

"_I can't take the credit."_

"_Hmmm?"_

"_I thought you'd be interested to know that Lex admitted that Miss Kent had said the same thing I did in regards to his need to discuss his time on the island. It seems her opinion matters more than my advice or working for Luthorcorp."_

"_I see… I'm not surprised to hear this, actually. Thank you for the information, Dr. Foster. I ask that you continue the sessions as we discussed, and report all findings to me, especially those that might include our dear Miss Kent. Lex has been led astray once too often by the women he's fallen for."_

"_I don't see Miss Kent as a danger. I met her once, briefly. I believe she truly cares deeply about Lex."_

"_And that, Dr. Foster, is precisely the problem." _


	33. My First Taste: Yuletide

**Chapter 23**

**YULETIDE**

_**To much clarity darkens.**_

**Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662)**

"_No, Hudson! If they take me to the hospital, I'm either going to end up dead or drooling in a padded cell for the rest of my life!" _

_Hudson shook her head, not understanding his reasoning. Not understanding any of this. She still remembered the look on Lex's face as he was cradling the blanket in the barn, the blanket he'd truly believed was Julian. On the one hand, she wouldn't put anything past Lionel; on the other, she'd never seen Lex like this before._

"_Why would they want to do that?" She asked gently._

"_It's the perfect plan, Angel. As long as the world thinks I'm crazy, no one will believe what I found out about my father and Morgan Edge! Think about it, Hudson."_

"_Miss Kent," Dr. Foster interrupted from her position on the floor. "Your boyfriend is very sick. These conspiracy theories are a symptom of his condition --"_

"_Shut up!" Lex shoved the gun closer to her._

"_Maybe I am crazy, Angel," he admitted, glancing at her tearfully. "I honestly don't know anymore. But what if I'm right about all this? Are you really just going to let them put me away?"_

_She'd never seen Lex cry before._

_He was crying now, the hand that held the gun was shaking, and he looked terrified. More so even than Darius and Dr. Foster, who had to believe that Lex could shoot them at any moment, as unstable as he appeared to be. _

"_It's okay, Lex," Hudson whispered softly, her heart going out to him as she laid her hand against his arm, bringing his eyes back to her. "I'm not going to let them take you. I promised I'd take care of you, and I meant that."_

"_I'm scared," he whispered, and the arm beneath her hand trembled._

"_I am, too, but as long as we're together, nothing can hurt us." Hudson moved her hand down his arm and over his wrist, until his fingers lay between her own and the gun. "Let me take care of you, Lex."_

_He eyed her for a long moment before she felt the muscles in his hand relax, and she took the gun from him. Her free arm pulled him close, while she kept the weapon trained on Darius and Dr. Foster. They were both eyeing her curiously, as if they expected her, at any moment, to hand the gun and Lex over to them. Apparently, they didn't understand her very well. She didn't need the gun to protect Lex, and she didn't need their help, either._

"_We're going to go now. I suggest you remain where you are to the count of 100. If I catch you following us, I will shoot you." There wouldn't be a need, not since she planned on speeding Lex as far away from here as possible once they were out of sight, but it sounded good all the same._

"_Miss Kent, you're making a big mistake," Foster told her. "Lex needs help."_

"_And he's going to get it," Hudson assured her. "But not from you."_

_She held the gun on them a moment longer while gently prodding Lex ahead of her and following him out the door. Once in the hall, she slipped the gun into her pocket and gathered him close._

"_What if they're right, Hudson?" Lex asked raggedly. "What if I have lost my mind?"_

_Hudson smiled and kissed his lips as she lifted him into her arms. "Then I'll help you find it," she told him before speeding away from the mansion._

* * *

Hudson awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. 

She rubbed at her eyes and shuddered slightly at the vague impressions left over from her dreams – dreams that were far too real, filled with memories she would rather forget. The past two months were like some nightmare she had only just awoken from, and she was still caught in the backwash of it, the tides continually pulling at her, forcing her to relive each nightmarish moment. Sometimes, she thought if she just screamed as loud as she possibly could, all of the anger and pain that was holed up inside of her might just go away. The terrible truth of the matter was, though, that nothing could make it better.

Every morning for the last two months, Hudson forced herself to think of a reason to get out of bed. Usually, that reason centered around Lex. The first few weeks it was because Lex needed her protection, he needed her to fight for him, to find the truth. For the last four weeks, it was because she believed Lex needed her to be strong, that he'd want her to be strong. The last few days, she told herself it was because it was the holiday season, and they both deserved a little happiness. Unfortunately, now that it was Christmas Eve, Hudson didn't know if she was even capable of a smile. She was going over to the mansion this evening, and they would exchange gifts, and Lex would look at her and wait for the answers he already knew would never come, and Hudson would remain silent and aching, mentally flagellating herself over and over again. So it had been from the moment he came home, and so it would be until…

Murder had crossed her mind, if only for a few brief moments. She'd never been so filled with hate and rage as she had the last night she left the asylum. She could kill Lionel Luthor, she knew, and no one would ever be able to trace it back to her. She could immolate him with her heat vision, and no one would ever find the body. One day Lex might hate her for it though, and that wasn't counting the possibility that he would be blamed for his father's disappearance. Her hands were tied. She once told herself she would never again do anything that would hurt Lex; now Hudson realized that her very existence would continue to do so throughout their lives.

What was she supposed to do about that?

Hudson dressed and made her way downstairs, wondering why her father hadn't bothered waking her for chores. When she reached the kitchen, her mom was standing over the stove, staring down into the pan, while her dad sat at the table, not reading the paper that was in his hands. That was the way the house had been since that night, all three of them moving through life like zombies, performing tasks automatically because thinking and talking allowed too many terrible thoughts. They were looking at her now, just as they had for the last month, their eyes saying what they couldn't bring themselves to speak aloud: _it was all her fault_. She'd put their family in danger, even though they'd warned her from the beginning.

"Merry Christmas," she offered quietly, adding a smile to her face for effect. "I mean, Merry Christmas Eve."

"Merry Christmas, Honey," her mom replied with forced joy. "I hope you're hungry for a big breakfast?"

Hudson nodded as she slipped into the seat beside her father. "Why didn't you wake me for chores?" She asked as she reached out for a glass of juice.

He shrugged. "Christmas," he muttered, not looking at her.

"Oh. Well… thank you." She sipped at the beverage, and glanced out the window where wispy gray clouds silently promised snow by afternoon. Snow on Christmas usually put a smile on her face, but this year it just seemed cold and dismal. Everything was like that.

Silence permeated the kitchen as her mother brought their breakfast to them, and sat down across from Hudson to eat. Food even tasted bland, but Hudson choked it down, knowing that if she didn't her stomach would protest loudly all day long, and there were so many other things that she needed to attempt to focus her mind on. Like the fact that Lex was safe now, that he was home, and she would be able to spend the evening with him. She would be able to silently show him how much she loved him, even if it didn't seem to make much of a difference anymore.

"Are you still going to Lex's this evening?" Her mother asked, causing her dad to stiffen beside her.

Hudson nodded, and felt a little warmer inside as she realized she would be seeing him soon. "Tonight we'll be at his place, and then we'll come here tomorrow morning."

"Will Lionel be there?" Her father questioned.

She winced slightly at his name. "I… I don't believe so."

"Be careful, Hudson."

"What would you have me do?" She asked, stilling the terror that threatened. "Hide away here all day, every day? If Lex continues to question… " Hudson broke off and shook her head. "I have to behave as if nothing as has changed. For Lex, and for us."

Her father sighed. "I know, Honey. It's just, with everything Lionel has done, we can't trust him to keep his word on anything else."

Hudson agreed. "We're just going to have to deal with that when the time comes. For now, I think we're safe. I have to focus on Lex. He needs me, you know?"

Her parents seemed to understand what she was saying because no more protests were voiced. Each of them quietly returned to their meal, and the hope that the Christmas spirit would somehow invade their once happy home.

* * *

_It had been a morning like any other, two months earlier, as Hudson made her way into the loft to grab her homework. That was why she fairly had a heart attack as Lex popped up from his hiding place behind the couch. Normally, such an action would include a bouquet of confetti roses in one hand, and a box of chocolates in the other. Instead of looking pleased with himself for catching her off-guard, Lex looked exhausted. It only took a quick glance to notice that something was terribly wrong._

"_Lex, what happened?" She hurried to his side, checking the bruises and cuts that marred his skin._

"_Are you alone?"_

"_Yes. What happened to you?"_

_Lex glanced around the loft nervously, and then limped across the floor to look out the window. "Someone tried to kill me last night."_

_Hudson was staring down at his legs, wondering what had happened to him when his words penetrated her thoughts. Her head shot up and she rushed over to him. "We need to get you to the hospital. Call the police!"_

"_No. No hospitals. No police," Lex argued, turning to face her. "These people are professionals. They killed my security guard, Darius. They tried to finish me off too. I just need time to think..." He moved away, already lost in his thoughts while Hudson stared after him in shock._

_Somebody had tried to kill Lex? And she hadn't been there to protect him. He should have called her – she could have been there in an instant. Dammit, what was she supposed to do? Move out of her parents home and into his? Being Lex's girlfriend was the same as being his bodyguard at times._

_Focus, Hudson. Focus._

"_Who would want to kill you?" She asked, following him once more to check his injuries._

"_The less you know, the better."_

_Her mouth fell open at that, and she grabbed his shoulder, pulling him around angrily to face her. "Lex, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on!"_

_Lex sighed, glancing away from her for a moment. "It was probably my father," he told her._

"_I know you guys have had your problems, but you really think he'd try to kill you?"_

"_It was either him or Morgan Edge."_

"_Morgan Edge."  
__  
That was a name she had hoped to never hear again. Once she'd learned that he had died in a mysterious fire in Metropolis, she was certain that she would never have to again recall the job she'd done for him, or the realization that Lionel Luthor had once held her blood in his possession. _

"_Isn't he the crime boss that died in that fire a few months back? I think I read that somewhere-" She queried, ignoring the curious look from Lex, as if he suspected she knew Edge. _

"_He survived... Went underground, got some hack plastic surgeon to change his appearance."_

_Hudson blinked. "Changed his appearance?" When Lex didn't respond to that, she continued, "But, what does he have against you?"_

"_I have evidence linking him and my father to a crime that can get them both the death penalty. That evidence was supposed to be delivered to the US Attorney this morning..." He ran a hand over his face, obviously exhausted. She wondered if he'd been waiting up for her all night. "But it's in my safe, Angel. And I can't go back there." _

_She nodded. "All right. I'll go get what's in your safe."_

"_No. It's too dangerous, Angel. The people in the mansion could be in on this." _

_Hudson rolled her eyes, knowing that Lex often forgot how easily she could get around undetected. "If anyone asks, I'll just play dumb. Tell them I was there to meet you," she explained. "Now, tell me exactly what happened…."_

* * *

Hudson stared up at the mansion and the bright white lights that flickered along the edge of the roof, and covered the fir trees in the yard. There were giant candy canes scattered across the lawn, and a life-size Santa in his sleigh with his reindeer – all nine, of course, because last year Hudson had pointed out to Lex that Rudolph always counted. It was as festive as any house in Smallville; more so, probably, because of the amount of money it took to make it look like this. Hudson had been determined to make Lex's return from the asylum a happy one, and so she had spent the days before his release forcing his staff to work with her in putting out the decorations. She'd worked side by side with people she didn't necessarily trust anymore, and they had meekly responded to each and every demand, as if silently asking her forgiveness for something they could have prevented. She wanted to hate them, but she knew that when it came to Lionel Luthor, it was hard to blame his victims. 

Walking up to the door, Hudson straightened one of the two huge wreaths, and then fiddled with the big red bow on the knob before opening it and stepping inside. She rarely rang the bell anymore, feeling more comfortable when no one but Lex knew that she was there. She pulled off her gloves, tucking them into the pockets of her coat, and then hung it up on one of the hooks along the wall. The mansion was warm, and the fresh scent of pine from the garlands strewn along the staircase wafted through the air. It was comforting, and Hudson hoped that soon she would be able to put her fears behind her, and simply enjoy the evening.

Her relief was short-lived though, as she rounded the corner into the study to find Lionel Luthor standing beside the fireplace, staring down at Lex, who was seated on the couch. It took every ounce of willpower that Hudson possessed not to speed away from there, to keep running and never return. She shook with the force of her fear, rationalizing that nothing would happen as long as Lex was there. She considered backing away, quietly leaving and waiting until Lex's father left the house, but she didn't know when that would be. She had promised Lex she would come over for the night, and if he had invited his father as well… there was nothing that could be done.

"Hudson."

The sound of Lex's voice pushed the fear aside for the moment; she could practically the feel the happiness flowing from him at her presence. He was already smiling as he stood to meet her halfway, taking her hands in his and kissing her lightly on the mouth. He pulled back a little and frowned at her.

"Your hands are freezing," he commented softly, and she understood his concern since her body usually didn't react to the cold.

"I'm fine," she replied with a forced smile, her eyes drifting to Lionel as he moved to join them.

"Perhaps you should wear gloves in such chilly weather, Miss Kent," he suggested smoothly as he laid his hand on her shoulder in a gesture of welcoming.

She almost bolted. Her fingers tightened in Lex's hands slightly, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed him wince, which caused her to relax her hold. She waited for the inevitable bile to rise in her stomach, and the weakness to seep through her bones, but it didn't happen. Apparently, Lionel was playing nice today.

"Wouldn't want you to get sick, now would we?" Lionel continued with a smile.

Lex was watching them both curiously now, and Hudson quickly forced herself to relax and smile again at Lionel as if everything was fine. "Are you spending Christmas Eve with us, Mr. Luthor?" She asked politely.

"Unfortunately, I must decline," he replied. "I simply stopped by to bring my son his gift, and make certain that he was doing well. I trust you to look after him, Miss Kent," he told her pointedly, his eyes narrowing only slightly as he smiled once more.

Hudson moved closer to Lex, slipping her arm around his waist. "Always," she answered.

"Well, I shall leave the two of you to your celebration," Lionel told them as he turned and moved toward the hallway. "Lex, I will be in touch with you after the New Year. Merry Christmas to you both."

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Luthor," Hudson mumbled.

Lex remained silent beside her, pulling away as his father disappeared. "Nice show," he commented softly as he moved over to the fireplace and grabbed the poker.

"What?" Hudson turned to look at him.

He knelt down and poked at the burning wood. "You and my father. The fake smiles, the pointed looks. Just because I lost my memory doesn't mean I've gone stupid, Hudson."

"Lex, I don't – "

"I thought you weren't going to lie to me anymore." He glanced over his shoulder at her, and in his expression she could read his disappointment. "I should have known better than to believe that."

"Lex, we're just – "

"Protecting me?" He asked with sarcasm before turning back to the fire. "From what, Hudson? What horrible atrocity occurred that would cause you to join up with my father against me?"

Hudson sucked in a sharp breath at his accusation and hurried across the study toward him. "No, Lex, it's not like that. I'm not working with your father to protect you. I – "

What could she say without telling him everything? She bawled her hands into fists for a moment before reaching out to touch his shoulder. Lex didn't turn to her; he simply continued to stare into the fire.

"Things happened, Lex," she told him quietly. "You're not the only one who needs protection."

There was a long silence as Lex replaced the poker and got to his feet. He turned to her, slipping his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he watched her, his expression thoughtful. Hudson couldn't read his thoughts, and she worried that he would simply close himself off to her all over again. How would she respond? She had to protect both Lex and her family, and if that meant losing him… No, she couldn't allow herself to think like that.

She started slightly when he reached out to cup her chin, bringing her eyes to his. "What did he do to you?" He asked gently.

More accusations were something she could have handled. Lex's silent admission that he was still with her, that he understood there was danger and that something horrible had happened to force her to lie to him, was something she could not. The tears immediately began to fall, and she bit her tongue hard to keep from telling him everything. He shook his head at her reaction, and pulled her into his arms, holding her close as he stroked her hair.

"Shhhh. It's all right," he whispered. "I know you wouldn't lie to me by choice, Angel. I just… I wish you would trust me enough to let me help. I can protect you."

Hudson laughed bitterly as she choked on a sob. "You couldn't even protect yourself, Lex. I couldn't protect you. There's nothing… Lex, I'm so scared!"

Lex's arms tightened around her, and she felt him kiss her temple. "I'm sorry, Hudson, but I'm scared, too. Do you know how it feels to be missing seven weeks of your life? To know that the one person you love and trust is hiding the truth from you? It's like you hold the key to who I am, and I just want to shake it out of you!"

He sighed and laid his cheek against her head. "Did he threaten my life, Hudson? Is that why you're afraid?"

"_I see you're unfazed. Very well. Let me speak a language I know you do understand._

"_You love my son. I know you do. That's why I know you'll understand me when I tell you that in order to protect him, to protect my own love for him, I will do anything to make certain this little incident remains a secret. He forced my hand in this instance, and now I am taking care of that. Force it again, Hudson Kent, and I will take the next necessary step. Do you understand me?"_

"_You're sick and demented!"_

"_No, Miss Kent. The fact of the matter is, I love my son so much, that I'd rather he be dead than turn against me."_

Hudson closed her eyes against the remembered words and pressed herself into the warm body that held her. "It's over, Lex. Please… just let it go. For my sake?"

For too long, Lex was silent to her plea. Just when she was certain that he would continue to press her for answers, she felt his body relax against her, and his arms tighten. "Because it's Christmas, I'll honor your request, Angel." He pulled back to look down at her, and his gaze was filled with sorrow. "It hurts though that you don't trust me to protect you, to protect us."

"It works both ways, Lex," she whispered.

He sighed and let her go.

* * *

"_What the hell is Lionel doing here?" Chloe muttered under her breath as Hudson brought the pickup truck to a stop. She peered out the window to see her parents talking to Lionel before all three turned to look at the truck._

_Refraining from the temptation to glance at the barn in hopes of seeing that Lex was all right, Hudson flashed a quick look of warning at Chloe before they both climbed out and made their way over to the adults._

"_Hello, Hudson," Lionel greeted with a slight smile as she approached before turning to Chloe and extending his hand. "Miss Sullivan, isn't it?"_

_Chloe seemed hesitant before she took his hand. "Yeah."_

_There was something odd about the exchange, but Hudson couldn't place what it was._

"_H.C.," her father began. "Mr. Luthor has something he'd like to talk to you about."_

"_I'm afraid it's serious, Honey," her mother warned her softly._

_Lionel asked, "Have you seen Lex, Hudson?" _

_Curious as to just where this conversation was going, and what kind of information she could glean from it, Hudson cast a quick look at her parents before returning to Lionel, and lying smoothly, "Not for a few days." _

"_Lex is missing. It's important that I find him." _

_She responded with the appropriate surprise at his words, but then found herself shrugging. "Mr. Luthor, I think I know Lex pretty well, and if he wanted you to know where he was," she told him, "you probably would." _

_Lionel frowned at her words, while beside her Chloe appeared a little shocked. Hudson didn't care. If Lex was right, and Lionel was behind this, then she needed to find out what he was up to and what his next move was going to be._

"_Lex is seriously ill," Lionel told her, as if confiding a great secret. "He needs help."_

_That was an interesting twist, Hudson thought. "What do you mean 'ill'?" _

"_There's been a psychotic break. Lex has had a psychotic break."_

_Hudson stared at the man in front of her in silence for a long moment. She felt her mother reach out and touch her arm in a comforting and supportive manner. Funny that all she wanted to do was leap across the space between them and scratch the man's eyes out. Or maybe incinerate him with her heat vision. Break a few bones. Whatever it was, she found herself feeling for a certainty that Lex was correct – Lionel had tried to kill him. And now he was claiming that his son was insane in order to retrieve him and… _

_What? Hudson didn't rightly know. Did he plan on killing Lex and making it look like an accident? Suicide, perhaps. She couldn't believe that the man she loved came from a father like this._

_She shook her head. "No, that… that can't be right," she denied. _

"_It happened while he was on that island. I thought he'd beaten it, but, um... he's had a relapse. He is suffering from paranoid delusions. He's hearing voices. He sees things that aren't there," he explained, all the while his gaze never leaving hers._

_Hudson shifted slightly, ignoring the sympathetic looks from her parents. If they knew that Lex was hiding in their barn, if they heard his claims about Morgan Edge having plastic surgery and some lone gunman trying to kill him in his house, they would try to reason things out. They didn't see Lionel the way she did, through Lex's eyes; they couldn't conceive of a man not loving his son the way all parents should love their children. If Chloe couldn't help out, then Hudson and Lex would be completely alone in this venture. _

"_I want my son," Lionel told them, and somewhere in his voice there appeared to be real emotion. He was an amazing actor. _

"_I want him back... the way he used to be. If you hear from him, Hudson, you have to help me," he pleaded. "We have to get him the care he needs…"

* * *

_

Hudson shook one of the dozens of boxes beneath the tree experimentally. It was amazing to her how Lex had only been out of the hospital for three days and already there was a treasure trove of Christmas gifts for her, each one uniquely wrapped in delicate paper and big, fancy bows. The one she was currently holding felt like it might contain a clothing item of some sort, not very heavy, probably lingerie that she would never be able to allow her parents to know she owned.

"You can't convince me that you haven't x-rayed through each and every one of those boxes already," Lex commented with amusement, from his position on the couch across from her.

"I haven't," she replied, sticking her tongue out, and grabbing the next box. "Where would the fun be in that? I like the surprise."

"Then why are you shaking the boxes, attempting to figure out what is in them?"

"Because it's Christmas. Duh." She rolled her eyes at him before she began to shake the box in her hands. This one was heavier than the rest. Books, maybe. Lex had this thing about always trying to get her to read stuff.

"Shaking boxes is tradition, I take it?"

"Lex." She sighed. "You missed out on all of the good stuff."

Placing the gift back underneath the tree, Hudson crawled across the floor to the couch, and climbed up to sit in his lap. She ignored the expression of inconvenience he flashed at her when he had to move his glass of brandy out of the way so she could snuggle against his chest. Sighing contentedly, Hudson gazed at the fire, enjoying the crackling of the flames, and the soft sound of Christmas music flowing from the stereo. She glanced up at the elaborately decorated stockings that hung from the mantle; there were two, one which was slightly nondescript in design, and the other which had her name embroidered across it in gold silk thread. Lex had surprised her with it last year.

"What's in my stocking?" She asked curiously.

"Coal," came the reply.

She nudged his shoulder with her head. "Liar."

She peered through the material to see a couple of tiny boxes. Most likely jewelry that she didn't really want or need.

"You spoil me," she told him with a sigh.

"And you are completely undeserving," he told her with a soft smile.

Returning the teasing smile, Hudson wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face into the crook of his neck. She breathed deeply, enjoying the clean smell of him, and then grew silent once more, just so she could hear the beating of his heart. There was a time when she thought she would never hear that again, when fear had gripped her that she was going to lose him forever, that Lionel would do anything to keep them apart. He was here with her now, though, and she had to hold on to that.

"I thought Christmas was a time of joy," Lex remarked. "You don't seem very joyful, Angel."

"I am," she whispered in reply. "It's just… There's this burning need in me to just hold you. And never let you go."

Lex sighed, set his drink down and put his arms around her. "I know you don't want to talk about this, Hudson, and I know I'm not going to get the truth from you with regards to what happened. But, I just want you to tell me, was there ever a moment when you were in danger? When I may have placed you in danger?"

"_The threat of death doesn't seem to faze you much, Miss Kent. But what about the lives of your parents? Do you wish to protect them? Or, do you need further convincing?..."_

"No," she told him.

"Not once?"

"Never."

While Lex quietly contemplated her reply, Hudson lifted her head to meet his gaze. Little by little, she knew he would continue to question and probe regarding the last few months. He was far too intelligent not to put the pieces back together, and then they would come full circle and it would start all over again. He would once more attempt to pin the murder of his grandparents on his father, and with Morgan Edge dead, he would be even more hard-pressed to come up with any evidence. Hudson wouldn't be able to protect him, and Lionel would kill him this time, all the while blaming her.

Lex touched her face, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Do you love me?" He asked her softly, his fingers moving along the line of her jaw.

"You know that I do," she replied. "I always have, and I always will."

He allowed a small smile, nodding just a bit. "Then nothing else really matters, does it? Whatever happened… if I truly had a psychotic break, you love me still. That's something. That you can forgive me for what I did, for the people I hurt… "

"It wasn't your fault, Lex," she told him, leaning in to kiss the corner of his mouth. "What happened to you on the island -- no one could have come out of that unscathed. Just… you're better now, and we're together. It's Christmas, and I'm right where I should be, and I wouldn't want it any other way."

* * *

_Hudson didn't believe there was anything wrong with Lex. Sure, his story had sounded a little odd at the beginning, but then her trip to the mansion hadn't shown her anything to dispel it. Every member of staff that she spoke to had appeared slightly nervous, and then there was the broken glass she'd discovered, which perfectly matched the stained glass window in the hall. She'd seen too many of Lionel's machinations in the past not to believe him capable of carrying out the murder of his own son. It was entirely possible that the man had simply been born without a heart or conscience. _

_So what she found in the barn, after she'd quietly assured both Lionel and her parents that she would alert them the moment Lex contacted her, left her shocked to her core. The sight of Lex gently rocking the blanket he held cradled in his arms was one thing, but it was his insistence that it was his baby brother, Julian, that caused her to believe that maybe she was the one going mad._

"_I'm gonna buy you a looking glass," He sang softly to the bundle in his arms. "And if that looking glass gets broke, I'm gonna buy you a little toy boat…"_

"_Lex – "_

"_Shhhh." He smiled up at her and whispered, "He's finally asleep."_

"_H.C., Lionel is finally – " Chloe cut off mid-sentence as she came to stand beside Hudson. She stared at Lex for a moment, and then glanced up at her. "What's going on?"_

"_Lex just rocked Julian to sleep… " Hudson told her softly, her heart aching as Lex gave her an approving smile._

"_Huh? Have you both lost it? That's a blan –"_

_Hudson grabbed Chloe by the arm and dragged her across the barn, releasing her once they were out of hearing distance._

_"Ow!" Chloe rubbed her arm, and glared at Hudson. "What was that all about?"_

"_Something's wrong with Lex," Hudson whispered. "He thinks that blanket is his dead baby brother."_

"_Whoa." She glanced over her shoulder at Lex and the blanket, before turning back to Hudson. "You mean, Lionel was right?" She whispered._

"_No. I won't believe it," Hudson replied emphatically. "There has to be something more going on here. Look, I'm going to go talk to my parents, tell them everything that's going on. Can you look after Lex? Keep him here… and safe." _

Chloe nodded. "Sure. Shouldn't be too hard. We can make goofy faces at the 'baby'."

"_Chloe… "_

"_Sorry."_

_Unfortunately, talking to her parents wasn't as easy as Hudson hoped it would be. She could understand that they were angry about her not telling the truth, and hiding Lex up in the loft away from them, but their insistence that Lionel might be right about Lex's condition confused her. They knew Lex; certainly they also knew that his mind was stronger than that?_

"_Honey," Martha began gently. "I know how hard it is for you to see Lex in this condition, but he needs psychiatric care."_

_Hudson shook her head. "No. Lex is stronger than that. I know he is – and so do you."_

"_And what about everything he hasn't told you about what happened on that island?" Her father demanded. "Even you have expressed concern over it."_

"_Yes, but he's talked with Dr. Foster about all of that," she insisted. _

"_Don't you think that if he couldn't talk with you about it, then there must be something he is hiding?" Jonathan pressed. "I'm not saying we need to trust Lionel, but it's obvious that something is wrong mentally with Lex. Calling a blanket a baby isn't normal!"_

"_I know… " Hudson silently considered what to do when she heard Lex speak behind her:_

"_You think you know people, and you realize it's all just a facade." _

_Biting her lip guiltily, Hudson took a breath and started toward him to explain._

"_Lex," her mother soothed. "You know we only want what's best for you."_

"_Save the cloying maternal posturing for your own child, Mrs. Kent!" Lex snapped, pointing at them. "I heard you all talking. Little Kent cabal... Such a selective group, aren't you? And so secretive. Plotting to pack me off to the loony bin!"_

_Hudson winced at his accusations, wishing she could somehow explain to him that she would never allow such a thing to happen. Whatever it was that was happening to him, she would see him through it; not pack him off to a bunch of strangers to handle it. _

_The silence was broken when Chloe hurried around the corner, out of breath. "I tried to stop him. I'm sorry." _

_Lex's anger grew before their eyes. "You're all watching me now!" _

_Turning an accusing glare in Hudson's direction, Lex spun around and started out of the yard. She hurried after him._

"_Lex! Where are you going?" _

"_To find Morgan Edge and prove I'm not crazy," he told her, wincing as he took a misplaced step on his twisted ankle. _

_And then what would he do? They needed to develop a plan or strategy or something. "Lex... "_

_He brought his gaze around to hers. "You're either with me, or against me, Hudson. Choose right now." _

_Nodding in understanding, Hudson reached out to take his hand, and led him out of the yard, ignoring the calls from her parents.

* * *

_

Dinner was held in the formal dining room, which Hudson found kind of silly since it was just the two of them, and the table sat fifty. Everything was glittering, though, from the shiny sterling silver utensils and serving dishes, to the gold-trimmed china, and crystal glassware. There was an enormous centerpiece in the middle of the table that even had a tiny electric train circling around the greenery. Hudson watched it with delight, smiling every time the conductor blew the tinny whistle.

"I hadn't considered what an annoyance that would be while eating," Lex commented as he buttered a wheat roll and set it on Hudson's bread plate.

"I think it's perfect," she disagreed. "It kind of makes me want to ---"

"Throw yourself off the highest building in town?"

"No, Mr. Grinch." She rolled her eyes. "I was going to say 'take a ride on a real train'." Hudson reached for her glass of wine and took a small sip; it was sweet, with a slight cherry flavor. Another concession by Lex, for her. "Besides, you know that it wouldn't do much to throw myself from a building."

"Other than put another pot hole in the street below, you're right."

"You're so very mean to me."

"You're right." He waved his hand expansively toward the vast array of food laid out before them. "Very mean.

Hudson broke off a piece of her roll and threw it at him. She ate the rest of the half she was holding while Lex brushed at the flecks of butter left on his shirt. "So, you gonna say grace?"

Lex gave her a look that surely meant he thought she'd lost her mind.

It made Hudson smile. "Good. Then that means we can dig in."

Grabbing the fork beside the platter of roast beef, Hudson dropped a couple of slices onto her plate before moving on to the turkey and ham. She added a big scoop of mashed potatoes with gravy, a generous helping of stuffing, a smattering of crisp green beans, a slice of spinach casserole, two more rolls and some cranberry sauce. Licking her lips in anticipation of the feast, she settled back in her chair and decided what she should begin eating first.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to go and grab you the kitchen sink as well?" Lex asked casually from her right, where his plate held a quarter of what hers did.

"Don't be mean. It's Christmas."

Lex sighed and took a small bite of his potatoes as Hudson dived into her food with gusto. Even though Lex's cook wasn't as good as Dodd had been, and nowhere near the expertise of her mother, the food was still tasty enough to merit a full plate or two. Besides, the food was always prepared with fancy sauces and herbs that her mother never used, and it made it very different, so it was like a new experience every time she ate at the mansion. Not to mention, it was Christmas, and eating was just as important as opening gifts.

"The man who marries you is going to go bankrupt keeping you fed," Lex commented after a few minutes when Hudson's plate was almost empty.

She smirked. "Good thing you're rich, eh?"

He didn't reply, but Lex smiled at her over the rim of his wineglass, and Hudson felt a little tingle from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. In her mind, it was already a foregone conclusion that they would be together until the end of time, but the little not-quite-affirmation that she just received from Lex was enough to cement the idea. After all, if Lex was thinking the same thing, even though he might never admit it, then that certainly meant it would come true. Lex always got what he wanted, and Hudson was almost one hundred percent certain that he wanted to marry her. When she was older, of course, and when he got past the whole two failed marriages thing. Then, he'd be ready.

And she would be waiting.

Of course, they had to get through the current year first, and the stupid lies that somehow always ended up passing through her lips. Certainly, she had her reasons this time – good reasons – but she didn't believe that Lex would agree if, or when, he ever found out the truth. She was protecting him, and she was scared to death of losing him, and so far, he hadn't pushed too hard for answers. Unfortunately, she knew it was only because he'd recently been released from the hospital, and he was biding his time, watching everyone around him, thinking. Lex was far too intelligent to let all of this continue for very long; one day, he would piece everything he had known back together.

"Tummy ache?"

She glanced up at the question to find Lex watching her in concern. "What?"

He motioned his fork toward her. "You stopped eating, and you got silent. I can only conclude that you're either ill – and after all of that food, I wouldn't blame you – or you're thinking. And I thought we agreed against that tonight?"

"I'm sorry." She smiled and ducked her head. "I didn't mean to let it happen."

Lex reached out and took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together. "You're sad. What can I do to make it better?"

"I'm not!" Hudson denied quickly, gently squeezing the fingers that held hers. "I'm very content. I just wish… no, we're not going to discuss it. I'm not sad. You're here, and that's all I need tonight."

Smiling back at her, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, Lex leaned over and kissed her cheek. "So, does that mean you're content with skipping the pumpkin pie?"

"I wouldn't go that far…"

* * *

_Hudson sat beside Lex in the small stall, her hand moving in slow circles on his back to help calm him. The confrontation with Dr. Foster and Darius back at the mansion had shaken them both, and they had said little to one another on the race to the stables. It was the only place Hudson could think of to hide out for the moment; no one would look for them there. By now, Dr. Foster had probably gone to the farm in search of them. She may have even called Lionel. Hudson was no longer certain of what to do._

_Her faith in Lex's claims was wavering. First, they found a sweat shop in the old warehouse that Lex had claimed to have spoken to Morgan Edge at. From all appearances, the sweatshop and its employees had been there for a long time. Then, when they went back to the mansion to search for more evidence, Darius had walked in, alive and well and not quite as dead as Lex had sworn he should have been. There was little ground left for Lex to stand on; a piece of glass that could have been in the hallway for years was his only proof that he wasn't going crazy. Hudson just didn't know what to believe anymore._

"_I'm sorry I dragged you into this," he whispered beside her, staring down at his hands as if they'd suddenly become the most fascinating things he'd ever seen._

"_No, you didn't. I insisted on helping you, remember? This is the way it's supposed to be, Lex, helping those you love."_

"_You don't believe me anymore." He turned his head to look at her, and he looked beaten. "You think I'm crazy, just like they do."_

_Hudson shook her head as she laid her hand against his cheek. His skin was very cold, almost clammy. "If you love someone, you believe in them. And I do love you, Lex."_

"_You won't let them take me," he stated, smiling suddenly, an almost eerie, wistful smile._

"_No," she promised, leaning over to kiss him. "I won't let them take you." _

She wasn't even certain who the mysterious 'them' were anymore.

"_H.C.? Lex?"_

_Lex started at the voice, eyes widening in panic. "Who is that?"_

"_Easy, baby," Hudson whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder as she stood. "It's just Lana. I called her to stay with you while I go back to the mansion."_

_She squeezed his shoulder and bent down to kiss the top of his head. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"_

_Hudson exited the stall just in time to almost bump into Lana as she approached, causing her friend to jump in surprise. "Sorry," Hudson apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you."_

_Lana shook her head. "No, it's all right." She peered around Hudson's shoulder to glance in the stall. "I came as soon as I could. How is he? I ran into Chloe; she said Lionel was looking for both of you."_

"_I know." Hudson sighed and turned to move back into the stall as Lana followed her. "There's a very good possibility that he's being drugged. I need to get the medication to Chloe to find out for certain."_

_Lex looked up at both of them. "Everyone thinks I'm crazy."_

_Hudson glanced at Lana who made her way over to sit beside Lex. "That's not true. We know that something is going on, and we're trying to help you."_

"_You don't mind staying with him, do you?" Hudson asked, just stopping herself from pointing out that there was no telling what he might do. His actions with the gun in the mansion had made her nervous._

_Her friend smiled up at her. "Not at all. Lex and I will just have something to eat while we wait for you."_

"_You're leaving?" Lex looked up at her as if the conversation had just penetrated his mind. His eyes seemed to widen in panic._

"_I won't be gone long, I promise," she assured him quietly as she walked over to kneel in front of him and took his hands in hers. "I need to find out what they're giving you, Lex, and how to make you well, again. Lana will be here with you until I get back, okay?"_

_Lex's hands tightened as they clasped hers for a moment, before finally letting go. Giving him a hopeful smile, Hudson kissed him gently before getting to her feet, and speeding away from the barn. _

* * *

The floor of the study was covered in a bright array of torn wrapping paper, empty boxes and discarded bows. Hudson lay on her stomach, flipping through the pages of the Kama Sutra while Lex stood in the center of the room, playing with his remote control Aston Martin.

"I can't believe you bought this for me," she remarked, studying the position spread out before her.

"You said you preferred books with pictures."

"Oh, ha." She rolled her eyes and flipped the page. "I should take this home; lay it on the coffee table."

"Your parents would love that."

"Mom might. Knowing her, she'd get interested – "

"That's more than I ever needed to know about your mother," Lex cut in, jumping out of the way as he attempted to run over his own feet with the toy.

"Dad would keel over from shock. It wouldn't be pretty." Hudson paused to flip the page again. "And then he'd come over here and shoot you dead."

"Ah. But my princess in shining armor would come to rescue me in time."

"You're such an ass, Lex," she replied, just as the Aston Martin ran into her thigh. "And a bad driver, too. Another hit like that one, and you'll damage the front end alignment. Imagine if I bruised easily?"

Lex responded with a long-suffering sigh as he put the toy in reverse, and then proceeded to ram it into her thigh again.

"Hey!"

"You make a better roadblock than tunnel, you know."

"You wanna go a round, little man?"

Lex flashed her a rare grin in response. "Don't forget – I know your weakness!"

What had begun in playful banter ended in memories that Hudson would rather have forgotten. Smile fading with Lex's remark, she closed the book in front of her and stood, wondering if she should begin cleaning the mess they'd made, or leave it for his staff. As little as she trusted any of them anymore, she thought maybe she should just do it on her own.

"Angel, what is it?" Lex set the remote down and moved over to her side, touching her cheek. "What did I say?"

Hudson shook her head and forced a smile. "Nothing – "

"Stop lying to me." He took her hand in his and forced her to turn and face him. He gazed at her for a moment, before saying, "You know I'd never use Kryptonite against you."

"I know." Hudson nodded and pressed herself against him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Then what?"

She shook her head. "It's Christmas – "

"You're going to evade my questions forever." Lex sighed. "A part of me is beginning to wish you were the one who couldn't remember."

Hudson closed her eyes. "A part of me agrees with you…"

* * *

_Hudson hadn't been gone long. She'd only left to meet with Chloe and give her a sample of the drug, which Dr. Foster had tried to give Lex, in order to get an analysis on it. Barely more than thirty minutes, and yet it had been just enough time for Lex to disappear – this time injuring Lana in the process. When Hudson had entered the barn to find her friend laying still on the ground, she had immediately feared the worst. Fortunately, while badly injured, her leg broke in several places, Lana was still breathing. Hudson had scooped her into her arms and rushed her to the hospital. _

_Now, her friend was laying there in critical condition, and Lex was… Lex was out there alone, somewhere, possibly having delusions, and injuring others. It was impossible for Hudson to ignore Chloe's warning that Lex had been through something like this before, as a boy, just after his brother Julian's death. Did Lex have a history of mental illness that Hudson wasn't aware of? Was everything really all in his mind?_

"_You know, I was never quite sure which of them was more out of touch with reality – Romeo, or his beloved Juliet."_

_Hudson turned at the voice to glare at Lionel Luthor as he came to a stop beside her. Unwilling to listen to his rant against her and Lex, she turned to walk away, but he followed closely behind._

"_Wait a minute," he called out to her. "Where are you going?"_

"_I'm going to find Lex." She spun around and pointed a finger at him threateningly. "If I were you, I'd be careful. Lex is convinced that you're responsible for everything that has been happening to him, and frankly, so am I." _

_Lionel sneered at her in derision. "Well, I'm touched by your concern, but you and I both know which of us is to blame." _

_Hudson's anger burned. She wanted so very much to hurt this man, and she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Mr. Luthor, I don't think— "_

"_No! No!" He interrupted angrily, taking a step toward her. "I don't want to hear it. If you had listened to me, Lex would already be getting the help he needs, and Miss Lang wouldn't be here fighting for her life!"_

_He might be right. Hudson swallowed back her response, but didn't back down, matching Lionel's glare with one of her own. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever seen Lex's father so angry; normally he hid his emotions just as Lex did. He probably taught his son everything there was to know about hiding your feelings. Lionel wasn't hiding them now, though. Hudson was quite certain he was moments away from reaching out to throttle her. _

"_H.C.?"_

_Relief swept through her at Chloe's voice._

"_Are you okay?"_

_Lionel seemed to collect himself instantaneously before her very eyes with Chloe's interruption. He straightened, and even offered one of his hallmark wolfish smiles. _

"_But don't worry about me, Hudson. My security personnel are well-equipped to protect me and to find my son." He glanced at Chloe for a moment, before turning back to her. "Now, I strongly suggest the two of you go home before you do any more damage." _

_There were a million things on the tip of Hudson's tongue that she wanted to shout to Lionel as he walked away – most of them concerning his questionable character and breeding. Before she could say anything, though, Chloe approached her._

"_The drug analysis came back, H.C.," she told her softly. "It was just a common sedative."_

"_Oh no," Hudson whispered, pain knifing through her as she turned back to the window to stare at Lana's still form laying on the bed. _

_  
This was all her fault. Her faith in Lex, her mutual distrust of his father… She loved him. She wanted what was best for him, but maybe she didn't have all of the answers?_

"_Lionel's right, Chloe," she admitted. "I really screwed up." _

"_Maybe not," her friend instantly disagreed. "Look, there are a lot of drugs that could make Lex see pink elephants. The question is, how did it get into his system?" _

_Hope washed over Hudson quickly. Why hadn't she thought of that? It was always possible that someone else had been giving it to him, slipping it to him in some other fashion. _

"_The mansion," she replied. "Everything is brought to him there – the food, the drinks." Hudson hated to think on his own staff betraying him, but in the end, everyone had a price, especially when confronted by Lionel Luthor. _

_Chloe nodded. "So, for all we know, they could have been dosing him for weeks."_

_It made sense, and explained a lot. The last few weeks, Lex had been complaining about sleeplessness, about pain in his neck and shoulders. He'd appeared exhausted, and slightly on edge, losing his temper over the slightest things. Hudson had been blaming it on a delayed reaction to his time spent on the island, and their estrangement regarding her secret after his return, but maybe it had been something else. _

_She needed to get to the mansion. She needed to speak to Darius._

* * *

"Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?" Lex asked later that night as they lay amidst the soft sheets of his bed.

A fire crackled across the room, casting deep shadows over the walls that Hudson fancied could be demons hovering in the darkness, waiting to strike. She enjoyed the warmth it offered, though, as the temperature outside had dropped, the air heavy with the promise of more snow. Silently, she considered Lex's question as his fingers threaded through the strands of her hair; she listened to the steady drum of his heartbeat where she lay with her head against his chest.

"No," she answered honestly. "I asked for time to go backwards, and it didn't. I wanted a chance to make everything better, and I can't."

"While I'm inclined to believe in the existence of aliens, Hudson," Lex commented softly. "Belief in miracles is still out of my grasp." He shifted slightly, his hand resting against her back. "Someday, I'll build you a time machine, and you can change the world to your heart's content."

Hudson smiled at that. "Be sure to make it stylish. I'd hate to travel around in a clunky time machine. Something like a DeLorean would be nice."

"DeLorean's are junk," Lex told her. "What about a Ferrari? A Lamborghini?"

Lifting her head, Hudson smiled and leaned up to kiss him. "I'll leave the design specs to the mastermind. I just want to make things right."

"Mastermind?" Lex smiled, pulling her closer to kiss her again. "I like that. How about _Ruler of All the Universe_? I've always thought that had a nice ring to it."

Hudson laughed and rolled her eyes. "I think you're having delusions of grandeur again."

Lex touched her hair, playing with one of the strands as it curled around his finger. "Just as long as no one locks me up for them… "

"Lex, I – "

"You protected me, didn't you?" He asked, bringing his gaze to hers. He was silent for a long moment, searching her eyes, before touching a finger to her chin. "You looked after me. You always do, but something happened to interfere with that, and now you're beating yourself up over it. It isn't fair, Hudson. Whatever happened… You're not a superhero, you know."

"It's not… " Hudson shook her head. "Being a superhero has nothing to do with it. What you went through, it shouldn't have happened – and I mean all of it, Lex. Helen and the island and – "

"You had no control over that." Lex cut her off, eyes flashing with quick anger. "That was my fault. I made those mistakes, and I paid for them… We both did."

"If I'd fought for you harder; if I'd told you the truth sooner… " Hudson trailed off, and when Lex didn't disagree, she dropped her gaze, misery taking hold.

Silence surrounded them, broken only by the occasional crack of the fire. Lex's hand opened against her arm, and he caressed it soothingly, before finally speaking:

"We're past that, Angel. Maybe things would have been different if you had told me earlier… but maybe not. Maybe I still would have been angry and turned away from you. Helen had a plan all along. No matter what we changed, she may still have countered that."

"Is your love for me so mercurial, then?" Hudson asked sharply, her eyes meeting his.

"You know it isn't," he replied, holding her eyes. "But you can't deny that either of our actions have ever made the slightest amount of logical sense. You love me, and yet you lied to me for years. Who's to say that in my love for you, I do little more than continue to hurt you?"

Sighing, Hudson laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Sometimes it hardly seems worth it," she whispered. "And other times, I'm certain I'd die without it."

"You're so very melodramatic," Lex commented, the smile evident in his voice as he kissed the top of her head.

Hudson refrained from pointing out that her life was a melodrama, from beginning to end, and Lex's part in it certainly didn't make it any more comedic. It was Christmas, and she should try to focus on the good in her life, such as the fact that Lex was safe and home now, and Lionel hadn't said any more to her regarding everything that had happened. Her parents were doing well financially since Lex had gifted them with the farm, even to the point that her father was attempting to pay him back with small increments each month. Of course, neither of her parents seemed to realize that Lex simply handed that money back to them by ordering produce in the same amount. Or maybe they did know, but didn't bother to argue.

Lex had spoiled her for Christmas as well, gifting her with things she'd never wanted, or needed. There was a fur coat, which almost made her cry until Lex told her it was the best imitation money could buy; at least he understood that she didn't want to wear an animal. There were fancy clothes and high-heeled shoes, all of which she could never wear unless Lex were taking her to Metropolis or something, and while they were pretty, Hudson just didn't think they were very practical. Only two of the gifts Lex had given to her made it onto her practical list – the Kama Sutra (seriously practical), and a pair of Ariat Maestro riding boots. There had also been some lingerie, which had made her blush and inform Lex that those were really just gifts for him. He hadn't argued.

In the morning, Lex would be taking her back to the farm where they would spend Christmas day with her parents. More gifts, lots of food, all of the people she loved together for the holiday. That should have been enough for her. It should have made her happy.

Unfortunately, the joy of the season continued to elude her.

* * *

_Hudson knew she was in trouble. This time, she'd really gone too far._

_After learning from Darius that Lionel had paid Lex's staff to put the drugs into his alcohol (and it hadn't been the easiest thing in the world, 'persuading' Darius to tell her the truth), Hudson had gone in search of Lex, hoping to stop him from doing anything too crazy. The search led her first to Metropolis, where Lionel had been accosted by his son, and he'd had a few things to say to her about it. He'd also told her to go home and leave the matter to the police, advice which she chose, instead, to ignore._

_By the time she'd tracked Lex down, he'd made it to Morgan Edge's hideout – a palatial mansion hidden in the lush farmland to the south of the city, paid for by Lionel himself. It was a payoff of sorts; to keep Edge silent regarding his part in the murder of Lionel's parents, and persuasion to deter him from attempting to murder Lex. The more Hudson discovered regarding Lionel's machinations against his son the last few weeks, the sicker she felt. This was a man who was capable of murdering his own parents in exchange for the life insurance money but, for some reason, balked at doing the same to his son for his silence, because causing everyone to believe Lex was insane must have been more humane. Hudson refused to believe that Lionel had any semblance of a heart, therefore she would never accept that he actually felt any kind of love for Lex; he chose this method because it made him seem the bigger person, and it was less messy._

_Everything would have gone smoothly when she arrived at Edge's mansion had the man not recognized her from their meetings in Metropolis over the summer. The fact that the same man who had committed murder along with Lionel, and was working as well to discredit Lex, knew who she was, didn't sit well with a man drugged into paranoia. Lex had accused her of working with both Edge and Lionel. She might have been able to convince him otherwise, but then Edge had pulled out a string of Kryptonite, incapacitating her. She had no idea how he knew of her weakness – she'd never exposed such a thing to him over the summer. While laying there on the floor -- with Lex hovering over her, threatening to expose her secret if she continued to work against him -- her mind flew through a myriad of possibilities as to how Edge knew. The only conclusion she could draw was one too frightening to accept._

_Lionel._

_No. That was impossible._

_Her reprieve came when Edge tried to sneak off. Lex, realizing he was gone, hurried after him, gun in hand. Hudson hadn't been able to make it out to the drive fast enough to stop Lex from killing the man, but she had been able to push him out of the way before he was hit by Edge's car. She knew Lex wasn't thinking clearly; he never would have pulled that trigger, otherwise. _

"_Hudson?" Lex had looked up at her as a brief moment of lucidity washed over him._

_She started toward him when she heard a vehicle approaching and turned to see a black SUV coming toward the drive. Dr. Foster was in the front passenger seat._

"_Hudson… please. Don't let them take me," Lex had pleaded._

_She didn't even think. She shook her head, sped toward Lex, picked him up and ran to the only place she knew would be safe. The McNulty cabin. _

_  
And here they were. And Hudson had no idea what to do next._

_Lex was huddled in the corner of the tiny cot, still watching her warily, as if any moment she was going to open the door and let his father and Dr. Foster in. Some moments he was fine; others he was racing for the door, attempting to escape her. She told him about his staff drugging his alcohol, but it hadn't really sunk in yet, and she had no idea how long it would take for the drugs to exit his system. Hours? Days? Longer? She needed to talk to Chloe, and she needed to get some food or they were going to starve hanging out here._

_Pulling out her cell, Hudson dialed Chloe, hoping that neither of their phones were somehow tapped._

"_Hello?"_

"_Chloe – "_

"_H.C.!" Chloe's voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "What's going on? Lionel was just here with the police! He claims you kidnapped Lex!"_

"_What?" Hudson ran a hand through her hair in frustration, glancing over at Lex who looked up at the sound of her voice, his gaze narrowing. She walked over to the door, sliding to the floor to lean against it as she lowered her voice. "You know that's not true, right?"_

"_Of course, I do! But the police don't. I'm here at the farm with your parents and they are freaking out."_

"_Has anything been on the news?" Hudson asked. "Like, maybe about a Morgan Edge?"_

"_No. Who's that?"_

_Hudson sighed. One thing going her way. Maybe Lionel didn't want anyone to find the body. Too many questions wrapped up in all of that. _

"_It's not important. Look, Chloe, you were right. Lionel paid Lex's staff to put the drugs in his alcohol. They've been doing it for weeks, now. I don't know if it's just to make him look crazy so that his claims about the murders are ignored or what. I need you to find out for me how long this stuff is going to be in his system. We also need food. Think you could pack something up and put it in the loft without anyone noticing? Once Lex is asleep, I'll sneak out and get it."_

"_Sure. I'll get it up there within the next hour." Chloe paused, then asked, "What should I tell your parents?"_

"_Tell them… " Hudson sighed. "Tell them I have to follow my heart on this one." _

_"They aren't going to want to hear that."_

"_I know, but Lex wouldn't hesitate to the same for me if our situations were reversed."_

_Her friend sighed. "I know, H.C., just… be careful. This isn't like catching Lionel Luthor cheating on his taxes or something. He isn't going to go 'gently into that good night', you know. Look at what he's been willing to do to his own son? If he finds you, I do believe he'll really and truly press charges against you for kidnapping."_

_Hudson feared worse than that, actually, but she didn't voice her own concerns. "I'll be careful, Chloe. Tell my parents I'll be careful… I'll call you tomorrow."_

"_Okay."_

_Turning the phone off, Hudson slipped it back into her coat before glancing back over to the bed where Lex had laid down, but was still watching her. She stood and moved over to it, sitting beside him. _

"_Are you cold?" She asked when she noticed him shaking. Not waiting for an answer, she slipped off her coat and draped it over him. "Don't worry, Lex. We're going to figure something out. I promise."  
_

_He watched her for another long moment before whispering, "I'm sorry."_

"_For what?"_

"_For hitting you at Edge's place. For saying those things… "_

"_It wasn't you, it was the drugs," she replied, brushing her fingers across his brow._

"_I'm sorry for getting you involved."_

"_You didn't. I did." Hudson smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Get some rest. We're safe here."_

_Lex took her hand in his, threading their fingers together. "I fear that I'll never be safe, again." He closed his eyes._

* * *

When Hudson awoke Christmas morning, the spot beside her was empty, the sheets cold to the touch. Even though it was a frequent occurrence when she stayed the night, she hated waking up without Lex beside her. Part of it was fear that something happened to him, and the other part was fear that he simply didn't want to be there.

Sighing, she sat up and glanced around the room, noting that the fire had been stoked and built up to keep her warm, and that the covers had been tucked in extra tight around her. There was a glass of orange juice and a blueberry muffin on a delicate plate of china on the nightstand beside her, a tiny piece of note paper laying beside them. Hudson picked it up, smiling as she flipped it open and read the perfect scrawl of Lex's handwriting that flowed across it:

_It's Christmas morning, and here you are  
sleeping the day away like a lazy slugabed_.

_What would Santa say_?

She loved him more than she ever thought possible.

Climbing out of bed, Hudson tucked the note carefully into her overnight bag before grabbing the fluffy robe Lex had bought for her the year before, and slipping it on. She picked up the orange juice and muffin, nibbling at one and sipping at the other as she made her way out of the room and down the stairs to the study.

Lex was on the phone when she entered the room, barking at someone in German, and the tone of it all hurt her ears. The fire hadn't been relit, and the marble floor was cold against her bare feet, causing her to hurry over to the couch which she climbed up into and settled down to finish her light snack. Noticing her entrance, Lex moved over to the couch, continuing his conversation as he walked up beside her and slid his hand behind her neck, rubbing the skin there gently in greeting. She moved into his touch, realizing she was behaving like AJ, starved for the slightest bit of affection. Lex smiled down at her, and she returned it before he frowned and went back to yelling at the other person on the phone in the incomprehensible language.

Once finished with her orange juice, Hudson set the glass down on the floor beside the couch, and went back to breaking off pieces of the muffin and popping it into her mouth. It wasn't half bad, and she considered trying to get the recipe from the chef to take home to her mom. Her dad preferred pumpkin and banana bread to blueberry, so those were the only ones typically baked during the holidays. She thought it could use a dollop of fresh butter, but other than that, it was perfect.

"Sorry about that," Lex told her, closing his phone and slipping it into his pocket.

"Working on Christmas morning." Hudson shook her head. "There should be laws against such things."

"Merry Christmas." Lex smiled as he leaned over and kissed her lips gently. "At least I wasn't asleep."

"I was comfortable and warm," she replied, smiling up at him. "Thank you for the snack. I don't think I could have made it until lunch, though Mom should have some fresh cinnamon rolls waiting for us at home."

"And I'm sure you'll eat those as well," Lex teased before straightening his stance and moving over to the Christmas stockings hung on the mantle. He grabbed both and carried them over to the couch to sit down beside Hudson.

"More gifts," Hudson squealed with delight, taking her stocking from him and slipping her hand inside of it. She paused, and glanced over at him. "Wait. You go first."

Quirking an eyebrow at her, Lex reached inside the stocking and withdrew the first item. It was a bookmark, in the shape of a gold medallion, and the inscription on it read: _Some love lasts a lifetime. True love lasts forever_. He smiled softly as he stared at it, and Hudson shifted nervously beside him.

"It's kind of corny, I know," she began. "But I thought – "

"No. It's perfect." He turned to look at her, his gaze thoughtful as he searched her eyes. "Do you really believe it?"

Hudson nodded. "Yes."

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her, whispering, "Then so do I."

Turning back to his stocking, Lex pulled out a box of Russell Stover's candy and a bouquet of Lolly Pops. He glanced over at Hudson, and asked, "You trying to get me fat?"

She giggled. "Yes."

Lex shook his head and set the candy to the side, before reaching once more into the stocking. This time he pulled out a small box, delicately wrapped in bright red paper with a green velvet bow. Hudson found herself holding her breath as he carefully peeled the paper away, growing a little antsy as he continued to take his time to not rip the paper. When he finally had the lid exposed, he opened it to find a pair of silver cufflinks nestled in the box. Lifting one out of the box, Lex examined the small carving of Alexander the Great's image critically, while Hudson found herself fidgeting nervously once again.

As his silence continued, she found herself explaining, "I got the idea from a coin pictured in one of my history books. That one is Alexander the Great, and this one," she picked up the other cufflink from the box and held it out, "is Victory. See? She's holding a shield. I don't remember the name of the medallion. It was something that started with an A – "

"The Aboukir _niketerion_," Lex supplied for her.

"Yes. That's it." She smiled at him, realizing she should have expected him to know it. When he continued to refrain from saying anything, she worried her lower lip, and blurted, "Do you not like them?"

Sighing, Lex turned to meet her gaze. "You spent a lot to have these made."

She felt her cheeks flush guiltily. She had been saving since last Christmas, determined to buy him something expensive, something nice, something that she knew he could be proud of. She'd worked extra through the Fall, helping their neighbors clear their fields and move their cattle. When she'd finally saved up enough to have the cufflinks made, she'd been very proud of her accomplishment.

"You know I don't need that from you, Angel," he told her softly. "I've never needed you to spend money on me. Having you here is all I ask."

"I just wanted to get you something that you could be proud of, that meant something," she whispered, trying valiantly to fight back the tears that threatened.

Lex shook his head, slipping the cufflinks back into the box and turning to take her face between his hands. "Everything you give me means something to me, Angel. And I'm proud just to have you in my life." He leaned in and kissed her lips, lingering there for a long moment, drawing her lower lip into his mouth before letting go. "They're one of the best gifts I've ever received. I promise to wear them all of the time, and when I do, I'll think of you and you're love for me… the greatest gift of all."

* * *

_When Hudson entered the cabin, Lex was pacing the floor, as had become his habit the last few days. As the drugs wore off and he became more and more lucid, his frustration was taking over. He was constantly thinking, and Hudson could tell that the lack of options available to him were working his last nerve._

"_Anything?" He immediately asked, stalking toward her to snatch the Daily Planet from her hand. _

"_No. Not a thing," she replied, closing the door behind her and setting the small box of food on the table. "Still no mention of you or me or anything anywhere."_

"_What is my father's game?" Lex muttered, rubbing a hand across his chin as he scanned the paper. _

"_Maybe it's just pride," Hudson offered, opening a bag of Skittles as she sat down. "Maybe he doesn't want the public knowing all about the problems the Luthor family is having."_

"_Maybe," Lex half-heartedly agreed. "Though he's typically more than willing to share anything that'll make me look bad." Sighing, he dropped into the chair across from her and pressed his fingers to his temples._

"_Still having headaches?"_

_He nodded. "I'm beginning to believe this crap will never leave my system."_

"_Chloe packed some Tylenol in the box this time."_

"_No, thanks. I've had enough drugs for the year."_

_Silence fell between them. Lex was lost in thought again, and Hudson knew better than to interrupt that. She ate the candy in her hand, and tried very hard not to think about what was going on. Her parents were still angry according to Chloe, but they had been calling her school, claiming she was sick, and Chloe had been including her homework with the food, so hopefully she wasn't falling too far behind. She couldn't begin to imagine what her next session with Dr. Jones was going to be like. _

"_I feel so fucking helpless!" Lex raged, slamming the paper onto the table with a growl._

_Hudson wanted to offer comfort, but she knew Lex wasn't in the mood for it. She watched him quietly as he stared out the window, brow furrowed with anger that he was only barely repressing. _

_Finally, she offered, "You're doing as much as you can, Lex. With how perfectly your father has everything covered at the moment, there isn't much more you could accomplish. Considering we're both fugitives about the only option open to us is to go on the run. Change our names and move to Australia or something."_

"_As tempting as the offer is, Hudson, and I know you could get us there," Lex glanced in her direction, "I'm not going to let him destroy my life like that."_

_Worrying her lower lip, Hudson played with the empty Skittles bag for a moment, knowing that she should probably just keep her ideas to herself. Except, a part of her couldn't help but believe this was the perfect opportunity for them._

"_Lex, would it really be so bad if we just… disappeared? Started a new life together elsewhere? I mean, sure, I'd feel awfully bad for doing such a thing to my parents, but you've always wanted to get out from under your father's thumb – "_

"_There's a difference between taking control of my own destiny and running away, Angel," Lex interrupted, regarding her intently. "Maybe the matter of giving up the Luthor name seems simple enough to you, but I don't see it the same way. I don't want to stop being who I am; I want to make something great of myself, and that includes my name. My father has done all he could to sully it, to destroy it. I'm not going to allow that to happen. When people say the name Lex Luthor, I want them to do so with respect, not antipathy."_

"_So, your name is more important than your life?"_

_Lex sighed and glanced back out the window. "I know you don't understand, Hudson, and I don't expect, or even want, you to. By the time that man is done with me, my name will be all I'll have left."_

_Hudson kicked at the table leg. "You have me."_

"_I do, don't I?" He was watching her again, and giving her just a hint of a smile. "Who knows what would have happened to me if you hadn't been there, looking after me? But, I need to do this for myself now."_

"_I know," Hudson agreed, knowing that his immense pride was something she loved him for, even if it was a little ridiculous. "But how, Lex? You have no resources to speak of right now. Your father controls all of your assets, has anyone who would have helped you believing that you're insane and on the run – "_

"_That's it!"_

_Hudson blinked at Lex's sudden tone of hope. He snapped his fingers once and was staring at her, contemplating, and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe he were having a relapse from the drugs. "What?"  
_

"_My father couldn't have everyone convinced – Bruce would never believe him!"_

"_Bruce Wayne?" _

_Lex nodded, standing up to pace the floor once again. "He's never held my father in very high regard, and he has just the right assets and contacts to go up against him. I'm certain he would be willing to help me. We just need to get word to him." He stopped and was looking at her again._

"_What? Me?" She shook her head. "You know what a fool I made of myself when we went to his birthday party! I'll take you to Gotham and – "_

_Lex shook his head. "I'm too noticeable, Hudson. Besides, if I'm wrong, we could be playing right into my father's hands. No, I'm going to need you to go there and speak with Bruce directly. You're good at reading people. Find out if he's willing to help me, and then we'll go from there. After all, just because he's a friend doesn't mean I trust him."_

"_Nice attitude." Hudson stood up, grabbing two Snickers bars from the box and tucking them into her jacket. "Are you going to be all right alone? Who knows how long this will take…"_

_  
"I'll be fine." Lex moved over to her, placing his hands on her arms and leaning in to kiss her. "I'm truly indebted to you, Angel. Everything you've done for me… you're more and more amazing to me every day."_

_She felt her face warm at his praise, and lightly tapped his chest. "Stop! Or my head will be too big to fit back through the door." _

_Smiling, Lex gave her another quick kiss before Hudson headed off to Gotham._

_She hadn't been exaggerating about her last encounter with Bruce Wayne. She'd single-handedly brought an end to his birthday celebration by almost setting his home on fire. Of course, it hadn't really been her fault, but Lex and Hudson had to keep that to themselves. Even though Lex assured her that Bruce hadn't been angry with her, and Bruce himself had told her the same, she still felt awful about breaking up the party. Oh, and there was the whole trip to the ER for poor Alfred's ankle._

_Needless to say, she was hesitant about entering Gotham, and even more so about stepping on to the Wayne property. If it wasn't that Lex needed her help, and that maybe Bruce Wayne was their only solution to bringing Lionel to justice, then she wouldn't have been there at all._

_Of course, Alfred promptly answered the door after she rang the bell, and surprisingly he didn't run screaming when he saw her. In fact, he offered her a welcoming, if slightly disconcerted, smile. "Miss Kent. What a pleasant surprise. Please, do come in."_

"_Hello, Alfred," she greeted him sheepishly, stepping into the grand entry way, though going no further for fear of causing another mishap. "Sorry to drop in on you all unannounced like this but… well, I was wondering if Mr. Wayne was home? I really need to speak with him."_

_Alfred was already shaking his head, and flashing her a look of regret. "I'm sorry, Miss Kent, but Master Bruce is not at home."_

"_Do you think I could drop in on him at Wayne Enterprises? It's really important – "_

"_You misunderstand me, Miss Kent," Alfred told her apologetically. "Master Bruce isn't in Gotham. In fact, no one knows where he is. A few weeks ago, he simply disappeared."_

"_Dis – disappeared?" Hudson repeated, the glimmer of hope Lex had given her slowly fading. "But, how could he just disappear? Surely someone knows how to get a hold of him! Alfred, I wouldn't be asking you, but this is very, very important. Lex needs his help, and we don't know who else to turn to and – "_

"_I'm sorry, Miss Kent." Alfred reached out and patted her shoulder consolingly. "I wish that I had better news for you. I'm certain that were he here, Master Bruce wouldn't hesitate to lend his help to Master Lex. Unfortunately, he left no notice for me. Frankly, I fear the worst."_

_Hudson just stood there, blinking at him in silence, unable to comprehend that their one shot at getting out of the predicament they were in was gone. If it wasn't that Lex needed her so badly, Hudson would have gone in search of Bruce, especially considering how concerned Alfred obviously was for his employer. She had other problems demanding her attention at the moment, though. _

"_Is there anything I can do, Miss Kent?" Alfred offered._

"_No." Hudson sighed and glanced toward the door. "I've taken up enough of your time as it is. Thank you, Alfred. Please, if you hear anything with regards to Bruce, let him know Lex needs his help. All right?"_

"_I will be certain to do so, Miss Kent." _

"Thank you."

* * *

Hudson played with the delicate gold charm bracelet that she wore, marveling over each of the carefully chosen charms. There was a tiny Porsche to represent how they met, an Ankh to symbolize the life she restored to him, a rose for his first declaration of love to her, a funny-looking little rocket ship that had made her laugh when she saw it, an angel complete with wings, an H and an L separated by a diamond heart, and finally a simple gold circle. "For eternity" Lex had told her and then, as if he'd said too much, he had stood and walked away, promptly making another business call. Knowing that he never liked to show too much of himself, Hudson allowed him the time alone, only nearing him to offer another kiss of thanks before heading upstairs to get showered and ready for the day.

When Lex joined her later, nothing was said regarding the bracelet or the cufflinks. They were each wearing their precious gifts, and they smiled at one another when they realized it, but both were too exposed, recent wounds still too tender, to allow for comment. In truth, Hudson enjoyed the silence between them, pleased that they were comfortable enough, and read one another well enough, to go without words for a time. The moment she needed help with the clasp of her necklace, Lex was behind her, silently offering his assistance before pressing a tender kiss against her neck. The peacefulness of the morning was almost enough to make her forget; to believe that everything was fine and normal and perfect.

Almost.

"It's odd," Lex commented as they walked down the stairs together toward the front hall. "For years, Christmas hasn't meant much to me, and then you came along and changed all of that. And this year, I almost missed Christmas." He glanced over at her. "If they hadn't released me by now, would you have visited?"

Hudson forced a smile, and slipped her hand into his, squeezing it lightly. "You know I would have. We could have torn little snow flakes out of paper, and shared an awful Christmas dinner from the cafeteria together."

He gave her a half smile and shook his head. "I wouldn't have allowed it. That's not the right kind of Christmas for you."

"You wouldn't have been allowed to have a say. I would have shown up anyway."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Chuckling, Lex dropped her hand as they reached the end of the stairs and moved over the coat rack to grab their coats. Hudson clutched her hands together in front of her and continued to smile, when deep inside all she wanted to do was cry. A week ago, she had feared that Lionel might never let Lex out of Belle Reve, that the electric shock therapy simply wasn't enough for him, and that maybe he was punishing her as well. As Lex moved back over to her, Hudson remained on the last step, reaching out to touch his cheek as he neared her. He looked up to meet her gaze in a silent query.

"I love you, Lex. I don't think I say it enough."

Shaking his head, Lex smiled and indicated for her to turn so he could help her put her coat on. "I'm not going to argue against you saying it," he teased, though there was something in his tone that told her he truly meant it.

"Just don't say it too much. It might make it less true."

Hudson didn't know what to say to that. She remained silent as he slipped the coat over her shoulders, and then his arms wrapped around her and he just held her against him for a long moment, his cheek laying on the back of her shoulder. She knew he was thinking, could almost hear the gears turning in the back of his mind as he continued to worry over the mystery of the lost seven weeks of his life. She owed him answers that she could never give him. That fact alone made the gifts exchanged between them meaningless.

One day, he might never forgive her.

"We'd better be going," Lex finally told her, releasing her to slip his own coat on.

Hudson took the final step into the hall, and Lex took her hand, leading her out the door.

Snow was still falling from the sky, and the entire world around them was covered in a blanket of white. Hudson found herself smiling with delight at the pretty scene as she held out her palm to catch a few of the flakes.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She asked as Lex led her down the walkway toward the drive where someone on his staff had already pulled his Jaguar up to the house. Out of an uncharacteristic distrust, Hudson quickly scanned the entirety of the car, searching for any signs of tampering, and relaxing only when she realized everything seemed fine.

"It's cold and it's wet," he responded, flashing her a quick, teasing grin.

"Maybe I should make you wear a knit cap."

"Never again," he vowed dramatically, and Hudson couldn't prevent that laughter that bubbled forth.

Things would be all right. They _had_ to be all right.

She just wished that she didn't feel so helpless and out of control.

* * *

"_So, now what?"_

"_I'm… uncertain."_

_Hudson lifted her head to find Lex's eyes in the darkness where they glittered softly by the pale light of the moon filtering in through the window. If there was one aspect of their entire predicament that she was appreciative of, it was the quiet moments they were able to share during the night. When Lex was too tired to pace the floor, and it was too dark for him to force Hudson to get caught up on her homework (they couldn't dare to use lights at night for fear of being noticed), they would just lay down on the tiny cot together and cuddle, and sometimes talk. Lex never pursued anything more; it was as if a part of him were afraid that the drug was still present in his system, and he couldn't trust any of his actions. Hudson was okay with it. His health was more important than her rampaging teenage hormones at the moment._

"_Whatever you want me to do, just tell me, and I will."_

_Lex turned to meet her gaze, and then reached out to touch her cheek with his fingertips. "You truly are my guardian Angel. You know that?"_

_She felt silly at his praise. After all, she'd done very little to help. "I just don't feel it's right for your father to get away with what he's trying to do."_

"_Life isn't always fair." Lex sighed, his fingers moving to play with a strand of her hair. "Perhaps… perhaps you were right, Hudson. Perhaps it would be simpler to just disappear."_

_That didn't sound like Lex. Hudson stared at him in silence for a long while until he shook his head.:_

"_I could never do that… not to either of us," he told her. "I could never take you away from your family, your home. You've sacrificed enough of a normal teenage lifestyle. I would never ask you to give it up completely."_

_Now that sounded more like the Lex she knew and loved. "What if I offered?" She asked._

_He smiled and pulled her down for a gentle kiss. "I would never accept."_

_Returning his smile, Hudson lay her head back against his shoulder. "Do you think Bruce is okay?"_

"_If there is one person I've never worried about, it's Bruce Wayne," Lex replied. "He may appear to be little more than an eccentric playboy, but the fact is he's always harbored a little more depth than that. Hell, he's probably busy taking over some small country in Europe."_

_Hudson laughed. "You sound like you admire him."_

_She felt Lex shrug beneath her. "As much as one can admire a rival, I suppose. I know who the better man is." His arms tightened around her. "After all, I have you."_

_She snorted in response. _

"_Get some sleep," Lex ordered. "Tomorrow we'll think again, and maybe come up with a solution to all of our problems." _

"Short of sticking your father on the next space shuttle, I don't see what's left."

"_Let's not rule out that option," Lex remarked, keeping his tone light though Hudson knew better. _

_She chose not to contemplate the options for disposing of his father, that had likely crossed his mind at one time or another._

"_I love you," she told him, closing her eyes to sleep._

"_I'm counting on that," he responded softly._

_She was only asleep for a few minutes. _

_It was the squeak of the cabin door that woke her, and she immediately sat up to speed over and prevent whoever was entering from doing so, but it was already too late. The moment she got to her feet, she stumbled, the agonizing burn of nearby Kryptonite sweeping over her. Instantly, she fell to her knees._

"_Lex!" Hudson cried out, hoping that he could get away in time, but the only exit was blocked by four men. She lifted her gaze, watching in stunned silence as Lionel Luthor approached her, a block of pure, polished Kryptonite in his hand._

_How? How did he know?_

"_Charming hideout, Miss Kent," he commented pleasantly before slamming the block into the side of her face, sending her reeling to the floor._

"_Leave her alone!" Lex snarled, rushing his father as Hudson tried to regain her bearings. She could feel the blood beneath her skin threatening to boil._

_Before Lex could reach his father, the men accompanying him grabbed him from behind, holding him back. He struggled in their grasp, trying to get to his father, or her, Hudson wasn't certain. She blinked back the opaqueness that was clouding her eyes. Forcing the pain aside, she rolled over, attempting to get back to her feet, her limbs shaking against her weight._

"_I've been worried about you, Son."_

"_You sure as hell have a funny way of showing it, Dad."_

"_I blame this little mishap on Miss Kent," Lionel continued, ignoring his son's jibe. "If she hadn't gotten in the way, you would have had help by now. You would have been on the slow process to recovery – "_

"_Save the crap for your next press release, Dad," Lex interrupted. "My mind's clear now. I know what you've been doing. Hudson found out that my staff has been drugging my alcohol according to your orders, so you can just cease with the outpouring of feigned concern for my well-being."_

"_Is that so?" Lionel glanced down at Hudson, gaze narrowing a bit as he watched her. _

_He looked back at Lex and remarked, "It really is difficult to find good help these days, I'll admit, but you can't continue to blame everyone else for your psychological and emotional shortcomings, Lex. Next thing we know, you'll put the blame on… oh, what was the name of your imaginary friend on the island? Louis, was it?"_

_Lex uttered a growl of pure rage that Hudson had never heard from him, before launching himself at his father. The men held him back though, and with a nod from Lionel, quickly produced a syringe that they slid into his jugular vein. Within moments, Lex fell unconscious between them. _

"_Stop it!" Hudson shouted, stumbling to her feet just in time for Lionel to knock her back once more with the block of Kryptonite that he held. She slammed into the table behind her, splintering it as she fell to the ground, and Lionel followed her down, pressing the Kryptonite against her stomach. Nausea and pained consumed her, blocking out all else._

"_I'm not certain what you are, Miss Kent, or what it is exactly that this stuff does to you, but I look forward to continuing my research in the future." _

_He reached out to cup her chin, pulling her gaze back to him. "At the moment, I have more pressing matters that concern me. I'm certain that you understand, seeing as how we both have the same goal in mind – that of Lex's welfare. Interfere again, Miss Kent, and I won't be responsible for my actions. Understand that my son comes first. Compared to him, you are a mere annoyance that can be easily, and quickly, dealt with..."_

* * *

AJ ran out to greet them as Lex pulled the Jaguar into up the drive. Pushing the door open, Hudson bounded out into the snow before he brought the car to a complete stop, dropping to her knees to cuddle and wish her dog a Merry Christmas. She laughed as he lapped at her face with his soft, wet tongue, and mumbled to him about 'doggy germs'. Either her mother or father had tied a big Christmas bell around his neck, so that every time he shook, he jingled. It was a festive sound, and suddenly Hudson decided she needed her own bell as well.

"You're getting soaked, kneeling in the snow like that," Lex commented from behind her.

And one for Lex. He had the most annoying way of sneaking up on her.

"And?"

Hudson stood, and turned to face him, hands on her hips as she watched him precariously balance the gifts he had brought for her parents, along with the treats his chef had made for their celebration, and her overnight bag. Grinning, she reached out to grab a few of the items before they all made their way into the snow and Lex somehow decided to blame her for it.

"You know the cold doesn't bother me."

"Doesn't mean you have to flaunt it," Lex replied, flashing her a smile as he walked past, and giving her cheek a quick kiss.

Laughing, Hudson hurried after him along the walkway and up the steps to the porch where her mother was already pulling the front door open.

"Merry Christmas, Mom," Hudson called out as she hurried through the door and kissed her mom's cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Honey," Martha replied, reaching out for the packages in Lex's arms as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Lex."

Hudson smiled at the stunned expression on Lex's face as her mother moved into the family room to deposit the presents under the tree. He was still standing there in the hall, just inside the open door, staring after her in bewilderment. Shaking her head, Hudson walked around him, pushing him forward as she shut the door, and slipping her arm through his to lead him in to the house.

"Well, there they are!" Jonathan greeted as he entered from the opposite direction to deposit an armload of wood into the fireplace. "I told your mother you'd be home in time for the cinnamon rolls."

Hudson flashed her mom a look of surprise. "You doubted?"

Martha laughed and shrugged. "It's cold outside, and a lot of snow fell last night. I figured you would at least take your time getting moving this morning."

"She did seem to prefer remaining snuggled under the blankets as opposed to opening her stocking this morning," Lex commented as he helped Hudson remove her coat, and then his own. "I think it was the promise of cinnamon rolls only that woke her up."

"You're all being very mean on Christmas morning," Hudson pouted, walking over to her father to kiss his cheek. "Just see if I don't eat more than my share of the food today!"

"And that would be different from any other day how?" Lex asked, narrowly ducking in time to avoid being hit by her gloves as they flew through the air.

A tug at her arm caught Hudson's attention, and she allowed her father to pull her to the side as she heard her mother babbling to Lex about the cookies and fudge sent over from his cook. Hudson watched as Lex followed her mother into the kitchen, laughing at a quiet comment she made. It was more than she had hoped for – to see Lex this happy and comfortable in her parent's home. Everyone was behaving as if nothing were amiss, and for the moment, Hudson found herself believing it to be true. She'd do anything it took to give Lex the happiness he so very much deserved right now.

Turning her gaze to her father, she saw that he too was watching as Lex and her mother disappeared into the kitchen, only a frown had replaced the smile he'd been wearing moments before. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

Her father glanced down at her and shook his head. "No. I just wanted to ask if everything had gone smoothly last night, or if Lionel – "

"He was there only for a moment," Hudson told him softly. "And then he left."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Only that he expected me to look after Lex." She sighed.

"Sounds like a threat to me." Jonathan reached up to rub at the back of his neck. He was wearing a rugged tan sweater that Martha had bought for him on Christmas two years ago, and Hudson knew he'd complained of it itching in the past. "H.C., maybe you shouldn't go over to the mansion as much anymore – "

"And that won't look the least bit suspicious to Lex?" She whispered fiercely. "He already suspects enough as it is! If he keeps questioning – " She stopped and shook her head. "Dad, you know what Lionel said. I have to protect Lex. For him, for me, for all of us. And that means to pretend as if nothing has changed. Period."

"You should have never gotten involved," her father muttered.

Hudson offered him a wan smile. "But then, it was my parents who taught me about helping those who can't help themselves, wasn't it?"

"H.C.!" Her mom called from the kitchen. "You'd better get in here before Lex eats all of the cinnamon rolls!"

Laughing at the mere thought, Hudson leaned up and kissed her father's cheek. "Please, Daddy. Don't ruin today. Tomorrow we can worry about what Lionel may or may not do. For now, let's just enjoy the holiday and the fact that we are together. All of us."

* * *

_Her father hadn't wanted her to make the trip, but her mother said she understood. It was no secret that Hudson blamed herself for not protecting Lex properly, for allowing his father to get close enough to take him away. Now that Lionel apparently knew how Kryptonite affected her, what were they to do? Run away? Change their names and move to some foreign country, forever fearing the long arm of Lionel's power reaching out to them? For the moment, Lionel was leaving well enough alone. He had even extended an olive branch, offering to allow Hudson in to visit Lex a month after his incarceration into Belle Reve. Lionel, it appeared, had won this round._

_And Hudson kept waiting for the other shoe to drop._

_It wasn't quite enough to keep her from going to see Lex, though. She needed to see for herself that he was all right, to apologize to him in person for not being able to do something more. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, and that no matter what the future held, she would be there for him. And maybe, deep inside, more than anything else she wanted to know that he didn't hate her._

_So there she sat in the waiting room at Belle Reve, until an orderly would come to fetch her and take her to Lex. She fidgeted in the hard, plastic chair, and tried very hard not to breathe in too deeply the antiseptic smells around her. The building looked like a prison, and she hated knowing that Lex was incarcerated inside its walls. There was nothing she could do to help him short of staging a rescue, and her last attempt at hiding him away hadn't exactly turned out well. The woman at the reception desk had recognized her name when Hudson gave it; she'd mentioned something about 'Mr. Luthor' authorizing the visit. Hudson had wanted to shout at her that he was a murderer and was the one that should have been in there, not his son, but she doubted that anyone would listen. She was beginning to believe her parents were right; no one could fight Lionel Luthor. He was simply too powerful._

"_Miss Kent?"_

_She glanced up at the voice to see a dark-skinned man approaching her, dressed all in white, his clothes appearing a little too small on his muscular frame. She stood as he reached her, and he held out a little badge that had the word 'Visitor' displayed in bright red beneath the lamination. Taking it quietly, she attached it to the pocket of her jacket, and the man nodded to her as he turned and started out of the waiting room._

"_Just follow me," he instructed as he flashed his card at the door before them, releasing the lock. "Try not to make eye contact with the other patients. Stick close by me, and you'll be fine. Ever visited before?"  
_

_Hudson shook her head, holding her breath for a moment as the scent of antiseptic became stronger the further they walked into the facility. There was another lingering scent just beneath, highly unpleasant, like unwashed diapers and vomit. She tried not to think on that too hard, focusing on the bright white tile of the floor beneath her feet. _

"_You'll be meeting with Mr. Luthor in the common room. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. If anything goes wrong, I'll be nearby to get you out of here."_

_Hudson wasn't worried about Lex, or any of the other patients, for that matter. It was Lionel who frightened her, and maybe just a little bit of herself as well. She didn't know what she ultimately planned to do to make things right again._

"_Well, look who it is!" A voice taunted to her left, and Hudson glanced over to see Van McNulty glaring at her. "Hi, freak!"_

_He started toward her but the orderly with her stepped into his path, pushing him back. _

"_You're the one who should be in here!" He shouted as two other orderlies appeared from behind them to grab him and pull him away. "They should lock you up, you freak!"_

_Swallowing, Hudson quickly turned away from the scene, continuing down the hall as the orderly stared at her for a long moment before finally returning his attention to the direction in which they were headed.._

"_Hey, Kent," another familiar voice called out to her in passing as he stopped beside the wall. "Been struck by lightning lately?" _

Hudson blinked at Eric Summers, stumbling over her own feet as an orderly appeared to push him along, a nasty smile flashing across Eric's expression as he walked off. Heart pounding, Hudson caught her balance and moved a little more quickly down the hall, ignoring the frown of confusion from the orderly beside her. Unfortunately, it appeared that the old saying was true – bad things happen in threes.

"_Good to see you, Hudson. Tell my two girlfriends I said hello."_

_She stopped this time, watching as Ian pushed a cart filled with newspapers, magazines and books past her. His smile was more bitter than angry, eyes narrowed as he continued to watch her over his shoulder for a moment before disappearing around the corner. Hudson was beginning to believe that coming here had been a mistake. Lex needed her, though, and while it hurt to face the consequences of her actions against others, she still believed in her heart that she'd always done the right thing. These kids had hurt people. They needed help._

"_You sure seem to know a lot of people in here," the orderly commented wryly, staring at her as if maybe she really was the one who belonged there._

_Hudson didn't know what to say to that. Instead, she prodded, "Where's Lex?"_

_Shrugging at her lack of a response, the orderly waved a hand around the corner in front of them and led her into an open area, filled with many more patients, luckily none of whom were familiar to her._

_Except one._

_Lex was sitting in front of an easel, painting an odd picture of a man with flames behind him. She'd never known that he harbored artistic talent as well, and then realized she wasn't a bit surprised. When it came to Lex, she was very certain that he could do absolutely anything. He was significantly paler than usual, and very thin, the patient scrubs that he wore hanging on his lean frame. It crossed her mind again that he didn't belong here, not with these people, not in this environment. He should have been back at the mansion, sitting in front of a fire, a glass of brandy in his hand while he prepared for the holidays._

_As if he felt her watching him, Lex slowly turned to meet her gaze, and a heartbreaking smile spread across his face. He was up in an instant, and they met halfway, Hudson immediately moving into his embrace and holding him tightly._

"_I've been worried about you," he whispered, stroking her hair. Pulling back, Lex cupped her face, regarding her intently. "Are you all right? Has he hurt you?"_

_Hudson shook her head. "No. He hasn't… done anything since that night. I was surprised when he left a message saying that I could come visit you."_

_Lex glanced around at that, looking up at the camera in the corner of the room, and then back to her. "It could be a trap."_

"_I know." _

"But you came anyway." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her quickly before taking her hands and pulling her further toward the back wall, away from the best view of the camera. When he spoke again, his voice was a whisper. "I think I have a plan," he told her. "I know where we can get money and help, you just have to get me out of here."

_Hudson blinked at Lex apprehensively. "Lex, I – "_

"_I know it's asking a lot of you, Angel, after what happened, but the only way I can protect you from my father is to get out of here. They – " He stopped, eyes narrowing a little as he glanced over her shoulder. "I don't know what my father is attempting to do, but they've been feeding me these pills every day. I took them the first few days because I had no choice, but they were making my mind cloudy and muddled. I've been disposing of them ever since, though, so I've had time to think." He brought his gaze back to her. "I'm not certain how long it will be before they catch on, though."_

"_What about Dr. Foster?" She asked. "Surely she can see that you're not – "_

"_She works for him!" Lex told her, reaching up to grab her shoulders and shake her slightly, his voice raised. As if getting a hold of his emotions once more, his touch gentled and he moved a hand to cup her cheek, thumb caressing her skin. "I need you now more than ever, Angel. You're the only one who can help me. Please, get me out of here."_

_Hudson was trying. Along with Chloe, they got together at the Torch every day, trying to come up with a plan of how to convince the authorities to get Lex released. Their options were limited, though. Dr. Foster seemed to be the only solution, and she never returned any of Hudson's calls._

"_Lex," Hudson began, hoping she could make him understand that she was doing everything she could. "This isn't… I'm trying to figure out a way to get you out of here, but I can't do what you're asking. My parents, they… Your father… This isn't just about you anymore."_

"_No, it's about putting a man away for murder," he responded angrily. "Do you feel safer this way, Hudson? Having me locked up in here, while he's walking around free out there?"_

"_No, I didn't – "_

"_Save it!" He snapped, pushing her back. "Apparently Hudson Kent only bothers helping people when it's convenient for her."_

"_Lex, please – "_

"_Get away from me!" He shouted loud enough to raise the alarm among the orderlies who quickly came to grab him. The one who'd led her in earlier appeared at her side, taking her arm._

"_We'd better get you out of here."_

"_Go back to your cozy farm!" Lex continued to shout. "Go play martyr somewhere else, you selfish little bitch!"_

_Shocked at his outburst, Hudson was unable to respond as the orderly pulled her away from the commons area._

* * *

Hudson's belly was full, the people she loved the most were with her, there was a warm fire blazing in the fireplace, and a stack of gifts yet to open beneath the tree. Life was good at that very moment, and that fact was something she found herself focusing on. With a gingerbread cookie in one hand, and a glass of hot cider in the other, she curled her legs beneath her to sit on the rug in front of the fireplace and watch her dad and Lex play a couple hands of Poker. She hadn't even realized that Lex knew how to play such a rudimentary game, but his eyes had kind of lit up when her father suggested it. Of course, they'd dimmed a bit when her dad added that they would play for peppermints. In the first few games between them, Lex's heart hadn't really been in the bid for the peppermints, so her father had kept winning the hands. At some point along the way, though, Lex's competitive spirit had awakened, and now there was a huge pile of green and white, and red and white candies piled in front of him.

Her mom was still at work in the kitchen, cleaning away the enormous meal they'd wolfed down in far too quick a time. Even Lex ate two plates of food, which was extremely unheard of. The fact that his portions were only half of what Hudson ate didn't really matter – she'd never seen him have seconds before. Hudson, her dad and Lex had all offered to help clean up, but Martha had quickly shooed them out of the kitchen, insisting that she could get it picked up faster on her own than if she had to stumble around the three of them.

Lex appeared to be relaxed, and that was something that warmed Hudson's heart to see. It allowed her to enjoy the day, knowing that he wasn't worrying over what it was that had happened to him. She thought that if he could forget about it all for Christmas, then certainly he could do so until the questions no longer plagued him. They could all continue on with their lives, and he would be safe. She could keep him safe. If only the charade continued.

"H.C., do you want to put a movie on?" Her mother asked from the kitchen. "I was going to warm up the gingerbread cake after I get the whipped cream made."

"Sure, Mom." Hudson stood and glanced over their small shelf of DVD's before looking over her shoulder at her dad and Lex as they put the cards away. "Any suggestions?"

"You know _It's a Wonderful Life_ is always my favorite," her father answered with a smile. "Got any suggestions, Lex?"

Lex had stilled for a moment in his chair before he shook his head and stood. "No. Whatever you choose is fine." He walked over to the window, his back to them, staring out at the falling snow.

"Ummm, we'll just go with that then," Hudson commented, pulling out the DVD case as her dad wandered into the kitchen.

She slid the disc into the player, her gaze continuing to glance toward Lex as she hit play. Paying no attention to the movie as it began playing, she moved over to the window to stand beside Lex, reaching out to touch his back, caressing it through the silk fabric of his shirt.

"Having a good time?" She asked softly.

"Mmmm." A whisper of a smile appeared on his face. "It's like a dream."

Hudson smiled at that. Everything did seem to have a dream-like quality to it that day. The softly falling snow, the warmth of the fire, the lingering smell of her mother's cooking, and all of the people she loved around her. It was definitely like a dream.

"It's like a dream," Lex suddenly continued, his head turning slightly as he brought his gaze to hers. "Except, it's one that I can't wake up from, Hudson."

She frowned at him slightly, not understanding. "Lex, I don't – "

"Your father has put his hand on my shoulder twice today, Hudson," he told her matter-of-factly. "He referred to me as 'son', once. He hasn't insulted the Luthor name, hasn't hinted at any of the dastardly deeds my father or I have supposedly done. He asked me about the weather, tried to engage me in a discussion about sports, thanked me three times for the pocket knife I gave him – "

"He's just – "

"Your mother has hugged me three times, for no apparent reason," he continued, ignoring her. "She kissed my cheek. She keeps asking me if I need anything, and smiles at me every time I look at her."

"It's Christmas, and they're – "

"But you're the worst, Hudson." He turned to face her, gaze softening as he looked at her. "You sit there across from me with this beautiful smile, and this outward appearance of happiness – one of the reasons I first fell in love with you. But you see, Hudson, I know you. I know you very well, and I know your eyes. There's a smile on your face, but your eyes show only fear – a deep, lingering terror that I can only begin to guess at." He shook his head. "This isn't a dream, Hudson. It's a nightmare, and I'm living it because no one will tell me what the hell is going on."

Hudson bit down hard on her lip and looked away from his silently pleading gaze. This was his specialty it seemed, ruining everything. Just when she thought the day couldn't get more perfect, it all came crashing down on top of her. Didn't either of them deserve just a little happiness without reality sinking in?

"What do you want from me, Lex?" She whispered.

"I want the truth, dammit!" His voice raised unexpectedly and he caught himself, glancing sheepishly toward the kitchen before turning back to her and lowering it once more. "I want to know what it is that everyone seems to be walking on eggshells around me. It isn't because you think I'm going to suddenly have another psychotic break, is it? No, it isn't that. It's something more. It's the unspoken something that occurred between you and my father the other night. It's the unspoken something that caused you to break down the day I came home. It's the unspoken something that has been hanging over everyone in this house all day today."

She shook her head, unable to respond.

"Hudson." He took her by the shoulders, forcing her to bring her gaze back to his. "I can't make it better – I can't let it go until you tell me what 'it' is."

"Do you think it's any easier for me?" She whispered, her control fracturing as she felt herself begin to shake. He wasn't going to let this go. Something awful was going to happen. She could feel it. "Lex, you're all that matters to me – "

"Then tell me!"

"I can't!" She yelled it at him, not caring anymore if her parents heard because they understood, they knew what was going on, and none of them could do anything to stop it. "Don't you understand that I can't!"

She pulled away from his grasp, and sped out of the house.

* * *

"_Claire Fosters' dead."_

_Hudson stared at Chloe incomprehensively._

"_They found her car wrapped around a tree off I-35. H.C., you know that Lionel had a hand in this."_

_Chloe was right. It was the only explanation. _

_The morning after Hudson's disastrous visit to Belle Reve to see Lex, she'd learned that he'd attempted an escape on his own, only to be caught before making it over the wall. Guilt had consumed her that he'd resorted to such measures because she'd turned down his plea for help. Shortly thereafter, she learned that he'd been scheduled by Dr. Foster for radical electric shock therapy. Desperate to free him, Hudson and Chloe had gone directly to Dr. Foster, eventually convincing her to go against Lionel and do the right thing. Lex wasn't crazy, and they all knew it. What his father had convinced her to do went against everything that was right. Dr. Foster had agreed to stand up to Lionel Luthor, and this was the price she was forced to pay._

_Once again, Hudson knew much of the blame rested on her shoulders._

_Her mind made up, Hudson stood and grabbed her jacket. "I shouldn't have gotten anyone else involved," she whispered as she started for the door._

_Chloe reached out for her. "What are you going to do?"_

"_I'm getting him out of there, Chloe." She met her friend's worried gaze. "Somehow… I've been in there, I know the layout. I think… There should be a way to get him out."_

"_So now you're Houdini?" Chloe shook her head. "You won't be able to do it, H.C. They'll catch you both, and then you'll be brought up on charges. I can't let you do this – "_

"_I'm sorry, Chloe, but I'm not going to let Lionel hurt Lex any more. I promise, whatever happens, I won't drag you into it this time…"_

_Getting into Belle Reve was simple. There was minimal security at night, and the locked doors crumbled beneath her grip as she moved through the facility. Finding Lex's room was a little more difficult, but she finally made it to the secluded wing where he was being held. The moment she forced the door open, the sight of his recent incarceration sickened her – he was strapped down to a flat slab, a form-fitting cage fitted over his body like he was some kind of psychotic and dangerous individual. She wanted to find the person who had done this to him, and rip them apart._

_Lex turned his head toward her as he entered, and his eyes instantly darkened. "Hudson! What are you doing here?" He whispered fiercely._

"_Getting you out." She reached down and ripped the cage away, before kneeling beside him and tearing at the straps that bound his wrists and ankles._

"_Dammit, you foolish little brat!" He berated. "It's too dangerous for you to be here!" _

She sat back on her haunches and stared at Lex as he sat up, rubbing at his wrists. "But, you said – "

"I said it to get you away," Lex told her, sighing in resignation as he gave her a small smile. "I should have never gotten you involved in the first place. Angel, if I'd known that my father had any information regarding you and the meteor rock, I never would have – "

"_I know." Hudson leaned in to kiss him, relief sweeping through her that he really hadn't been angry. "But I made the choice to get involved, remember? I'd never let you go through something like this alone. Come on." She stood and held out her hand to help him up. "We need to get out of here."_

_Just as Lex reached up to take her hand, a familiar debilitating sensation swept over her. Panic swept over her as she let go and spun around, only to have Lionel's fist slam hard into the side of her face. She felt the impact of a small chunk of Kryptonite breaking open her skin as she fell to the floor._

"_No!" _

_Lex leapt toward his father but two orderlies appeared to grab him, pushing him down to the floor where he continued to struggle. One of them punched him once across the jaw, only to have Lionel snap, "Careful! That's my son, you're hitting! Get him on the gurney."_

_Hudson reached out to Lex, attempting to grab on and hold him as they slipped a needle into his arm. She felt Lex's fingers close around her own, his gaze meeting hers, eyes filling with tears._

"_I'm sorry," he whispered._

_She shook her head, wanting to tell him it wasn't his fault, but suddenly she was grabbed by the hair and hauled to her feet. The effect of the Kryptonite was sweeping through her, and she swayed unsteadily as Lionel held her in his grip._

"_I warned you, Miss Kent, about getting involved," he snarled. "I'm trying to do what is best for my son, and yet you seem to be under the delusion that you are the authority as to how his life should proceed. I'm tired of the constant games, Miss Kent – the failed attempts at rebellion. The war ends here, and it's time for you to learn I always come out the victor."_

_Turning, Lionel dragged her out of the cell, pulling her along with him behind the gurney where Lex was laying, drugged just enough to keep him from putting up a fight. Hudson reached behind her, attempting to dislodge Lionel's hold on her hair, but the moment she touched him, burning pain flowed through her fingertips. She realized then that he'd had Kryptonite fashioned into a ring, which explained the throbbing in her head as if her brain were threatening to explode from the pressure of the effects. She wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all. She'd tried so hard to do the right thing, but Lionel had been one step ahead of her; knowing that she would come, waiting for her._

_What else could she have done? Ignore the pleadings of her own heart?_

"_Please, Mr. Luthor," she tried to plead, tripping once. He held her fast in his grip, pulling her back to her feet. "Please, don't do this!"_

"_Silence!" He turned to flash her a dark glare. "If you hadn't gotten involved, none of this would have been necessary!"_

_Hudson felt a sob rise within her at his words but choked it back, not wishing to give Lionel any more proof of her terror. She focused on the gurney in front of them, and could see Lex watching her sorrowfully with a drug-laden gaze. She could feel her fear seeping through her limbs, almost over-powering the effect of the Kryptonite. A part of her kept hoping this was all some horrible nightmare – that she would wake up at any moment, safe in Lex's arms, tucked away in the warmth of his bed, and none of this would have happened. She closed her eyes and willed it._

_Lionel's grip on her hair tightened, and she opened her eyes to find him pulling her through the doorway into a small room. The gurney was locked into place by the orderlies before they turned and exited the room, leaving Hudson, Lionel, Lex and one doctor in the room alone. She stared fearfully at the control panel on the far side of the room, knowing she could never reach it to destroy it as long as Lionel had the ring. Her heat vision was inactive. There was nothing she could do but watch as the doctor moved behind Lex and began attaching various electrodes to his head and temples._

_She decided to try to talk to Lionel one more time._

"_Mr. Luthor, please, I'm begging you… don't do this," she gasped, swallowing back a wave of nausea that swept through her. "I'll do anything. Lex and I… we won't go to the authorities. We won't… "_

"_Of course you won't go to the authorities," Lionel responded with a laugh. "There's nothing to go to them about. I'm sorry, Miss Kent, that my son's insane ramblings ever sounded truthful to you, but you should have known not to get involved in matters that have nothing to do with you. Lex is my son, and I have always looked after him. Long before you ever came into our lives."_

_Eerily enough, Hudson found herself wondering if Lionel truly believed everything he was saying. Was it possible that he had convinced himself he was not responsible for the death of his parents? That he hadn't drugged his own son? No, Lionel was a dangerous man, but she didn't believe he was insane. He would have been easier to circumvent if he hadn't been working against them with a perfectly sane and logical mind._

_The drug in Lex's system was apparently wearing off. Hudson's attention was drawn to him as he began pleading with the doctor, "Please. I'll pay you whatever you want. You'll never have to work another day in your life."_

_Hudson glanced hopefully at the doctor who simply turned away and began working with the controls on the panel. Her heart sank._

"_He doesn't want your money, Son," Lionel commented softly, pulling Hudson with him as he moved over to Lex's side and reached out with his free hand to soothingly caress his son's chest. "He wants to make you better. Just like I do."_

"_You're a liar," Lex responded, his gaze darting to Hudson. "Let Hudson go. If nothing else, just let her go. She's not a part of this."_

_Lionel shook his head. "No. She needs to understand that I'm the only one who can help you. You both need to realize how foolish you've been all along. If only you'd let me help you sooner… " _

_He sighed and shook his head, and Hudson felt his fingers moving against the back of her head, almost as if he were attempting to soothe her as well. "Be strong, Lex."_

_Lex's gaze narrowed angrily as he shouted, "Liar!"_

"_I'm sorry, Son."_

_The doctor moved back over to the gurney, grabbing hold of Lex's chin in order to attempt to slip a mouthpiece into his mouth. Lex began to struggle, panic appearing in his eyes. Battling the sickness that consumed her, Hudson likewise fought against Lionel, but her exertions only seemed to make things worse._

"_No, don't do this, Dad!" Lex pleaded frantically._

"_Be strong," Lionel intoned once more as he took a few steps back, pulling Hudson along with him._

"_Don't do this, Dad!" Lex cried again before his gaze swept toward Hudson. "Hudson, please – help!"_

"_Lex!" She whimpered, tried to hit Lionel but it was a meager swat at best. She felt his grip tighten once more against her, and he shoved her to her knees._

"_You must both be strong," he told her._

_Lex was screaming, fighting against the doctor, and there was nothing Hudson could do but watch. She'd never felt so helpless -- so useless and alone -- in her entire life. Lex was begging for her help, and there was nothing she could do. She barely registered the tears that were running unchecked down her cheeks as Lex continued to struggle, crying out to her, to his father, until the doctor finally slipped the mouthpiece in, preventing further speech._

_Beside her, Lionel sighed. "I'm sorry, Son. I didn't think it would have to come to this." His voice cracked slightly, and Hudson realized that Lex's father was near tears, that he really and truly believed that this was something that had to be done; that he had to do it._

_And that scared her more than anything._

"_If it were a gangrenous limb, we could amputate," he continued. "But the brain, unfortunately, is infinitely more complex."_

_Lex tried to speak, asking him once more not to do it, and then Hudson heard him say her name. She looked over at him, tears clouding her vision as she reached out a hand toward him, unable to touch him but hoping that he understood she was there. Whatever happened, she was there. He spoke again, and she thought she heard him say "It's not your fault."_

"_Do it," Lionel instructed to the doctor, and Hudson screamed with Lex as the rising hum of electricity swept through the room._

* * *

Running away was all she seemed to do anymore. 

Hudson realized this as she reached Colorado. She stopped just across the border, milling around the town of Limon, its streets devoid of people as they were all inside celebrating Christmas Day. She was feeling sorry for herself and she hated that, especially when she knew that it was Lex who was going through the real pain here, not her. She couldn't begin to understand what it was like not to remember seven weeks of her life, let alone know that everyone around her was purposely keeping the truth from her. There was danger for both of them, true, but Lex was so much more fragile than her, and Hudson knew she could withstand whatever it was that Lionel tried to do to her. It might always seem that he was one step ahead, but she was stronger and faster than him, and certainly if it came down to it she could find a way to protect them both.

Right?

After everything that had gone wrong, Hudson's own faith in her ability to keep her loved ones safe was faltering. Sometimes it seemed that Lionel was the invincible one, and not her. Lex didn't get that. Lex held such a strong belief in his own independence, in his own strength, that he could never allow himself to believe there might be someone out there who was superior. It was one of the things she loved about him, and it was one of the most dangerous aspects of his personality. How did one explain that to him? Hudson wasn't certain, but she knew that something had to be done to convince Lex to let the last few months go, or things would get much, much worse.

A few minutes after she reached Colorado, Hudson turned and headed back home to face him. She didn't know what she would say, but she would think of something. Maybe if she cried a little he would give in. Lex always seemed to give in to her tears. Then again, he loved it when she was strong as well, so perhaps that would be the way to approach it. She just wasn't certain anymore. It seemed as if the man she loved were walking a tightrope lately, ready to plunge himself toward one side or the other, and Hudson was afraid that she wouldn't be there to catch him when he fell.

When she reached the house, Hudson stopped beside the porch, wiping away her tears and taking a few deep, calming breaths. She hovered there a moment, deciding her course of action, when the front door swung open and Lex walked out.

"I'm sorry for ruining your Christmas, Mrs. Kent. It seems to be a particular talent of mine."

Hudson couldn't help but smile at his echoing of her earlier thoughts. Sometimes, they thought so much alike.

"You haven't ruined our Christmas, Lex," her mom assured him as she followed him outside, closing the door behind her. "You're not the Grinch. And there's no reason for you to leave."

"I'm not certain your husband shares your sentiment after he watched me chase your daughter away."

"I doubt that H.C. has gone far. She enjoys gingerbread far too much." She reached out suddenly and took Lex's hand. "Lex, if Jonathan's angry, it's only because he fears for her."

Hudson ducked back behind the wall as Lex looked out across the porch in her direction. She heard him respond, "And I'm only angry because everyone is lying to me."

"We're not lying about this." There was a pause, and then, "Do you love Hudson?"

"You know I do," Lex answered instantly. "I always have."

"Then her safety should mean something to you, too."

"I don't see how – "

"He hurt her, Lex." Her mom's voice lowered, and Hudson leaned back around the corner to see that she had now taken both of his hands, clutching them tightly in hers as she spoke. "Hudson did everything she could for you, believe me when I say that. And in the end, your father hurt her. It's something she will never admit to you because she doesn't want to worry you; she wants you to see her as strong. But it terrified me, Lex, and it terrified Jonathan. You should have seen the state that Hudson was in when she made it home."

Hudson's gaze moved to Lex, who was staring at her mother silently, his face much paler suddenly.

"Kryptonite?" He whispered the questioned word.

Her mom nodded. "We don't know how, but he had it Lex, and he used it. He's threatened to hurt her further if you ever regain your memories. You don't want that, do you, Lex? You claim to love her. Does that love extend to keeping her safe?"

It wasn't the complete truth. Lionel had threatened to kill Lex if he ever discovered the truth, and Hudson tried not to think of how it would feel to lose him from her life again, so to that end, she knew his father could hurt her, damage her in ways she couldn't possibly imagine. From that perspective, her mother wasn't lying.

"I know that asking this isn't fair to you," she continued, reaching up to cup his cheek. "None of us can begin to imagine what you're going through. But Lex, Jonathan and I have spent years protecting our daughter, and we will continue to do so, no matter what it takes. You know what she means to us. You know what she means to every life she touches."

Lex made a sound. Hudson wasn't certain if it was in agreement or denial, but she could see the battle that was currently waging inside of him in the tense set of his shoulders, and the clenching of his fist at his side. Her mother had already told him too much, and now she was asking him to let it go, and Hudson knew what a sacrifice such an action would be for him. She knew it was eating away at him already, the simple thought of ignoring the questions in his mind, trying to forget that the few people he had left in his life to trust were all lying to him. She was just about to make her presence known, to tell her mom to stop, when Lex spoke:

"I understand, Mrs. Kent. I… Hudson is everything to me. I would never do anything to hurt her. All I want… I want to protect her."

"I know that, Lex. We all know that." Her mother smiled up at him. "And we all want to protect you, as well. Both of you will be better off if you just let this go. Someday, I assure you, you will learn the truth."

Lex seemed to deflate before her eyes as he slowly nodded in agreement.

"Now, I'm going to go make some hot chocolate to warm us all up while we watch the movie," her mom told him, stepping back toward the door. "I'm sure Hudson is up in the loft, waiting for you to come and get her. Tell her she is missing out on dessert, and bring her back into the house."

Lex hesitated for only a moment before turning towards the steps obediently at her mother's command. Hudson stared at the slump of his shoulders and the furrow in his brow, the guilt gnawing away at her deep inside. As he neared the edge of the path, stepping on to the gravel of the drive to head toward the barn, she turned and sped up to the loft to wait for him.

She was sitting on the arm of the couch when he arrived, her gaze set on the floor for fear of him reading too much behind her eyes. Uncertain of what he was thinking, she remained silent, waiting for him to say the first word, surprised when she felt him near her and finally sit behind her on the couch.

"Your mother is making hot chocolate to be served with the gingerbread," he began. "I guess she's worried you'll get too cold out here."

"The cold doesn't bother me," Hudson sniffled, only then realizing that she was crying again. She wiped at her eyes.

"I know, but she's your mother." She felt him lay his hand against her back. "Hudson?"

He was waiting for her to turn to him. She finally did, though she continued to keep her eyes focused on her hands, which he immediately reached for. He tugged at them until she slipped down beside him on the couch.

"I'm sorry I ruined your Christmas."

Hudson shook her head. "You haven't." She finally looked at him then, needing him to know the truth. "You couldn't. Your being here is all that matters."

"You know, sometimes I believe you when you say that." He reached up to wipe her tears away, and even gave her a small smile. "I know I don't say it very much, Hudson, but I'm happiest when I'm with you. No matter what may be going on in my life, even if I seem distant and cold, I know when you're there, and it means everything to me. Maybe that's why I fight it, because having you around makes me realize how empty the rest of my life is, and I don't like knowing that."

Her eyes widened at his words; she'd never heard Lex say such things to her… well, not in a long while anyway. He used to be open with her their first summer together; telling her his deepest feelings, thoughts and dreams. It's why she fell so hopelessly in love with him, seeing the Lex that no one else had ever bothered to glimpse. She'd allowed his withdrawal over the years simply because she knew that, deep inside, the Lex she got to know that one summer was still there -- he was just hiding from the cruel reality of the world. They'd both been hurt so many times as they continued to cling to one another, and they both reacted differently – her by clinging more tightly, and him by pushing away. It was a wonder that they hadn't torn one another apart by now.

"Lex -- ," she began, but he silenced her with a shake of his head.

"I'm not going to push anymore, Hudson," he promised her softly. "I have you back in my life, and I don't want that to change. Remember when I told you that I didn't like who I was when I was with you?"

Hudson swallowed, nodding slowly.

"That wasn't true. I've come to realize, I'm at my best with you, that I'm stronger because of your presence. I know my path. Without you, I'm lost. I'm only half myself. I'm not going to jeopardize that, again."

The guilt was clouding her mind. She hadn't protected him the way he deserved. Here Lex was, baring his soul to her, and she'd let him down. He didn't know.

"I love you, Hudson," he whispered.

Words she'd longed to hear again ever since he'd returned from the island, and now she wasn't worthy. Moving into his arms, Hudson clung tightly to Lex, and silently promised herself that she would never let him down again.

* * *

_Hudson didn't know how long she'd stood there, watching Lex from the doorway of his study as he sat staring into the fire. She couldn't think of the right words to say, so she refrained from saying anything, preferring to simply drink in the sight of him. She was being a coward, she knew, but courage, it seemed, had abandoned her the night she watched Lionel Luthor rape his own son's mind. The night he had beaten her down with a ring made of Kryptonite, and taunted her with the threat of Lex's death should she ever tell him the truth before sending her home._

_She'd made her choice. Her own safety hadn't concerned her. Even that of her parents… She could protect them, somehow, someway. Lex's life was far too precious to gamble with. She had no control over it, and Lionel knew that. While he felt some deranged paternal attachment to his son, they had both pushed him a little too far. Lex was safe for now because Lionel didn't want to lose his progeny. It was up to Hudson to keep it that way, to refrain from giving Lionel cause to believe that his own safety would be further secured by the absence of his son. Once again, she'd been forced to choose the lies, and she could only hope that Lex would never discover the truth._

_That a murderer was roaming the streets freely was something she would never to allow herself to consider. _

_That Lex's life was worth it was something she would never allow herself to question. _

_Taking a deep breath, Hudson pushed her fears to the side and entered the study._

"_Lex?"_

_He turned at the sound of her voice and rose to his feet. _

"_Angel," he whispered, moving quickly to her and enveloping her in a tight embrace._

_She trembled slightly before wrapping her arms around him. "How are you?"_

_  
Lex kissed her once before pulling back and gazing into her eyes. "Great, actually," he told her with a smile. "Strangely enough, never better."_

_His words made her ache. For a moment, she wished their roles were reversed. _

"_I heard you came to visit me, and… I wasn't very welcoming." He touched her chin, his fingers caressing her jaw. "If that's true, I'm very sorry. The fact that you came to see me means a lot, Angel."_

_She swallowed back the scream that threatened and asked, "Did your dad tell you why he had you committed?"_

"_He said I had a psychotic break," Lex replied. "They think my island trauma precipitated it. I'm just grateful my father recognized it in time."_

"_Me too," she whispered softly, hating herself. Hating Lionel Luthor._

_As always, Lex was attuned to her emotions. He was watching her as he continued to keep her close, and finally asked, "Is there something you wanted to tell me, Hudson?"_

_Yes! Your father hurt you beyond measure! There was no psychotic break, just the evil machinations of a murderer who wants his secret kept!_

"_No," she answered, shaking her head. "I just… I'm glad you're back, and that you're okay. I missed you. I… I love you."_

_Lex smiled. "Even if I'm mentally unstable?"_

_Hudson bit her lip, vision clouding with the rise of tears._

_Frowning slightly, Lex pulled her close and kissed her cheek. "It's all right. I was teasing, Angel. Everything is all right. Thank you for being there for me. Your love and devotion mean the world to me."_

_Holding tightly to him, Hudson gave in to her tears, and cried._


End file.
